Gambling addiction, Oscar, heart attack, love and friendship for life: Walter Matthau's career was determined by comedy and tragedy.
The face of an actor has seldom determined his career in such a way as it was the case with Walter Matthau. The mime, who would have turned exactly 100 years old on October 1st, was adorned with a God-given, sullen look from a young age, reinforced by an unmistakable cheek area that constantly wandered downwards with age. And so the character actor quickly got rid of the role of the cynical, weird misanthrope, under whose crumple shell a lovable core waited for the most part.
From cleaner to Hollywood star
Matthau's rise to the popular and celebrated cinema actor can be compared to the typical American dream. Instead of washing dishes, the son of Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants went from being a floor scrubber to being a millionaire. But not before he was drafted into World War II as a soldier in 1942. Matthau always liked to joke about his time at the front that he had served there as "table tennis master of the armed forces". That he was wounded several times in the war, he preferred to leave it out in such stories.
In general, tragedy and humor always go hand in hand in Walter Matthau's career. Instead of talking openly about the great poverty in which his mother, older brother and himself had to live (the father left the family early), he gave the drama a humorous note by portraying himself as "Ukrainian Cary Grant "designated.
The man from the second row
In 1955, Matthau finally got his first cinema roles: in the western "Between Two Fires" with Kirk Douglas (1916-2020) and in "Der Mann aus Kentucky" with Burt Lancaster (1913-1994) in the respective leading roles. Here it became apparent what would accompany Matthau for a long time. For the role as a sidekick, as a supporting character, he was absolutely fine with the film producers, for the title role the "wrinkled face" in their eyes was not suitable. So he played his way into the spotlight as best he could from the second row. At the age of 46 he should finally be able to ennoble his reputation as a "scene thief".
1966 turned out to be Matthaus' fateful year in many ways. In the tragic comedy "Der Glückspilz" he made the first acquaintance with a certain Jack Lemmon (1925-2001) – and with a golden boy. For his part as a lawyer he was awarded an Oscar for "Best Supporting Actor", in the person of Lemmon he found a lifelong friend and a congenial partner in a total of ten films.
That life also hung by a thread in the same year. While Matthau's career got off to a good start, years of cigarette consumption paired with partly unrestrained gambling addiction and little exercise took their toll. In his mid-40s, he suffered a heart attack that left a cleansed man behind. Matthau stopped smoking and walked several kilometers every day.
Fight against determination
Matthau also wanted to reposition himself professionally. After various comedies, including the cult film "A Strange Couple" – with Jack Lemmon of course – he strove for a more serious subject. Especially in the 1970s, he should succeed. Thrillers like "Massenmord in San Francisco" (1973) or the trill "Stop the journey of the subway 123" adorned his name on the poster.
But he never wanted to lose his reputation as the lovable owl. And the older Matthau got, the sooner he seemed to be able to get used to it. A prime example is "Dennis" from 1993, in which he played the pitiful and stubborn neighbor of the annoying title child. And he also remained true to the other great constants in his professional life until the end (and that can be taken literally): 1998, two years before Matthaus death on July 1, 2000, he played again with Jack Lemmon as "Immer noch ein strange Couple "big on.
When Matthau died at the age of 78 after another heart attack, Lemmon followed him a year later – and was buried next to his friend in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.
Since private happiness, Matthau found early and twice. From 1948 to 1958 he was married to Geraldine Johnson (one child), only one year after the divorce, actress Carol Grace (1924-2003) became the woman at his side (two children together). And it stayed that way for 42 years. Until his death parted them.