Karl Malden Add to My Celebs Age 97 (passed away Jul. 1st, 2009) Birthday Mar. 22nd, 1912 Born in Chicago, Illinois, USA Height 6' 0 1/2"

Karl Malden's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) The Streets of San Francisco Detective L… Skag Pete "Skag"…

Main Movie Roles 1979 - Meteor 1979 - Beyond the Poseidon Adventure 1971 - Il Gatto a nove code 1971 - Wild Rovers 1970 - Patton 1968 - Hot Millions 1967 - Billion Dollar Brain 1967 - The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin 1966 - Nevada Smith 1965 - The Cincinnati Kid 1964 - Cheyenne Autumn 1964 - Dead Ringer 1962 - Gypsy 1962 - How the West Was Won 1962 - Birdman of Alcatraz 1961 - Parrish 1960 - Pollyanna 1959 - The Hanging Tree 1957 - Time Limit 1956 - Baby Doll 1954 - Phantom of the Rue Morgue 1954 - On the Waterfront 1953 - I Confess 1952 - Diplomatic Courier 1952 - The Sellout 1951 - A Streetcar Named Desire 1950 - Where the Sidewalk Ends 1950 - The Gunfighter 1947 - Kiss of Death 1947 - Boomerang! 1947 - 13 Rue Madeleine 1936 - Charlie Chan at the Opera

NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB


BIOGRAPHY:

Born to a Czech mother and a Serbian father in Chicago, on March 22, 1912, Karl Malden didn't learn how to communicate a single word of English until he was in kindergarten. Raised in Gary, IN, a medium-sized steel town, Malden--like many other young men in Gary--got a job in a steel factory when he finished school. He worked there for three years until 1934 when, fed up with the drudgery of manual labor, he took a Depression-era gamble and left to follow another goal. After a short time at Arkansas State Teacher's College, he attended the Goodman Theater Dramatic School and never looked back. Three years later he went to New York City to find fame. He rapidly became involved with the Group Theater, an awesome organization of actors/directors who were changing the face of Broadway. Malden's own unforgettable face was shortly in the media when he made his stage debut in 1937. His performance attracted the attention of fledgling director Elia Kazan. With Kazan directing, Karl blazed a trail across the Broadway boards in plays like "All My Sons" by Arthur Miller (I) and "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams. He returned unscathed from duty in the armed services and then immersed himself in his work. Fortunately, his short "vacation" had not harmed his career. From the "Golden Era" of Broadway, he made a transition to the screen, starting with his first appearance in They Knew What They Wanted (1940). Jobs came came and fast, and in 1951 he won the Oscar for his performance as Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). He was showing himself to be a consummate performer, whether tackling roles that had to be delivered with great moral weight or those requiring none whatsoever, like that of Father Corrigan in On the Waterfront (1954) or the Southern lecher Archie Lee in Baby Doll (1956). A later role came as Capt. Wessels, in John Ford (I)'s Cheyenne Autumn (1964). The film, Ford's last, was shot in his beloved Monument Valley. Malden found his greatest fame, however, in the early 1970s on the small screen, as Det. Mike Stone in the hit series "The Streets of San Francisco" (1972), co-starring with future movie star Michael Douglas (I). He came into millions of homes every week for five years. He also became the pitchman for American Express, a position he held for 21 years. The crowning glory of his career was in 1988 when he was elected President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a title he held for five years. Not one to rest on his laurels, Malden recently wrote his memoir entitled, "When Do I Start?: A Memoir."


TRIVIA:

• The most controversial film he starred in was _Baby Doll (1956)_ (qv), which he played a dullard husband whose child bride is exploited by a businessman. The film was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency for what was termed its "carnal suggestiveness." It was written by 'Tennessee Williams' (qv).
• Was best friends with: 'Eva Marie Saint' (qv), 'Marlon Brando' (qv), 'Kirk Douglas (I)' (qv), 'Richard Widmark' (qv) and 'Carroll Baker' (qv).
• His family moved to Gary, Indiana, when he was 5.
• Received both of his Oscar-nominations for movies also starring 'Marlon Brando' (qv).
• His father, Petar Sekulovich, worked in the steel mills and as a milkman, his mother, Minnie Sekulovich, was a seamstress.
• In 2001, he received an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, from Valparaiso University.
• His wife graduated from Roosevelt High School in Emporia, Kansas, where she attended Kansas State Teachers College (now Emporia St. University). He and Mona visited the campus in 1959, and was impressed by the ESU Summer Theatre. He returned in the summer of 1964, to teach, working with the actors in the company. Prior to leaving, he gave his honorarium to established the Karl Malden Scholarship, which is still given today.
• His family had lived longer lives than their son, Karl: his father, Petar Sekulovich, died at age 96, in 1976, two decades later, his mother, Minnie Sekulovich, died at age 104, in 1996.

Karl Malden Photos

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