Walter Mattau is an American actor best known for his comic roles. He has starred in 9 films with his friend Jack Lemmon, often portraying the idiot and grumble on the screen. Walter Mattau won an Oscar for his Best Performance in Good Luck.
Walter Mattau perfectly coped with any images, especially the actor was remembered by the audience for his comedic roles. The actor himself hated being called a comedian: “I feel sick when people come up to me and ask:“Are you that comedian from the movies?”.
Childhood and adolescence of the actor
The future Hollywood star was born in New York on October 1, 1920. Walter is the son of Rosa Berolski from Lithuania, a sewing shop worker, and Milton Mattau, an electrician and peddler, an immigrant from Russia. The boy's parents were of Jewish origin.
When the child was three years old, the father left home, and the mother had to raise Walter and his older brother alone, living in an apartment with cold water in a poor area of the city.
Walter showed an interest in creativity at an early age. At the age of seven he was already reading Shakespeare, and at eight he read poetry at school evenings.
As a boy, Walter was sent to a children's Jewish camp, where on Saturdays he took part in acting amateur theatrical productions.
At the age of 11, when Walter was selling soft drinks, he was noticed and invited to work part-time in theatrical plays for 50 cents.
After graduating from primary school in New York during the Great Depression, Walter took a government job as a forester in Montana, then became a boxing instructor for police officers.
During World War II, Walter served in the United States Air Force, where he achieved the rank of Sergeant Major. In the war, Mattau suffered a back injury. Walter returned home with six battle stars and a handful of poker winnings.
At the end of World War II, Walter Mattau decided to return to acting. He was admitted to the drama school, where he was taught by the famous German director Erwin Piscator. Mattau trained alongside other future Hollywood star Tony Curtis.
Walter Mattau's career in theater and cinema
The debut of the American actor on Broadway took place at the age of 28, when Walter was staged as a stunt double for 83-year-old Rex Harrison. The elderly actor was supposed to play an English priest in the historical production of Anna of a Thousand Days. Rex Harrison felt unwell at the time of the premiere, and the role passed to Mattau, who took the stage without rehearsals. A lover of storytelling, Mattau shocked the audience: Rex Harrison spat every now and then, and the audience whispered, discussing the "non-literary" expressions of the "English priest."
Walter Mattau also played several other theatrical productions before Hollywood drew attention to the charismatic actor.
The Western Man from Kentucky in 1955 became his first participation in a big movie. Walter Mattau's subsequent film works include the musical with Elvis Presley "King Creole", the drama with Andy Griffith "Faces in the Crowd", the western with Kirk Douglas "The Lonely Courageous", the spy comedy "Charade" with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant.
Throughout his career, the actor was repeatedly nominated for various film awards. In 1967, Mattau received the first and only prestigious Oscar for his supporting role in the comedy Passion for Luck.
Walter Mattau's last film work was the 2000 comedy "Lights Out" with Diane Keaton, Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow.
Cinema duet with Jack Lemmon
In 1966, Walter Matthau met Jack Lemmon while filming the comedy Lucky Thrust. The collaboration grew into a sincere friendship outside the set. The two American actors have looked great in comedy films. Mattau and Lemmon starred in 9 films together, the most brilliant of which is "Strange Couple".
Some of his other collaborations include Front Page, Friend-Buddy, Old Grumblers, as well as the comedy drama Kotch, where Jack Lemmon directed and invited Walter Mattau to star in the lead role.
Walter Mattau's height was 189 cm, which is why the actor developed a habit of slouching a little. Jack Lemmon made fun of a friend: "Walter walks like a child's wind-up toy."
As Jack Lemmon said, he likes working with Walter, not only because he is a great actor, but also because he can hardly restrain himself from joking Mattau.
Walter Mattau's personal life
The famous Hollywood actor has been married twice.
The first marriage to Grace Geraldine Johnson lasted 10 years, from 1948 to 1958. In the marriage, two children were born, Jenny and David. It is known that David took place as a radio host.
A year after the divorce, Walter Mattau married Carol Marcus. The couple lived together for the rest of their lives until the actor's death. From his second marriage, Mattau had a son, Charles, who linked his life with the acting and directing profession. In 1995, he directed his father in the motion picture "Voices of the Grass".
Walter Mattau suffered his whole life from his weakness for gambling and betting. By the time the actor reached middle age, Mattau had already lost $ 5 million. In another case, Mattau lost $ 183,000 in two weeks of betting on baseball games.
Health problems and death of the actor
In addition to back problems, Walter Mattau also had other ailments. In 1966, the actor suffered a heart attack, and ten years later - surgery. In the 1990s, Mattau was diagnosed with pneumonia, and then cancer. All health problems were caused by bad habits and poor diet.
“If you only eat celery and salad, you won't get sick. I love celery and salad. But I only love them with pickles, spices, corned beef, potatoes and peas. I also love popsicle and chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream."
The actor died on July 1, 2000. Walter Mattau was 79 years old. His best friend Jack Lemmon survived Walter by a year, and was buried next to him.
