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R.I.P. Karl Malden

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 3:17 pm · July 1st, 2009

Too many films to recount, too many great pieces of acting to list.  “On the Waterfront,” “Baby Doll,” “Cheyenne Autumn,” an impressive TV streak in “Streets of San Francisco.”  I’ll always remember “Streetcar.”  He was 97.  Now that’s a life.




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7 responses so far

  • 1 7-01-2009 at 3:22 pm

    Chad Hartigan said...

    My first and best experience with Malden was actually as the Academy President. He gave an introduction to the VHS of Oscar’s Greatest Moments: 1971-1991, which I watched dozens of times as a kid.

  • 2 7-01-2009 at 3:28 pm

    Kristopher Tapley said...

    I remember that! Good call.

  • 3 7-01-2009 at 4:32 pm

    Mark Kratina said...

    Not one of his more acclaimed roles, but to me, he’ll always be the over-bearing baseball father in Fear Strikes Out with Anthony Perkins. He was so good in that role- brow-beating his son to be the best baseball player he could be.

    As someone who is involved with baseball at the teenage level, that character is so prevalent on American baseball fields all across the country. I don’t know how it was at the time the film came out, but the over-bearing sports Dad can be found anywhere.

  • 4 7-01-2009 at 7:22 pm

    Cameron said...

    Rest in peace, Karl-gone but not forgotten

  • 5 7-01-2009 at 7:52 pm

    Isaac Richter said...

    It’s amazing that he made it this far. I thought for sure he was going to make it to 100 like Bob Hope. Oh well, I first saw him in his OScar-winning role in A Streetcar Named Desire (he was actually my favorite part of that film, I loved Mitch) and then in On the Waterfront, I was very impressed with him as Father Barry. I later saw Pollyanna and Patton. I know I still need to see more, but I really admire him as a character actor and he’s one man who I always felt at home watching on screen (he had a warmth that’s hard to describe, even when playing tougher roles).

  • 6 7-02-2009 at 1:24 am

    Nudgoo said...

    Yep, my first Malden experience was the Oscars video too.

  • 7 7-02-2009 at 4:09 am

    John H. Foote said...

    I had the chance to interview him a few years ago when he did a book tour up here in Canada and he was a complete gentleman on every level — great Brando stories and he believed had the studio left “One Eyed Jacks” alone it would have been hailed a masterpiece, he adored Brando as both actor and director and friend — just a nice man, and I mean that with the greatest of respect. Could have listened to his on the set stories forever — great George C. Scott tales as well.