Peter Falk was born on September 16^th 1927 in Westchester, New York. His mother was of Russian descent and his father was Polish, with a mix of Hungarian and Czech further back in their ancestry. At the age of three he was diagnosed with a malignant tumour in his right eye which resulted in him having the eye removed and replaced with a prosthetic eye which accounts for his unusually glare.Falk attended Ossining High School until he graduated and went on to attend the United States Merchant Marine’s and became a cook. After completing his spell in the marines Falk went back to university in at the New School of Social Research where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in public administration in 1951. Adding to his qualifications Falk continued on to Syracuse University in New York where he gained a Masters Degree in public administration in 1953.

With his Masters degree in hand, Peter attempted to join the CIA but after being denied a position he moved to Connecticut and found employment in Hartford at the State Budget Bureau.It was during his time in Connecticut, in 1955, that Falk first took an interest in acting when he joined the White Barn Theatre. He found he excelled in both comic roles as well as dramatic roles. He finally moved to Greenwich Village, New York. It was in Manhattan that he made his off-Broadway debut in ‘Don Juan’ and later in ‘Saint Joan’. 

During the early days of his acting career, in 1960, Falk married his first wife, Alice Fayo with whom he had two daughters. The marriage ended in 1976 and a year later Peter was married for the second time to Shea Danese.

It was in 1968 that Peter Falk would really become a familiar face on TV screens in both the USA and the UK when he was cast as Lt. Columbo in a 1968 pilot show that eventually became a regular on screens in 1971 until 1978. His role was based around a disheveled, rain coat wearing, bumbling police detective. The series was a breeding ground for both up and coming actors and established celebrities in its time, including, Johnny Cash, Billy Connolly, Tyne Daly, Dick Van Dyke and George Hamilton, to name but a few.

After Columbo had run its time on TV Falk went on to star in several big screen, and made for TV movies including ‘The In-Laws’ with Alan Alda, ‘The Princess Bride’ with Billy Crystal and ‘It’s a Mad, Mad World’ which saw Falk starring with Mickey Rooney and Spencer Tracy.Falk next turned up in ‘Far Away, So Close’ before starring in the 1995 comedy ‘Roommates’ with Ellen Burstyn and Julianne Moore.

In 2007 Falk appeared in the Nicolas Cage movie, ‘Next’ which once again saw him starring with Julianne Moore and Jessica Beil.Apart from acting Peter has a passion for art and has his own studio at his home in Beverly Hills.

ABB