As You Wish

Peter Falk

On Thursday, June 23rd, veteran character actor Peter Falk died in his home, surrounded by his family.  Falk was best known for his faux-bumbling, secretly brilliant detective Columbo, and his role as The Grandfather in the beloved romantic comedy The Princess Bride.

Falk was born in 1927.  At the age of three, he had a malignant tumor in his right eye and had to have the eye removed.  He would wear a glass eye for the rest of his life.  After being rejected by the army, he enlisted in the Merchant Marines and fought in WWII.  He went to college on the GI bill and obtained his master's degree in public administration.  In the early 50s, Falk quit his job as an efficiency expert to act full time.  He appeared on Broadway and in several small roles, before appearing in Murder, Inc., his breakthrough performance for which he earned an Oscar nomination.  He followed this with a supporting role in Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles and another Oscar nomination.  He continued working (predominately in television) until his last "Columbo" film in 2003.  Falk is survived by his two daughters and his wife, Shera.

Peter Falk has a special place in my heart because I loved The Princess Bride and I watched reruns of "Columbo" with my dad.  He will be missed by millions of fans, especially the kids of the 80s and 90s who wished he was their grandpa. 

If you would like to honor Mr. Falk's memory, you can make a donation in his name to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.