For someone who started off working a white-collar job, Peter Falk sure conquered great heights in the film and television industry. Rising through childhood struggles with cancer that left him with a glass eye, Falk began his acting career with minor television roles, making his big screen debut with the 1958 film "Wind Across the Everglades." Falk's genius was immediately apparent, and by 1961, he had earned his first Oscar and Emmy nominations — for "Murder, Inc." and "The Law and Mr. Jones," respectively — a rare feat at the time. His glittering streak continued into the next year with the film "Pocketful of Miracles," which scored him another Academy award nom, and NBC's "The Dick Powell Theatre," which earned him his first Emmy, before Falk's defining role came to him in 1971.
Always pursuing "just one more thing" as one of television's most legendary detectives, Falk starred in "Columbo" for over three decades. His raincoat-wearing, cigar-smoking alter ego — whose idiosyncrasies endeared him to fans as much as his mystery-solving abilities — raked in four Emmys and a Golden Globe for Falk, who simultaneously humored moviegoers with comedy hits like "The In-Laws" and "The Brink's Job."
In later years, Falk diversified his range as Max the angel in a string of sentimental holiday productions from Hallmark. A sharp-witted actor who never let his impaired eyesight precipitate a single dull moment in his career, Falk died on June 23, 2011, at his Beverly Hills home. He had reportedly lived with Alzheimer's disease during his final years, per The New York Times.
