Walter Matthau was born October 1, 1920 in New York City. Matthau grew up in relative poverty, went to World War II, and graudated from the Columbia School of Journalism. His theater and film career began with bit parts at a Yiddish theater and slowly evolved until his first film break came by playing a villain in the movie 'The Kentuckian'. Convincing, Matthau played the heavy for almost a decade. In 1965, Neil Simon introduced the world to 'The Odd Couple';Walter Matthau became Oscar Madison, a grumpy cynic and slob (a role tailor-made for Matthau by Simon) who acted opposite Art Carney in the broadway version and then opposite Jack Lemmon in the film of the same name. The pairing of Matthau and Lemmon was seemingly magical and the duo went on to act in nine movies together. Matthau won the 1966 Academy Award for 'The Fortune Cookie' and further received acclaim for the 1976 role in 'Sunshine Boys'. Walter Matthau, with a face "like an unmade bed -- familiar and rumpled", was a jowly cantankerous cynic which made him lovable and impossible to criticize. He was a well-known gambler and comedian. His health problems were frequent; in 1966, Matthau had a heart attack and had to have surgery a decade later. His popularity never diminished; he had two surprise hits in the 1990s: Dennis the Menace and Grumpy Old Men, which reprised his pairing with Jack Lemmon. Matthau passed away on July 1, 2000. Gone but not forgotten.
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