born Oct. 1, 1920, New York, N.Y., U.S.
died July 1, 2000, Santa Monica, Calif.
U.S. actor.
He began his career as a child actor in Yiddish theatre and appeared on Broadway in plays such as Once More, with Feeling (1958) and A Shot in the Dark (1962). He worked steadily as a character actor on the stage and on television in the early 1950s and made his film debut in The Kentuckian (1955). He won stardom with his stage role in The Odd Couple (1965), which he reprised in the 1968 film version with his frequent costar, Jack Lemmon . Known for his rumpled face, nasal bray, and razor-sharp timing, Matthau appeared in numerous other films, including The Fortune Cookie (1966, Academy Award), Charley Varrick (1973), The Sunshine Boys (1975), Grumpy Old Men (1993), and I'm Not Rappaport (1996).