R.I.P. Karl Malden (1912-2009)

This has certainly been a sad week for the passing of a number of celebrities, but I felt that, appropriate to this blog, I should mention that Karl Malden, former President of the Academy, passed away today (July 1, 2009).

Malden had a long career in films, dating back to the 1940. His first significant role was in director Elia Kazan's drama, "Boomerang!" in 1947, and he subsequently turned in perhaps the finest performance of his career in the same director's "On the Waterfront" in 1954. Also for Kazan, Malden turned in excellent performances in "A Streetcar Named Desire", and another Tennessee Williams adaptation, "Baby Doll" (1956), a controversial classic. One of his most underrated performances came in 1953, in Alfred Hitchcock's neglected masterpiece, "I Confess". Other memorable films include "Fear Strikes Out" (1957), "Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962), John Ford's "Cheyenne Autumn" (1964), "Patton" (1970), and MGM's all-star Western epic, "How the West Was Won". On TV, he was best known for his role as Detective Lt. Mike Stone on "The Streets of San Francisco".