Karl Malden has passed away at the age of 97. I thought hard about what he meant to me as an actor, but I can’t find anything that I’ll miss specifically. Of course, he delivered plenty of meaningful performances, but he is still primarily remembered for The Streets of San Francisco, a show I never watched. When I read about him, it does hit me that he basically had an archetypal Hollywood career. He was never one of the greatest stars, but a lot of people only dream of what he accomplished.

Born Mladen George Sekulovich (in Gary, Indiana, just like Michael Jackson), he predictably anglicized his name to Karl Malden at the age of 22. He started out in theater and later found his way into movies. His career in that field lasted for 20 years, with memorable performances in films like A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, Birdman of Alcatraz and Patton. He won an Oscar for A Streetcar Named Desire. Like so many other aging actors he went to television and gained many new fans with The Streets of San Francisco. He also did commercials, most notably those for American Express. Malden found a new career in the 1980s as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

He may have had a typical Hollywood career. But I believe that Malden was highly respected in the community for his work and he never seemed to lose touch with reality, like so many of his colleagues. He also stayed married to his wife for 70 years, which must be considered an anomaly. Rest in peace.

The YouTube clip was made by a fan.

film movies

Published 2009-07-02 16:08