Age, Biography and Wiki

Walter Matthau (Walter John Matthow) was born on 1 October, 1920 in New York City, U.S., is an American actor (1920–2000). Discover Walter Matthau's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 80 years old?

Popular As Walter John Matthow
Occupation Actor · comedian · director
Age 80 years old
Zodiac Sign Libra
Born 1 October 1920
Birthday 1 October
Birthplace New York City, U.S.
Date of death 1 July, 2000
Died Place Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 1 October. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 80 years old group.

Walter Matthau Height, Weight & Measurements

At 80 years old, Walter Matthau height is 6′ 2″ .

Physical Status
Height 6′ 2″
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Who Is Walter Matthau's Wife?

His wife is Grace Geraldine Johnson (m. 1948-1958) Carol Marcus (m. 1959)

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Grace Geraldine Johnson (m. 1948-1958) Carol Marcus (m. 1959)
Sibling Not Available
Children 3, including Charles

Walter Matthau Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Walter Matthau worth at the age of 80 years old? Walter Matthau’s income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. He is from United States. We have estimated Walter Matthau's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Gangster Story (1959)$2,500
The Odd Couple (1968)$300,000
Candy (1968)$50,000 plus points
Hello, Dolly! (1969)$500,000 .
The Bad News Bears (1976)$800,000

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Timeline

1917

They married in New York in 1917.

As part of a lifelong love of practical jokes, Matthau created the rumors that his middle name was Foghorn and his last name was originally Matuschanskayasky (under which he is credited for a cameo role in the film Earthquake).

As a young boy, Matthau attended a Jewish non-profit sleepaway camp, Tranquillity Camp, where he first began acting in the shows that the camp staged on Saturday nights.

He also attended Surprise Lake Camp.

His high school was Seward Park High School.

He worked for a short time as a concession stand cashier in the Yiddish Theatre District.

During World War II, Matthau saw active service as a radioman-gunner on a Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber in the U.S. Army Air Forces with the Eighth Air Force in England.

1920

Walter Matthau (born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director.

Matthau was born Walter John Matthow on October 1, 1920, in New York City's Lower East Side.

He had two brothers, one older and one younger.

His parents were Jewish; his mother, Rose ( Berolsky or Beransky), was a Lithuanian immigrant who worked in a garment sweatshop, and his father, Milton Matuschansky, was a Ukrainian peddler and electrician, from Kiev.

1945

He was with the same 453rd Bombardment Group as James Stewart.

While based in England at RAF Old Buckenham, Norfolk he flew missions to continental Europe during the Battle of the Bulge.

He ended the war with the rank of Staff Sergeant, and returned home to America for demobilization at the war's end intent on pursuing a career as an actor.

Matthau was trained in acting at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School with German director Erwin Piscator.

He often joked that his best early review came in a play where he posed as a derelict.

One reviewer said, "The others just looked like actors in make-up, Walter Matthau really looks like a skid row bum!"

1952

Matthau appeared in the pilot of Mister Peepers (1952) with Wally Cox.

For reasons unknown he used the name Leonard Elliot.

His role was of the gym teacher Mr. Wall.

1955

He made his motion picture debut as a whip-wielding bad guy in The Kentuckian (1955) opposite Burt Lancaster.

1956

Matthau appeared with James Mason in Bigger Than Life (1956) directed by Nicholas Ray.

1957

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).

Matthau and Griffith later appeared in the critical and box office hit A Face in the Crowd (1957), directed by Elia Kazan.

1958

He played a villain in King Creole (1958), in which he gets beaten up by Elvis Presley.

Around the same time, he made Ride a Crooked Trail with Audie Murphy, and Onionhead (both 1958) starring Andy Griffith; the latter was a flop.

1960

Matthau directed a low-budget movie called The Gangster Story (1960) and played a sympathetic sheriff in Lonely Are the Brave (1962), which starred Kirk Douglas.

1962

Matthau was a respected stage actor for years in such fare as Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and A Shot in the Dark, for his performance in the latter winning the 1962 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

He appeared eight times between 1962 and 1964 on The DuPont Show of the Week and as Franklin Gaer in an episode of Dr. Kildare ("Man Is a Rock", 1964).

Comedies were rare in Matthau's work at that time.

1963

Matthau is also known for his performances in Stanley Donen's romance Charade (1963), Fail Safe (1964), Gene Kelly's musical Hello, Dolly! (1969), Elaine May's screwball comedy A New Leaf (1971), and Herbert Ross's ensemble comedy California Suite (1978).

In 1963, he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance in The DuPont Show of the Week.

He appeared in the Cary Grant-Audrey Hepburn crime thriller Charade (1963).

On television, he appeared twice on Naked City, as well as in four installments of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

1965

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.

1966

He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the Billy Wilder film The Fortune Cookie (1966).

1968

He also starred in 10 films alongside Jack Lemmon, including The Odd Couple (1968), The Front Page (1974), and Grumpy Old Men (1993).

1971

He also starred in Plaza Suite, Kotch (both 1971); Charley Varrick (1973), The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), The Sunshine Boys (1975), House Calls (1978), and Hopscotch (1980).

1982

In 1982, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.