Directed credits
1
Emerging
Beginning to build directing work.
Director
Walter Matthau
Acting
Career Snapshot
ExplainedThese indicators come from TMDB. They are relative signals, not review ratings.
TMDB popularity
2.1
Moderate attention
TMDB internal trend index. Higher usually means more searches and page activity now.
Directed movies: 1Directed series: 0All crew credits: 2
TMDB ID: 6837
IMDb ID: nm0000527
Known for: Acting
Born: October 1, 1920
Died: July 1, 2000
Age: 79
Place of birth: New York City, New York, USA
Gender: Male
Adult content flag: No
Career span: 1944 - 2026
Years active: 83
Average TMDB rating: 6.57
Wikidata: Q202172
Also known as
Walter Matuschanskayasky • Уолтер Мэттау • Walter John Matthau • والتر ماتائو
Frequent jobs
Director (1)Executive Producer (1)
Biography
Walter Matthau (born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in A Face in the Crowd (1957), King Creole (1958) and as a coach of a hapless little league team in the baseball comedy The Bad News Bears (1976). He also starred in 10 films alongside Jack Lemmon, including The Odd Couple (1968), The Front Page (1974) and Grumpy Old Men (1993). Matthau won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the Billy Wilder film The Fortune Cookie (1966). Matthau is also known for his performances in Stanley Donen's romance Charade (1963), Gene Kelly's musical Hello, Dolly! (1969), Elaine May's screwball comedy A New Leaf (1971) and Herbert Ross' ensemble comedy California Suite (1978). He also starred in Plaza Suite, Kotch (both 1971), Charley Varrick (1973), The Sunshine Boys (1975), and Hopscotch (1980). On Broadway, Matthau originated the role of Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple by playwright Neil Simon, for which he received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1965, his second after A Shot in the Dark in 1962. Matthau also received two British Academy Film Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In 1963, he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance in The DuPont Show of the Week. In 1982, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Photos
Movies
Directed Movies
Movies directed by Walter Matthau.
Movies
Top Rated Movies
Highest rated movies linked with Walter Matthau.
7.8
Fail Safe
as Prof. Groeteschele
1964 Movie
7.7
Charade
as Hamilton Bartholemew
1963 Movie
7.6
A Face in the Crowd
as Mel Miller
1957 Movie
7.6
JFK
as Senator Long
1991 Movie
7.4
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
as Lt. Garber
1974 Movie
7.4
The Odd Couple
as Oscar Madison
1968 Movie
7.4
Chaplin
as Self (archive footage)
1992 Movie
7.4
Charley Varrick
as Charley Varrick
1973 Movie
7.4
Lonely are the Brave
as Sheriff Morey Johnson
1962 Movie
7.3
The Front Page
as Walter Burns
1974 Movie
7.3
A New Leaf
as Henry Graham
1971 Movie
7.2
Bigger Than Life
as Wally Gibbs
1956 Movie
Series
Top Rated Series
Highest rated series linked with Walter Matthau.
Movies
Most Popular Movies
Most viewed movie titles linked with Walter Matthau.
7.6
JFK
as Senator Long
1991 Movie
7.4
Chaplin
as Self (archive footage)
1992 Movie
6.0
I.Q.
as Albert Einstein
1994 Movie
6.3
Pirates
as Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
1986 Movie
5.9
Dennis the Menace
as George Wilson
1993 Movie
7.0
Hello, Dolly!
as Horace Vandergelder
1969 Movie
Actor
as Boris Thomashevsky
1978 Movie
6.1
Earthquake
as Drunk
1974 Movie
7.7
Charade
as Hamilton Bartholemew
1963 Movie
I Love Liberty
as Self
1982 Movie
6.7
Grumpy Old Men
as Max Goldman
1993 Movie
7.8
Fail Safe
as Prof. Groeteschele
1964 Movie
Series
Most Popular Series
Most viewed series linked with Walter Matthau.
7.5
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as Self • 5 eps
1962 Series
7.0
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host • 1 eps
1975 Series
5.4
The Mike Douglas Show
as Self • 2 eps
1961 Series
5.8
Great Performances
as Self • 1 eps
1971 Series
7.2
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Nominee / Presenter • 1 eps
1944 Series
5.0
Studio One
as Jacobs • 1 eps
1948 Series
6.2
The Merv Griffin Show
as Self • 1 eps
1962 Series
6.8
The Dick Cavett Show
as Self - Guest • 2 eps
1968 Series
5.5
Dr. Kildare
as Franklin Gaer • 1 eps
1961 Series
3.3
Climax!
as Charlie Mapes • 1 eps
1954 Series
7.1
The Oscars
as Self • 6 eps
1953 Series
6.3
Route 66
1 eps
1960 Series
Movies
Other Crew Work in Movies
Additional movie credits for Walter Matthau.
Movies
Acting Appearances in Movies
Movie cast credits for Walter Matthau.
Elvis: A Life in Music
as Self (archive footage)
2026 Movie
'Fail-Safe' and the Cold War
as Self (archive footage)
2020 Movie
5.0
Last of the Independents: Don Siegel and the Making of 'Charley Varrick'
as Self (archive footage)
2015 Movie
Revisiting 'Fail-Safe'
as Self (archive footage)
2000 Movie
5.3
Hanging Up
as Lou Mozell
2000 Movie
6.9
The Marriage Fool
as Frank Walsh
1998 Movie
6.3
The Odd Couple II
as Oscar Madison
1998 Movie
6.0
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
as Self
1998 Movie
5.8
Out to Sea
as Charlie Gordon
1997 Movie
6.5
Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough
as Self
1997 Movie
5.6
I'm Not Rappaport
as Nat Moyer
1996 Movie
7.5
Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman
as Self
1996 Movie
Series
Acting Appearances in Series
Series cast credits for Walter Matthau.
7.0
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host • 1 eps
1975 Series
6.3
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
as Self • 1 eps
1973 Series
5.8
Great Performances
as Self • 1 eps
1971 Series
6.8
The Dick Cavett Show
as Self - Guest • 2 eps
1968 Series
7.5
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as Self • 5 eps
1962 Series
6.2
The Merv Griffin Show
as Self • 1 eps
1962 Series
5.4
The Mike Douglas Show
as Self • 2 eps
1961 Series
3.5
Target: The Corruptors!
2 eps
1961 Series
5.5
Dr. Kildare
as Franklin Gaer • 1 eps
1961 Series
Tallahassee 7000
as Lex Rogers • 26 eps
1961 Series
6.3
Route 66
1 eps
1960 Series
5.5
Naked City
as Peter Kanopolis • 1 eps
1958 Series