Actor Peter Falk, who played the quirky and popular television detective character Columbo, died this week at age 83. The former cancer survivor lost his right eye years ago after being diagnosed with cancer at age 3. However, he went on to have a long and prosperous acting career with a glass eye in place. His unique look added to his trademark trenchcoat rumpled demeanor. The actor died at his celebrity home in Beverly Hills, California, rumored to suffer from Alzheimer's Disease. The Hollywood mystery of what will happen to his famous rumpled trench coat is now what is most talked about by movie memorabilia collectors, but his rise to fame despite physical disfigurement is a true story captivating the hearts of many who are celebrating his life in memorial tributes. Peter Falk, as one who beat cancer, is a hero and inspiration to many.
WHO IS PETER FALK?
Actor Peter Michael Falk is known to many members of Generation X as the man who played the grandfather to child star Fred Savage in the cult classic movie The Princess Bride. However, long before that time, the well-known classically trained theater actor, had been playing Lieutenant Columbo on his own hit television series and was a beloved character for two decades, watched by nearly everyone who was a WWII Generation member or a Baby Boomer.
While having a glass eye and a slightly cross-eyed look might have caused some Hollywood producers and casting agencies to think twice about putting an obviously disfigured man in a lead role on television or as a key cast member for a movie, producers like Rob Reiner (who cast him as the story-teller grandfather in The Princess Bride) recognized the well-liked actor for his immense talent.
HOW DID PETER FALK LOSE HIS EYE?
Columbo has no storyline around the detective losing an eye, as the actor did not lose his eye in adulthood. He actually lost his eye to cancer as a child at the young age of 3. The eye was surgically removed and replaced with a glass eye.
Growing up with a glass eye, Falk often found himself subject to ridicule. Whether other children were making fun of him in his early years growing up in the late 1920s and 1930s in New York City or when he was fighting to win affection from his high school classmates (eventually winning their respect and admiration to become class president at Ossining High School), his journey of persisting to overcome his physical disfigurement was and continues to be an inspiring story.
CELEBRITY DEATH: ACTOR PETER FALK (R.I.P. 1927 - 2011)
Falk, despite being able to win his battle against a dreadful disease and living a long life as a cancer survivor, could not fight old age and the inevitable. Spending his celebrity senior years primarily at home with his wife and with visits from his children, the actor died at home peacefully. Although an exact cause of death has not been released to date, celebrity gossip sources report the television and screen legend (although presumably in good health) had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for years.
Born on the 16th of September in 1927 at the age of the end of Prohibition and spending his childhood living through the effects of the Great Depression, the man who played Columbo died comfortably in luxury on June 23rd, 2011 at his residence in Beverly Hills. He is survived by his wife Shera Danese, whom he wed in 1977, and two children with ex-wife Alyce Mayo.
- Please select the part of the post you are reporting.
- Please select why you are reporting this content.
- Please enter a description.
You have successfully submitted a report for this post.
No comments:
Post a Comment