Features Podcasts Family Video Comics Music Tech Science Books Film & TV Games ✚

Jill

Peter Falk, 1927-2011

Rob Beschizza at 11:06 am Fri, Jun 24, 2011

— FEATURED —

Book Review

The Man Who Laughs: grotesque Victor Hugo potboiler was the basis for The Joker

Feature

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

Book Review

The Twelve-Fingered Boy - mesmerizing YA horror novel

— FOLLOW US —

Boing Boing is on Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe to our RSS feed or daily email.

 

— POLICIES —

Except where indicated, Boing Boing is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution

 

— FONTS —

Tweet
Kindle
falk.jpg

⟿ Follow Rob Beschizza on Twitter.

MORE:  television

More at Boing Boing

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

  • huskerdont

    “I can’t see you, but I know you’re here. I can feel it. I’m a friend. Compañero.”

    • ackpht

      +1 One of my favorite films.

      Recently watched the Columbo episode where he comes into a restaurant with a doughnut he bought outside. The no-nonsense young waitress (Jamie Lee Curtis!) confronts him: “Did you buy that here?” Columbo sheepishly surrenders the doughnut. Then she demands his order.

      “I’ll have a doughnut.”

      • Anonymous

        Doughnut scene:

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6jyyTmgrFc

        So funny.

  • RobertBigelow

    One of the great character actors, I remember him as an infantry sergeant in “Castle Keep” and the lovable “Columbo” that celebrated the nerd in all of us.

  • Comrade7

    just watched the first episode of Columbo: “Prescription: Murder”

    Fantastic stuff and it’s interesting to note how the character was pretty much fully developed from the get-go…

    sniff…

  • Matt Cornell

    My favorite Peter Falk moment:

    http://youtu.be/YE3eiZ_kbVE

  • IamInnocent

    The only man who could make my dad watch TV and that means something.

  • planettom

    A Falk movie I recommend is the 1995 ROOMMATES where he plays a grandfather who moves in with his grandson, D.B. Sweeney. Directed by Peter Yates (BREAKING AWAY), who died in January.

  • WizarDru

    Most memorable interview I ever heard with him was back in the 90s, iirc. It was on NPR and Terry Gross asked him if he resented being associated so strong with a character and potentially type-cast.

    His response? “Well, you know….being Columbo? IT AIN’T EXACTLY CANCER.”

    Lately I’ve been watching Columbo over Netflix; they don’t have every episode due to some odd legal restrictions, but they have most of them on streaming. And they’re GREAT. Falk’s performance is so well delivered…it’s not hard to see how he became so popular at it.

  • Anonymous

    “Serpentine!”

  • chgoliz

    Who else could do “The In-Laws” and “Wings of Desire” with equal restraint?

  • Samurai Gratz

    Absolutely devastated to hear this. Peter Falk was such a class act in everything he did, Columbo best of all. If you’re picking an episode to watch this weekend, you can’t go wrong with “Any Old Port in a Storm,” “Now You See Him…” or my personal favorite, “The Conspirators,” with Clive Revill.

    What a terrible, terrible loss.

    • Dr Wadd

      I’ve been slowly rewatching every episode, Any Port is the next one due.

      I’d also add By Dawn’s Early Light to your list of best episodes.

  • RedBloc

    For his Columbo and his Princess Bride.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuevpFTS_po&feature=player_embedded

  • Anonymous

    damn……. :( my first detectiv kit waz a colombo kit cufs and a revolver with plastic balls :( damn….rip colombo

  • ncarp

    He also delivered the best “as you wish” in _The Princess Bride_.

  • franko

    “…As you wish”, Murder By Death, and Columbo. that is all. #RESPECT

  • Hell’s Donut House

    Everyone here must rent John Cassavetes’ “Husbands” or “A Woman Under The Influence” immediately for Falk performances of a lifetime. Devastating.

  • John Hudgens

    “Push the button, Max!”
    I always loved him in Blake Edwards’ “The Great Race” as Professor Fate’s hapless assistant Max…

    He will be missed, but more importantly, he will be remembered forever…

  • catgrin

    Crying as I write this.
    Growing up I watched Columbo with my great grandmother, grandmother and my mother.
    He tied our generations together with his gentle humor and knowing smirk.

    Rest in peace sir, you are loved.

  • facetedjewel

    Tess Skeffington: Twain picked up Sam in a gay bar.
    Sam Diamond: I was workin’ a case!!!
    Tess Skeffington: Oh, Sam- every night for six months?!

  • Anonymous

    Just one more thing…

  • GeekMan

    Damn. I had just one more question…

    Rest in peace, sir.

  • SMurph

    Well, crap. First Gene Colan and now Peter Falk…not turning out to be a good Friday.

  • Anonymous

    Good night, sir. Thank you for a lot of memories. We will not forget you.

  • gwailo_joe

    well snap…RIP you grizzled old pro.

  • millie fink

    Dang, that’s very sad.

    My fave performance by far, with Gena Rowlands. Cassevetes got the best out of him–

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0HAcH5FPSc

  • knoxblox

    A damn good actor and a good man.

    Out of all his great performances, I think I have a soft spot in my heart for his work in Wings of Desire.

  • phosphorious

    Terrible news. I just watched “It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World.”

    His best role is in “Big Trouble.” The Cassevetes one. Hysterical.

  • DJBudSonic

    Try ‘Vibes’ with Jeff Goldblum and Cyndi Lauper.

  • endymion

    He was great in many things…

    But I’ll always remember him for “The In-Laws”.

    • solstone

      I have always loved The In-Laws as well.

      Serpentine! Serpentine!

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN1WxSITwWw

      A number of years ago I used to get in trouble at a job that I had at the time because I lived close enough that I could go home at lunch. Problem started when I realized that Columbo reruns were on during my lunch hour. Many times I would get caught up in the episode and watch until the end, making myself late in returning to work…

  • facetedjewel

    Tess Skeffington: If you ask me, Sam, this is a wild goose chase.
    Sam Diamond: Nobody asked you, baby.
    Tess Skeffington: Yes, they did. You asked me. You asked me back there if I—
    Sam Diamond: That was then. This is now. And nobody knows what tomorrow will be. That’s the way things are, whether we like it or not.

    ——————————————————————————–

    • Dr Wadd

      It was only last weekend I watched Murder by Death again, such a top film.

      I shall have to watch a couple of episodes of Columbo over the weekend in tribute, perhaps The Princess Bride as well.

  • Ugly Canuck

    Oh how sad to see time pass sometimes!

    Mr Falk really was very good , wasn’t he?

    http://www.criterion.com/films/200-wings-of-desire

    ..but my real (guilty) fave is that wrestling flick with the chicks…oh yeah. All the Marbles!

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081964/

    Fine work! RIP, Mr Falk.

  • benher

    I still remember him from that old Twighlight Zone – I think it was the one where he plays the Castroesque leader who keeps seeing his would-be assassins in the mirror.

    Still keep the complete Columbo on DVD!

  • A.Lwin

    Awww man, I thought he would live forever. Rest in Peace Peter Falk, your legacy, Colombo will always live on.

  • futnuh

    While I am saddened, no doubt the Albanians are celebrating …

  • Yamara

    Now he is an angel.

    Godspeed, dude.

    • TheSpaghettiman

      Again.

  • RikF

    We’ve lost the master of the ‘one more thing’. Very sad to hear of his passing, though he was apparently in the grip of many age-related illnesses for a number of years.

  • mikerbaker

    Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. The End.