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Columbo: the man, the mac!
Columbo: the man, the mac!
The grubby garb, the permanent slouch, the bizarre interest in his suspect's shoes. Columbo is a bona fide TV icon and Peter Falk has become something of a living legend for his portrayal of the dogged detective. Here's some fast facts about the pair of 'em...
Bing Crosby was the first choice of Columbo creators Richard Levinson and William Link to take the role.
It's often assumed that Falk is Italian, but he actually comes from hardy Central European stock - his parents were Jewish immigrants with a mix of Russian, Polish, Hungarian and Czech ancestry.
At the age of three, Peter's right eye was surgically removed because of cancer. Once, when Peter was playing baseball as a boy, the umpire called him out. Falk disagreed and to make his point, he pulled out his glass eye and gave it to the umpire, telling him: "Here, I think you might need this."
Before turning to the arts, Falk worked as an efficiency expert for the Budget Bureau of the state of Connecticut. He officially declared himself an actor at age 29 and moved to New York City.
During the early 1960s, Falk received two Oscar nominations as Best Supporting Actor for his roles in Murder Inc (his very first movie) and Frank Capra's A Pocketful of Miracles (with Bette Davis and Glenn Ford). These came just five years after his very first acting classes.
Peter's done ok out his dim-witted, shabby Columbo character too - 5 Emmies and a Golden Globe no less. And there could be more - the 70th Columbo is apparently in development!
Ever wondered what Columbo's first name is? So does everyone else. It's never explicitly revealed in the show and, when pressed, Columbo always insists that it's 'Lieutenant'. In 1984, the makers of the game Trivial Pursuit quoted it as 'Philip' but they later revealed that they'd got the info from a bad source.
With a series so long-running, it's not surprising to learn of the guest talent that has been involved in Columbo. Writers/directors include Steven Spielberg and Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) whilst Johnny Cash, Tyne Daly, Faye Dunaway, Janet Leigh, Martin Landau, Donald Pleasance and William Shatner (twice!) have all played murderers.
Much like an American "'er indoors", Mrs Columbo is often mentioned but never appears in the show. However, an ill-planned spin-off called Mrs Columbo, starring Kate Mulgrew, was aired 1979. Sadly, it received awful reviews and was soon cancelled.
Falk is still acting away and he's also become something of an artist. One of Peter's greatest passions is drawing and sketching and he has a studio on the grounds of Beverly Hills estate.
Oh, just one more thing...it's reported that Peter's daughter, Catherine Falk, is a real-life private detective!
When is it on?
- Columbo is next on at 6.30am on Saturday 31st May on UKTV Drama
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