Oscar-winning actor Karl Malden dies at 97

< Prev | 1 | 2

Movie video

Box office preview
Dec. 10: NBC's Mark Barger previews Disney's "The Princess and The Frog" and director Clint Eastwood's "Invictus."

Eastwood, Freeman on new film

'Salt': July 23

Moore on new Tom Ford flick

Harry Potter is back, with a LEGO update

Slideshow

December movies
James Cameron’s spectacle “Avatar” hits theaters, along with George Clooney, who is “Up in the Air,” and Robert Downey Jr. as “Sherlock Holmes.”

more photos

‘He was such a regular guy’
He was born Mladen Sekulovich in Chicago on March 22, 1912. Malden regretted that in order to become an actor he had to change his name. He insisted that Fred Gwynne’s character in “On the Waterfront” be named Sekulovich to honor his heritage.

The family moved to Gary, Ind., when he was small. He quit his steel job 1934 to study acting at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre “because I wasn’t getting anywhere in the mills,” he recalled.

“When I told my father, he said, ‘Are you crazy? You want to give up a good job in the middle of the Depression?’ Thank god for my mother. She said to give it a try.”

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

In 2005, the U.S. Postal Service honored Malden by naming the post office in Brentwood to honor his achievement in film and his contributions to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, which meets to discuss ideas for stamp designs.

Malden helped create the “Legends of Hollywood” stamp series that has featured Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Gary Cooper, and another celebrating Hollywood’s behind-the-scenes workers.

“As a kid, all the letters that would come from the old country, he would see the stamps and they always intrigued him,” said David Failor, executive director of stamp services for the Postal Service. “He was such a regular guy.”

Malden and his wife, Mona, a fellow acting student at the Goodman, had one of Hollywood’s longest marriages, having celebrated their 70th anniversary in December.

“That was sort of the last goodbye,” said Saint, who attended a party in the couple’s honor. “His wish was, ‘After I die, I don’t want you to do anything but have a party.’ So another party is coming up.”

Besides his wife, Malden is survived by daughters Mila and Cara, his sons-in-law, three granddaughters, and four great grandchildren.

< Prev | 1 | 2