Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series
Columbo. He appeared in numerous films and television guest roles and was nominated for an
Academy Award twice (for 1960's
Murder, Inc. and 1961's
Pocketful of Miracles), and won the
Emmy Award on five occasions (four for
Columbo) and the
Golden Globe award once. Director
William Friedkin, when discussing Falk's role in his 1978 film
The Brink's Job said that "Peter has a great range from comedy to drama. He could break your heart or he could make you laugh."
In 1968, he starred with
Gene Barry in a ninety-minute television pilot about a highly-skilled, laid-back detective.
Columbo eventually became part of an anthology series titled
The NBC Mystery Movie, along with
McCloud and
McMillan & Wife. The detective series stayed on NBC from 1971 to 1978, took a respite, and returned occasionally on ABC from 1989 to 2003. He was "everyone's favorite rumpled television detective", wrote historian David Fantle.Describing his role,
Variety columnist Howard Prouty wrote, "The joy of all this is watching Columbo dissemble the fiendishly clever cover stories of the loathsome rats who consider themselves his better."