Deceased

How Did Walter Matthau Die?

Life & Death

Died aged 79

Also known asWalter John MatthauGenderMaleNationalityUnited StatesBorn01/10/1920Born inNew York City, New York, USADied01/07/2000Died inSanta MonicaCausecolorectal cancer, myocardial infarctionWikidataQ202172 ↗Buried atWestwood Village Memorial Park CemeteryTMDb#6837 ↗

Walter John Matthau was an American actor, known for his "hangdog face" and for playing world-weary characters. He starred in 10 films alongside his real-life friend Jack Lemmon, including The Odd Couple (1968) and Grumpy Old Men (1993). The New York Times called this "one of Hollywood's most successful pairings". Among other accolades, Matthau won an Academy Award, one BAFTA Award, and two Tony Awards.

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Filmography85 titles

Year	Title	Character	Age at release
2026	Elvis: A Life in MusicMovie	Self (archive footage)	106
2000	Hanging UpMovie	Lou Mozell	80
1998	Billy Wilder: The Human ComedyMovie	Narrator	78
1998	The Odd Couple IIMovie	Oscar Madison	78
1997	Out to SeaMovie	Charlie Gordon	77
1996	The Grass HarpMovie	Judge Charlie Cool	76
1996	I'm Not RappaportMovie	Nat Moyer	76
1995	Grumpier Old MenMovie	Max Goldman	75
1995	The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American MoviesMovie	Self	75
1994	I.Q.Movie	Albert Einstein	74
1993	Dennis the MenaceMovie	George Wilson	73
1993	Grumpy Old MenMovie	Max Goldman	73
1993	Beyond JFK: The Question of ConspiracyMovie	Self	73
1992	ChaplinMovie	Self (archive footage)	72
1992	Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the BoysMovie	Self	72
1991	JFKMovie	Senator Long	71
1990	The IncidentMovie	Harmon Cobb	70
1988	The Couch TripMovie	Donald Becker	68
1988	The Little DevilMovie	Padre Maurizio	68
1987	James Stewart: A Wonderful LifeMovie	Self	67
1986	Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday SpecialMovie	Self	66
1986	PiratesMovie	Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red	66
1985	Movers & ShakersMovie	Joe Mulholland	65
1982	Portrait of a '60% Perfect Man': Billy WilderMovie	Self	62
1982	I Love LibertyMovie	Self	62
1982	I Ought to Be in PicturesMovie	Herbert Tucker	62
1981	First Monday in OctoberMovie	Dan Snow	61
1981	Buddy BuddyMovie	Trabucco	61
1980	Little Miss MarkerMovie	Sorrowful Jones	60
1978	California SuiteMovie	Marvin Michaels	58
1976	The Gentleman TrampMovie	Self / Narrator	56
1976	The Bad News BearsMovie	Morris Buttermaker	56
1975	Saturday Night LiveSeries	Self - Host	55
1975	The Sunshine BoysMovie	Willy Clark	55
1975	The Lion Roars AgainMovie	Self	55
1974	EarthquakeMovie	Drunk	54
1974	The Front PageMovie	Walter Burns	54
1974	The Taking of Pelham One Two ThreeMovie	Lieutenant Garber	54
1973	Charley VarrickMovie	Charley Varrick	53
1973	The American Film Institute Salute to ...Series	Self	53
1971	Plaza SuiteMovie	Sam Nash / Jesse Kiplinger / Roy Hubley	51
1971	A New LeafMovie	Henry Graham	51
1971	Film '72Series	Self	51
1971	KotchMovie	Joseph P. Kotcher	51
1969	Hello, Dolly!Movie	Horace Vandergelder	49
1969	Cactus FlowerMovie	Julian Winston	49
1968	CandyMovie	Gen. R.A. Smight	48
1968	The Dick Cavett ShowSeries	Self - Guest	48
1968	The Odd CoupleMovie	Oscar Madison	48
1968	The Secret Life of an American WifeMovie	The Movie Star	48
1968	Jack Benny's BagMovie	Self	48
1967	A Guide for the Married ManMovie	Paul Manning	47
1966	The Fortune CookieMovie	Willie Gingrich	46
1965	MirageMovie	Ted Caselle	45
1964	Fail SafeMovie	Prof. Groeteschele	44
1964	Profiles in CourageSeries	Gov. John Slaton	44
1964	Goodbye CharlieMovie	Leo Sartori	44
1963	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler TheatreSeries	Tom Gregory	43
1963	CharadeMovie	Hamilton Bartholemew	43
1963	Island of LoveMovie	Tony Dallas	43
1962	The Merv Griffin ShowSeries	Self	42
1962	Who's Got the Action?Movie	Tony Gagouts	42
1962	Big Deal in LaredoMovie	Meredith	42
1962	Lonely are the BraveMovie	Sheriff Morey Johnson	42
1961	Dr. KildareSeries	Franklin Gaer	41
1961	The Mike Douglas ShowSeries	Self	41
1961	Target: The Corruptors!Series	—	41
1960	Route 66Series	—	40
1960	Strangers When We MeetMovie	Felix Anders	40
1958	Naked CitySeries	Peter Kanopolis	38
1957	Slaughter on 10th AvenueMovie	Al Dahlke	37
1957	A Face in the CrowdMovie	Mel Miller	37
1956	Bigger Than LifeMovie	Wally Gibbs	36
1955	Alfred Hitchcock PresentsSeries	Harry Wade	35
1955	The KentuckianMovie	Stan Bodine	35
1955	The Indian FighterMovie	Wes Todd	35
1954	Climax!Series	Charlie Mapes	34
1953	General Electric TheaterSeries	—	33
1953	The OscarsSeries	Self	33
1950	Robert Montgomery PresentsSeries	—	30
1950	Lux Video TheatreSeries	Coastguardsman	30
1949	SuspenseSeries	Lawrence Stevens	29
1948	The Philco Television PlayhouseSeries	—	28
1948	Studio OneSeries	Olsen	28
1948	Studio OneSeries	Jacobs	28