Deaths 2022

Deaths 2021

Deaths 2020

Deaths 2019

Deaths 2018

Deaths 2017

Deaths 2016

Deaths 2015

Deaths 2014

Deaths 2013

Deaths 2012

Deaths 2011

Deaths 2010

Deaths 2009


Full list by date of death

Peter Falk

Actor

Born - 16 September 1927, New York City, USA
Died - 23 June 2011

Stocky Brooklynese actor with wry smile, rumpled dark hair and inimitable crackling voice who played gangsters, little tough guys and comic villains until his TV creation of the detective Columbo, as wily as he was dishevelled, made him a recognisable figure worldwide. There were more than 60 feature-length Columbo dramas, in which the detective lieutenant would always have 'one more question, ma'am' and spend an hour or so unravelling the smartest of murderers. A tumour caused the loss of Falk's right eye at three but, after a variety of jobs, he decided on an acting career and made his stage debut at 29. Films followed: Wind Across the Everglades (1958), Pretty Boy Floyd (1959), Murder Inc (1960), Pocketful of Miracles (1961), Pressure Point (1962), Robin and the Seven Hoods (1964), The Great Race (1965), Penelope (1966), Luv (1967) and Anzio (1968). After the first Columbo appeared in 1968, Falk was often seen in starring roles on the bigger screen, sometimes for his friend John Cassavetes: Husbands (1970), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Murder by Death (1976), Opening Night (1977), The Cheap Detective (1978), The In-Laws (1979), The California Dolls (1981), Happy New Year (1985), The Princess Bride (1987), Cookie (1989), Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1990), The Player (1992), a TV version of The Sunshine Boys(1995), Lakeboat (2000), Corky Romano (2001), Undisputed (2002), a voice in Shark Tale (2004), Checking Out (2005), Three Days to Vegas (2007) and American Cowslip (2009), his last. He died three years after contracting Alzheimer's Disease.