Biography

Peter Falk

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Born
September 16, 1927 · New York City, New York, USA
Died
June 23, 2011 · Beverly Hills, California, USA (cardiorespiratory arrest, pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease)
Birth name
Peter Michael Falk
Height
5′ 6″ (1.68 m)

Peter Michael Falk was born on September 16, 1927, in New York City, New York. At the age of 3, his right eye was surgically removed due to cancer. He graduated from Ossining High School, where he was president of his class. His early career choices involved becoming a certified public accountant, and he worked as an efficiency expert for the Budget Bureau of the state of Connecticut before becoming an actor. On choosing to change careers, he studied the acting art with Eva Le Gallienne and Sanford Meisner. His most famous role is that of the detective Columbo (1971); however, this was not his first foray into acting the role of a detective. During a high school play, he stood in for such a role when the original student actor fell sick. He has been married twice, and is the father of two children:Catherine, a private detective in real life, and Jackie. He was diagnosed with dementia in 2008, which was most likely brought on by Alzheimer's disease, from which he died on June 23, 2011.
- IMDb mini biography by: Rachel

As Columbo: The raincoat, the cigar, the slouch, the false exit followed by the catchphrase, "One more thing..."
Half-closed eye which was actually removed in childhood
Short and stocky physique
High-pitched gravelly voice
Thick eyebrows

His right eye was surgically removed at the age of three, because of cancer.
Once when he was playing in a Little League game, the umpire called him out. Falk thought that he was safe. He pulled his glass eye out of its socket and handed it to the umpire, telling him, "Here, I think you might need this.".
Was a certified public accountant.
His daughter Catherine Falk is a private detective in real life.
Lt. Columbo's first name is explicitly and even doggedly never revealed in the series (i.e., "What's your first name?" "Lieutenant."). However, with modern freeze-frame capabilities, when Columbo flashes his badge in the episode Dead Weight (1971), the name Frank can clearly be seen on his ID.

[upon losing to Peter Ustinov for the 1961 Oscars] When I hit the seat, I turned to the press agent and said "You're fired!" I didn't want him charging me for another day.
[on Columbo's appeal] What are you hanging around for? Just one thing. You want to know how he gets caught.
Being chased by Columbo is like being nibbled to death by a duck.
[on Patrick McGoohan] The most underrated, under-appreciated talent on the face of the globe. I have never played a scene with another actor who commanded my attention the way Pat did.
I signed up to go to Israel to fight in the war with Egypt. I wasn't passionate about Israel. I wasn't passionate about Egypt. I just wanted more excitement. Joining the Israeli Army was illegal for American citizens, but I found out you could sign up at the Hotel Roosevelt in Manhattan. I did get assigned a ship and a departure date. However, the war was over in the blink of an eye - eight days to be exact. The ship never sailed.