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Matthau, America's most beloved curmudgeon, was born on
October 1, 1920 in New York City. He started out
playing bit parts at a Yiddish theater at age 11. During
World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps with Jimmy
Stewart and returned home with six battle stars. During
the 1950s and 60s, while studying acting in New York with
future legends like Rod Steiger and Tony Curtis, he steadily
developed his craft in such films as Elia Kazan's A
Face in the Crowd (1957), Charade (1962),
and Fail-Safe (1964). In 1965 Neil Simon
asked him to perform the role of slob sportswriter Oscar
Madison in the hit Broadway show The Odd Couple. Matthau
later said the part was so fine a match for his personality
and talent that it made him a star. It also earned
him a Tony Award. After winning the Oscar for Best
Supporting Actor in The Fortune Cookie in 1966,
he reprised his Odd Couple role in the 1968 film
version, starring opposite his pal Jack Lemmon. He
was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in Kotch in
1971 which was directed by Lemmon. The two friends
made ten films together, including the two Grumpy Old
Men movies. His last role was in Hanging
Up with Diane Keaton and Meg Ryan (2000).
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