Karl Malden, who vaulted to movie prominence by winning an Academy Award for best supporting actor in "A Streetcar Named Desire" but who is perhaps best known for his lead role on 1970s TV series "The Streets of San Francisco," died Wednesday of natural causes at home in Brentwood. He was 97.
With his craggy face and bulbous nose -- he liked to say he had "an open-hearth face" -- Malden didn't possess matinee-idol looks, but he projected a familiarity and a fire that made him identifiable as an average guy who could rise to the occasion. Audiences respected him for his down-to-earth, lunchpail style.
His collaborations with Marlon Brando and director Elia Kazan, both lifelong friends, resulted in his "Streetcar" Oscar for playing Brando's pal Mitch and a supporting actor nomination three years later for his portrayal of Father Barry, who counsels Brando's character to stand up to the dock racketeers in "On the Waterfront.
With his craggy face and bulbous nose -- he liked to say he had "an open-hearth face" -- Malden didn't possess matinee-idol looks, but he projected a familiarity and a fire that made him identifiable as an average guy who could rise to the occasion. Audiences respected him for his down-to-earth, lunchpail style.
His collaborations with Marlon Brando and director Elia Kazan, both lifelong friends, resulted in his "Streetcar" Oscar for playing Brando's pal Mitch and a supporting actor nomination three years later for his portrayal of Father Barry, who counsels Brando's character to stand up to the dock racketeers in "On the Waterfront.
- 7/1/2009
- by By Duane Byrge and Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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