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Walter Matthau was born to Russian Jewish immigrants, he was often cast as a would be con man. His father, a peddler from Kiev, left home when he was 3 years old. He lived with his older brother, Henry, and their mother, a garment worker, on the Lower East Side of New York. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps and returned home a sergeant with six battle stars. In 1948, his first Broadway role was when he was hired as an understudy for the role of an 83 year old English bishop in Anne of the Thousand Days starring Rex Harrison. His fame came with Fortune Cookie, The (1966) and Odd Couple, The (1968). While making the former, he suffered a serious heart attack. This was due to heavy smoking and chronic gambling. In 1976, he had heart bypass surgery. In 1993, he was hospitalized for double pneumonia. In 1995, he had a benign colon tumor removed. In 1999, he was hospitalized again for pneumonia. His ill health was due to his eating habits. He had two children to Grace Johnson, David and Jenny

Trivia

Big break came when understudying the actor who played the Archbishop in "Anne Of The Thusand Days" starring Rex Harrison
Buried at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park. Marilyn Monroe, Truman Capote, Natalie Wood, Donna Reed, among other stars are buried at this cemetery.
People were never sure if he was joking or saying things seriously, either on-screen or out-screen. He hated to be identified as a comedic actor.
His father was a street salesman in Kiev, Ukraine.
He once claimed that his father was an Orthodox priest in the Czarist Russia, who was removed after he claimed that the Pope was infalible.
Once claimed that his wife's name was Carol Wellington-Smythe Marcus, just to give it a more "aristocratic" sound.
When he inscribed himself formally to the U.S. Social Security in 1937, he included "Foghorn" as his middle name. He never changed it.
At the age of 28, he replaced an old British actor in a play in Broadway, to represent an 83-year-old bishop. He performed the role without rehearsing it previously.
He suffered his first heart attack during the shooting of The Odd Couple (1968).
Brought to the St. John's Health Center after suffering a heart attack by ambulance and was pronounced dead shortly afterward at 1:42 a.m.
Studied in the dramatic workshop at New York's New School with Gene Saks, Rod Steiger, Harry Guardino and Tony Curtis.
Served in the Army Air Corps with James Stewart
He once estimated his lifetime gambling losses at $5 million.
Two children, Jennie and David, by his first wife, Grace Geraldine Johnson, and a son, Charles Matthau, by his second wife, Carol Marcus.
After World War II, when he served in the Army Air Corps, he returned a sergeant with six battle stars.
While making a TV series in Florida before his movie stardom, he lost $183,000 betting on spring-training baseball games.
In middle age he estimated his lifetime gambling losses at $5 million.
After filming "Grumpy Old Men" in 1993 in freezing weather in Minnesota, he was hospitalized for double pneumonia.
Uncle of Juliette Gruber.
Reports are that he made up "Matuschanskayasky" as a joke and that his real "real" name is Matthow. The existence of Michelle Matthow would seem to confirm this...
According to his son, Charlie Matthau, on Larry King Live, July 14, 2000, his real name was Walter Matthow, and he changed it to be more exotic. The name Walter Matuschanskayasky was one he made up to retaliate for being "tricked" into appearing in the movie Earthquake (1974) with a much larger part than he expected.

• Hanging Up (2000) .... Lou
• Intimate Portrait: Lea Thompson (1998) (TV) .... Himself
• Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, The (1998) .... Himself
• Marriage Fool, The (1998) (TV) .... Frank Walsh... aka Love After Death (1998) (TV) (UK: cable TV title)
• Odd Couple II, The (1998) .... Oscar Madison ... aka Neil Simon's The Odd Couple II (1998)
• Out to Sea (1997) .... Charlie Gordon
• I'm Not Rappaport (1996) .... Nat Moyer
• Grumpier Old Men (1995) .... Max Goldman... aka Grumpy Old Men 2 (1995)
• Grass Harp, The (1995) .... Judge Charlie Cool
• First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies, The (1995) (TV) .... Himself
• I.Q. (1994) .... Albert Einstein
• Incident in a Small Town (1994) (TV) .... Harmon Cobb
• Grumpy Old Men (1993) .... Max Goldman
• Dennis the Menace (1993) .... Mr. George Wilson... aka Dennis (1993) (UK)
• Beyond 'JFK': The Question of Conspiracy (1992) (also archive footage) .... Himself
• Chaplin (1992) (archive footage) (uncredited) .... Himself in Oscar sequence... aka Charlot (1992) (Italy)
• Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore (1992) (TV) .... Harmon Cobb
• JFK (1991) .... Senator Long
• Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love (1991) (TV) .... Clifford
• Incident, The (1990) (TV) .... Harmon Cobb... aka Incident at Lincoln Bluff (1990) (TV)
• American Film Institute Salute to Jack Lemmon, The (1988) (TV) .... Himself
• Piccolo diavolo, Il (1988) .... Maurice ... aka Little Devil, The (1988)
• Couch Trip, The (1988) .... Donald Becker
• James Stewart: A Wonderful Life (1987) (TV) .... Himself
•  • Change of Heart (1987) (TV) .... Himself
• American Film Institute Salute to Billy Wilder, The (1986) (TV) .... Himself
• Kennedy Center Honors, The (1986) (TV) .... Himself
• Pirates (1986) .... Captain Red
• Movers and Shakers (1985) .... Joe Mulholland
• Survivors, The (1983) .... Sonny Paluso
• I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982) .... Herbert Tucker
• Buddy Buddy (1981) .... Trabucco
• First Monday in October (1981) .... Justice Dan Snow
• Hopscotch (1980) .... Kendig
• Little Miss Marker (1980) .... Sorrowful Jones
• Casey's Shadow (1978) .... Lloyd Bourdelle
• Funny Business (1978) (TV) .... Narrator/Host
• Stingiest Man in Town, The (1978) (TV) (voice) .... Ebenezer Scrooge
• California Suite (1978) .... Marvin Michaels... aka Neil Simon's California Suite (1978)
• House Calls (1978) .... Dr. Charley Nichols
• Actor, the Paul Muni Story (1978) (TV)
• Making of 'Casey's Shadow', The (1978) (TV) .... Himself
• Bad News Bears, The (1976) .... Coach Morris Buttermaker
• Gentleman Tramp, The (1975) .... Narrator
• Sunshine Boys, The (1975) .... Willy Clark
• Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The (1974) .... Lt. Garber... aka Pelham 1-2-3 (1974) (Europe: English title: video box title) ... aka Tomar de Pelham uno dos tres, El (1974) (USA: Spanish title: dubbed version)
• Front Page, The (1974) .... Walter Burns/Otto Fishbine
• Earthquake (1974) (as Walter Matuschanskayasky) .... Drunk
• Laughing Policeman, The (1973) .... Lt. Jake Martin SFPD ... aka Investigation of Murder, An (1973) (UK)
• Charley Varrick (1973) .... Charley Varrick... aka Kill Charley Varrick (1973) (Europe: English title)
• Awake and Sing! (1972) (TV) .... Moe Axelrod
• Pete 'n' Tillie (1972) .... Pete Seltzer
• Kotch (1971) .... Joseph P. Kotcher
• New Leaf, A (1971) .... Henry Graham
• Plaza Suite (1971) .... Sam Nash/Jesse Kiplinger/Roy Hubley
• Cactus Flower (1969) .... Dr. Julian Winston
• Hello, Dolly! (1969) .... Horace Vandergelder
• Candy (1968) .... General R. A. Smight ... aka Candy e il suo pazzo mondo (1968) (Italy)
• Secret Life of an American Wife, The (1968) .... The Movie Star
• Odd Couple, The (1968) .... Oscar Madison
• Guide for the Married Man, A (1967) .... Paul Manning
• Fortune Cookie, The (1966) .... Willie Gingrich ... aka Meet Whiplash Willie (1966) (UK)
• Mirage (1965) .... Ted Caselle
• Profiles in Courage (1964) TV Series .... Andrew Johnson (1965)
• Fail-Safe (1964) .... Professor Groeteschele
• Goodbye Charlie (1964) .... Sir Leopold Sartori
• Ensign Pulver (1964) .... Doc
• Charade (1963) .... Hamilton Bartholomew/Carson Dyle
• Island of Love (1963) .... Tony Dallas... aka Not On Your Life (1963/II) (USA: first title)
• Who's Got the Action? (1962) .... Tony Gagouts
• Lonely Are the Brave (1962) .... Sheriff Morey Johnson
• Tallahassee 7000 (1961) TV Series .... Lex Rogers (1961)
• Gangster Story (1960) .... Jack Martin
• Strangers When We Meet (1960) .... Felix Anders
• Juno and the Paycock (1960) (TV)
• Ride a Crooked Trail (1958) .... Judge Kyle
• Onionhead (1958) .... 'Red' Wildoe
• Voice in the Mirror (1958) .... Dr. Leon Karnes
• King Creole (1958) .... Maxie Fields
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957) (voice) .... Narrator
• Face in the Crowd, A (1957) .... Mel Miller
• Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (1957) .... Al Dahlke
• Bigger Than Life (1956) .... Wally Gibbs
• Indian Fighter, The (1955) .... Wes Todd
• Kentuckian, The (1955) .... Stan Bodine
• Atomic Attack (1950)

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