RIP Karl Malden (1912 – 2009)

Acting legend and one of my personal favorites Karl Malden died at his home today at the age of 97 of natural causes. Malden's manager said "It could be many things. I mean, he was 97 years old!"



Malden made his stage debut in n 1937. His performance attracted the attention of fledgling director Elia Kazan and they began a lifelong friendship.

He returned from World War II unscathed from duty in the armed services. From the "Golden Era" of Broadway, he made a transition to the screen, starting with his first appearance in They Knew What They Wanted. And then in 1951 he won the Oscar for his performance as Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire , Other memorable roles included 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's Cheyenne Autumn (1964). Ford's last, it was shot in his beloved Monument Valley. Patton is another great Malden film

Malden found his greatest fame, however, in the early 1970s (when I first saw him) 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. 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.

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