Peter Michael Falk was born in New York City on September 16, 1927 and raised in Ossining, New York. When he was twelve years old he made his first stage appearance in a production of The Pirates of Penzance at Camp High Point in upstate New York.

He is best known for the title role in the long-running TV series Columbo, a shabby and ostensibly absent-minded police detective. From 1958 he enjoyed a modest success in such films as The In-Laws (1979) and in various television dramas.

He also starred in Undisputed (2002), Shark Tale (2004) and in the Nicholas Cage thriller film Next (2007).

He married Alice Fayo on April 17, 1960. They were divorced in 1976 and on December 7, 1977, he married Shera Danese.

Filmography

• Three Days to Vegas (2007)
• Next (2007)
• The Thing About My Folks (2005)
• Checking Out (2005)
• When Angels Come to Town (2004)
• Shark Tale (2004)
• Finding John Christmas (2003)
• Wilder Days (2003)
• Three Days of Rain (2003)
• Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife (2003)
• Undisputed (2002)
• The Lost World (2001)
• A Town Without Christmas (2001)
• Corky Romano (2001)
• Made (2001)
• Hubert's Brain (2001)
• Enemies of Laughter (2000)
• Columbo: Murder with Too Many Notes (2000)
• Lakeboat (2000)
• A Storm in Summer (2000)
• From Where I Sit (2000)
• Vig (1998)
• Columbo: Ashes to Ashes (1998)
• Pronto (1997)
• Columbo: A Trace of Murder (1997)
• Columbo: Strange Bedfellows (1995)
• Roommates (1995)
• Cops n Roberts (1995)
• The Sunshine Boys (1995)
• Columbo: Undercover (1994)
• Columbo: Butterfly in Shades of Grey (1993)
• Columbo: It's All in the Game (1993)
• Columbo: A Bird in the Hand ... (1992)
• Columbo: No Time to Die (1992)
• Columbo: Death Hits the Jackpot (1991)
• Columbo: Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star (1991)
• Columbo: Caution - Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health (1991)
• Columbo: Columbo Goes to College (1990)
• Tune in Tomorrow... (1990)
• Columbo: Murder in Malibu (1990)
• Columbo: Uneasy Lies the Crown (1990)
• In the Spirit (1990)
• Columbo: Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo (1990)
• Columbo: Agenda for Murder (1990)
• Columbo: Columbo Cries Wolf (1990)
• Columbo: Murder, a Self Portrait (1989)
• Cookie (1989)
• Columbo: Grand Deceptions (1989)
• Columbo: Sex and the Married Detective (1989)
• Columbo: Murder, Smoke and Shadows (1989)
• Columbo: Columbo Goes to the Guillotine (1989)
• Vibes (1988)
• The Princess Bride (1987)
• Happy New Year (1987)
• Himmel über Berlin, Der (1987)
• Big Trouble (1986)
• ...All the Marbles (1981)
• The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
• The In-Laws (1979)
• The Brink's Job (1978)
• The Cheap Detective (1978)
• Columbo: The Conspirators (1978)
• Columbo: How to Dial a Murder (1978)
• Columbo: Make Me a Perfect Murder (1978)
• Columbo: Murder Under Glass (1978)
• Opening Night (1977)
• Columbo: Try and Catch Me (1977)
• Columbo: The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case (1977)
• The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Frank Sinatra (1977)
• Mikey and Nicky (1976)
• Columbo: Old Fashioned Murder (1976)
• Columbo: Fade in to Murder (1976)
• Murder by Death (1976)
• Columbo: Last Salute to the Commodore (1976)
• Columbo: Now You See Him (1976)
• Griffin and Phoenix: A Love Story (1976)
• Columbo: A Matter of Honor (1976)
• Columbo: Identity Crisis (1975)
• Columbo: A Case of Immunity (1975)
• Columbo: Forgotten Lady (1975)
• Columbo: A Deadly State of Mind (1975)
• Columbo: Playback (1975)
• Columbo: Troubled Waters (1975)
• Columbo: By Dawn's Early Light (1974)
• Columbo: Negative Reaction (1974)
• Columbo: An Exercise in Fatality (1974)
• A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
• Columbo: A Friend in Deed (1974)
• Columbo: Swan Song (1974)
• Columbo: Mind Over Mayhem (1974)
• Columbo: Publish or Perish (1974)
• Columbo: Double Exposure (1973)
• Columbo: Candidate for Crime (1973)
• Columbo: Any Old Port in a Storm (1973)
• Columbo: Lovely But Lethal (1973)
• Columbo: Double Shock (1973)
• Columbo: The Most Dangerous Match (1973)
• Columbo: A Stitch in Crime (1973)
• Columbo: Requiem for a Falling Star (1973)
• Columbo: Dagger of the Mind (1972)
• Columbo: The Most Crucial Game (1972)
• Columbo: The Greenhouse Jungle (1972)
• Columbo: Étude in Black (1972)
• Columbo: Blueprint for Murder (1972)
• Columbo: Short Fuse (1972)
• Columbo: Lady in Waiting (1971)
• Columbo: Suitable for Framing (1971)
• Columbo: Dead Weight (1971)
• Columbo: Death Lends a Hand (1971)
• Columbo: Murder by the Book (1971)
• Ransom for a Dead Man (1971)
• A Step Out of Line (1971)
• "The Name of the Game" (1 episode, 1971)
• Husbands (1970)
• Rosolino Paternò: Soldato... (1970)
• Castle Keep (1969)
• Intoccabili, Gli (1968)
• Sbarco di Anzio, Lo (1968)
• A Hatful of Rain (1968)
• Prescription: Murder (1968)
• Luv (1967)
• Penelope (1966)
• "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre" (3 episodes, 1963-1966)
• Brigadoon (1966)
• "The Trials of O'Brien" (22 episodes, 1965-1966)
• Too Many Thieves (1966)
• The Great Race (1965)
• Italiani brava gente (1965)
• "Ben Casey" (2 episodes, 1964)
• "The DuPont Show of the Week" (2 episodes, 1962-1964)
• Ambassador at Large (1964)
• Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964)
• It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
• "Wagon Train" (1 episode, 1963)
• "Pantomime Quiz" (1 episode, 1963)
• "Dr. Kildare" (1 episode, 1963)
• The Balcony (1963)
• "The Dick Powell Show" (3 episodes, 1962-1963)
• "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" (1 episode, 1962)
• Pressure Point (1962)
• "Naked City" (4 episodes, 1958-1962)
• "87th Precinct" (1 episode, 1962)
• Pocketful of Miracles (1961)
• "The Twilight Zone" (1 episode, 1961)
• "The Untouchables" (2 episodes, 1960-1961)
• "Target: The Corruptors" (1 episode, 1961)
• "The Barbara Stanwyck Show" (1 episode, 1961)
• "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1 episode, 1961)
• The Million Dollar Incident (1961)
• Cry Vengeance! (1961)
• "The Aquanauts" (2 episodes, 1961)
• "The Law and Mr. Jones" (1 episode, 1961)
• "The Witness" (1 episode, 1960)
• The Secret of the Purple Reef (1960)
• "Have Gun - Will Travel" (1 episode, 1960)
• "The Islanders" (1 episode, 1960)
• Murder, Inc. (1960)
• "Play of the Week" (2 episodes, 1959-1960)
• Pretty Boy Floyd (1960)
• "Decoy" (1 episode, 1959)
• The Bloody Brood (1959)
• Wind Across the Everglades (1958)
• "Kraft Television Theatre" (1 episode, 1958)
• "Armstrong Circle Theatre" (1 episode, 1958)
• "Studio One" (2 episodes, 1957)
• "Robert Montgomery Presents" (1 episode, 1957)

Awards

• Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series "Columbo" 1989 - 90
• Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series "Columbo" 1975 - 76
• Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series "Columbo" 1974 - 75
• Golden Globe Award Best Actor in a Television Series (Drama) "Columbo" 1972
• Emmy Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series "Columbo" 1971 - 72
• Emmy Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role "The Price Of Tomatoes" 1961 - 62