Oscar winning actor Karl Malden has died. He was 97.
RIP Karl Malden - For me, he will always be remembered as the gruff, street-wise Detective Lt. Mike Stone, who paired with hot head college boy Inspector Steve Keller, played by Michael Douglas. They had great partner chemistry and had me hooked on every episode as a little kid in faraway New England. I had never been to California, and their show took me to the sunny West coast every week. © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos
A son of Chicago, Malden was born Mladen George Sekulovich. His heritage was Czech and Serbian, and his family took him from Chicago to Gary, Indiana as a youngster. Malden eventually returned to Chicago to study acting.
Karl Malden took the best supporting actor Oscar in 1952 for his role as Mitch in "A Streetcar Named Desire."
Mr. Malden died of natural causes, his family told the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, where Malden served as president from 1989 to 1992.
Malden had a phenomenal career in film, with numerous awards, nominations and accolades for his work.
For me, he will always be remembered as the gruff, street-wise Detective Lt. Mike Stone, who paired with hot head college boy Inspector Steve Keller, played by Michael Douglas. They had great partner chemistry and had me hooked on every episode as a little kid in faraway New England. I had never been to California, and their show took me to the sunny West coast every week.
Malden's other role that always stuck with me was his turn as Gen. Omar Bradley in 1970's "Patton," starring alongside George C. Scott.
Once again, he played well off the brash ego of Scott's Patton. It was what Malden did very well, absorb and manage another actor's over-the-top energy to make each scene fly.
The "Streets of San Francisco" was the first "procedural" series I had been exposed to. Prolific TV producer Quinn Martin created the perfect one hour drama, well before Dick Wolf hit the scene. "The Streets of San Francisco" ran for five seasons and shined with Malden cast as widower and veteran detective Stone, who constantly had ideological run-ins with his energetic college-educated partner with zero police experience, played by Michael Douglas.
Malden was a lion in theater, film and TV, but his smallscreen role in this old series will forever be my first impression of him; I was hooked on his performance weekly, wondering what San Francisco really was like.
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