# Passing of Peter Falk



## samurai (Apr 22, 2011)

I just saw on the news that one of my favorite actors of all time--Peter Falk--has died at the age of 84.
R.I.P. Peter Falk. There will never be anyone who will be able to do Columbo better than you! I already greatly miss you.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

It's such a shame! This past year, I always had a huge stack of _Columbo_ recorded for brief post-operative incapacitated periods. He helped me so much!!


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## samurai (Apr 22, 2011)

He not only was a good actor, he was a decent human being. We are the poorer this evening for his having left us.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Peter Falk's _Columbo_ was an excellent characterization. Aspects of Father Brown, hints of Nero Wolf's Archie, and a sub-current of humor.

At 84, I hope he died well.

[I wonder if that sentiment 'translates' for non-English speakers.]


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Yes, RIP indeed, one of the great character actors of our time. _Columbo_ was great, but I think he really shone in the German language film "Wings of Desire" (mid-1990's) directed by Wim Wenders and starring Bruno Ganz in the main role. I saw it probably 15 years ago on TV, I don't remember the specifics, but it was a film dwelling on the history of the city of Berlin, a sobering reminder in the post unification euphoria (the Berlin Wall coming down and all that) that we must never forget it's role in the darkest days of the Holocaust. I can't remember exactly, but I think Falk played an American tourist surveying the streets of Berlin in the film, & I think he spoke English in it? In any case, I would strongly recommend this film to you guys who are only aware of his great work in the _Columbo_ series. I might try to hunt it down myself, now that I've been reminded of it. He will definitely be sorely missed by both us fans and the many people in the film industry that he worked with over the decades...


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

Yeah, was very sad to hear this. Loved him in everything, mainly Columbo, but also the movies with John Cassavetes. Columbo was a great creation, though...


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

Sid James said:


> Yes, RIP indeed, one of the great character actors of our time. _Columbo_ was great, but I think he really shone in the German language film "Wings of Desire" (mid-1990's) directed by Wim Wenders and starring Bruno Ganz in the main role.


What's strange is I watched Wings of Desire for the first time on Thursday night. A decent film but not as good as Wender's Paris, Texas.

Falk played an angel that chose to become human and helped other angels make the choice. It's a very arty kind of film and switches between three languages, with much of the film in B&W too. It takes a while to get going but does get better as it progresses.

Just one more thing, it was made in 87'.

I don't like Columbo though.


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## GoneBaroque (Jun 16, 2011)

Argus said:


> What's strange is I watched Wings of Desire for the first time on Thursday night. A decent film but not as good as Wender's Paris, Texas.
> 
> Falk played an angel that chose to become human and helped other angels make the choice. It's a very arty kind of film and switches between three languages, with much of the film in B&W too. It takes a while to get going but does get better as it progresses.
> 
> ...


I have not managed to see "Wings of Desire" but there are several others movies (perhaps made for TV in which he played an angel type character. There were other movies where he showed a great comic flair, I believe one was called "The In-Laws" if I am not mistaken. There are not many great actors left and now there is one more empty chair.

Rob


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Argus said:


> I don't like Columbo though.


The _Columbo_ series is easy not to like if you are concentrating on the plot-lines. Focus on the acting - always at least slightly overdone, how much depending on the skill of the actor - creating a (more or less) subtle parody of the standard who-done-it. Camouflaged _Mr. Smart_, sort of.


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## Sofronitsky (Jun 12, 2011)

Isn't there a composer called Falk? Richter is just talking about him in this book I'm reading.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

An interesting bit of "trivia" is that the makers of _Columbo_ first offered the role to - wait for it! - Bing Crosby. Obviously Mr Crosby must have seen the script or synopsis/character outline, and thought that his image was kind of too "suave" and sophisticated to play someone like the main character - maybe he was too "grubby" or just mundane/ordinary for Mr Crosby to do it. I'm sure we're all glad though, that Peter Falk accepted the role and really made it special, made it entirely his own. I simply can't imagine a modern "remake" of _Columbo_ with another actor, no matter how good another person playing him could be...


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Hilltroll72 said:


> At 84, I hope he died well.
> 
> [I wonder if that sentiment 'translates' for non-English speakers.]


Apparently not that well, he had been suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's.

I loved watching Columbo back in the seventies. Such a different take on the mystery genre.


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

Hilltroll72 said:


> The _Columbo_ series is easy not to like if you are concentrating on the plot-lines. Focus on the acting - always at least slightly overdone, how much depending on the skill of the actor - creating a (more or less) subtle parody of the standard who-done-it. Camouflaged _Mr. Smart_, sort of.


It's the genre. I don't like detective/mysteries, well apart from the Scooby Doo cartoons.



Sid James said:


> An interesting bit of "trivia" is that the makers of Columbo first offered the role to - wait for it! - Bing Crosby.


The Crosby Mysteries?


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

I'm so sorry to hear that, really ... never can forget him as that *Joy Boy* in Capra's Pocketful of Miracles ...


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