
Peter Falk
Actor · Died June 23, 2011, aged 83 · New York City, New York, USA
5 Primetime Emmys · Golden Globe winner · Oscar nominee
Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo on the NBC/ABC series Columbo (1968–1978, 1989–2003), for which he won four Primetime Emmy Awards (1972, 1975, 1976, 1990) and a Golden Globe Award (1973). In 1996, TV Guide ranked Falk No. 21 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list. He received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013. He first starred as Columbo in two 2-hour "World Premiere" TV pilots; the first with Gene Barry in 1968 and the second with Lee Grant in 1971. The show then aired as part of The NBC Mystery Movie series from 1971 to 1978, and again on ABC from 1989 to 2003. Falk was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for Murder, Inc. (1960) and Pocketful of Miracles (1961), and won his first Emmy Award in 1962 for The Dick Powell Theatre. He was the first actor to be nominated for an Academy Award and an Emmy Award in the same year, achieving the feat twice (1961 and 1962). He went on to appear in such films as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), alongside Frank Sinatra in Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), The Great Race (1965), Anzio (1968), Murder by Death (1976), The Cheap Detective (1978), The Brink's Job (1978), The In-Laws (1979), The Princess Bride (1987), Wings of Desire (1987), The Player (1992), and Next (2007), as well as many television guest roles. Falk was also known for his collaborations with filmmaker, actor, and personal friend John Cassavetes, acting in films such as Husbands (1970), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Big Trouble (1986), Elaine May's Mikey and Nicky (1976) and the Columbo episode "Étude in Black" (1972). He cameoed as a theatergoer in Cassavetes' 1977 film Opening Night. Description above from the Wikipedia article Peter Falk, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 16, 1927
- June 23, 2011 (aged 83)
- New York City, New York, USA
- Actor
- 61 on Motif · 116 credits in all
What are Peter Falk's films like?
Across their 50 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Motif score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 4 · Wry 5 · Earnest 41
A split, not a type: Light 29 · Serious 9 · Dark 12
A split, not a type: Grounded 25 · Stylized 13 · Heightened 12
Gentle 19 · Charged 21 · Intense 10
A split, not a type: Steady 28 · Shifting 16 · Whiplash 6
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 15 · Funny 16
Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 29 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 23 · Engaged 24 · Full focus 3
Easy watch 29 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 8
Resolved 38 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 4
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 10 of 38 analyzed roles.
Show the 38 rolesHide the roles
- Shadowas Abe Reles in Murder, Inc. (1960)
- Shadowas Guy Gisborne in Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964)
- Tricksteras Maximilian Meen in The Great Race (1965)
- Threshold guardianas Lt. Bixbee in Penelope (1966)
- Tricksteras Milt Manville in Luv (1967)
- Allyas Polo Pope in A Hatful of Rain (1968)
- Heroas Lt. Columbo in Prescription: Murder (1968)
- Allyas Cpl. Jack Rabinoff in Anzio (1968)
- Allyas Sgt. Rossi in Castle Keep (1969)
- Shadowas Charlie Adamo in Machine Gun McCain (1969)
- Shapeshifteras Archie Black in Husbands (1970)
- Heroas Harry Connors in A Step Out of Line (1971)
- Allyas Nick Longhetti in A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
- Heroas Mikey in Mikey and Nicky (1976)
- Heroas Tony Pino in The Brink's Job (1978)
- Heroas Lou Peckinpaugh in The Cheap Detective (1978)
- Shapeshifteras Vince Ricardo in The In-Laws (1979)
- Mentoras Vince Ricardo in The In-Laws (1979)
- Tricksteras Vince Ricardo in The In-Laws (1979)
- Tricksteras Harry Sears in ...All the Marbles (1981)
- Mentoras Harry Sears in ...All the Marbles (1981)
- Shapeshifteras Steve Rickey in Big Trouble (1986)
- Heroas Nick in Happy New Year (1987)
- Mentoras Der Filmstar in Wings of Desire (1987)
- Shapeshifteras Nick in Happy New Year (1987)
- Heroas Dino in Cookie (1989)
- Tricksteras Pedro Carmichael in Tune in Tomorrow... (1990)
- Mentoras Peter Falk in Faraway, So Close! (1993)
- Mentoras Rocky Holeczek in Roommates (1995)
- Heroas Vinnie in Vig (1998)
- Heroas Abel Shaddick in A Storm in Summer (2000)
- Mentoras Max in A Town Without Christmas (2001)
- Tricksteras Waldo in Three Days of Rain (2002)
- Tricksteras Mendy Ripstein in Undisputed (2002)
- Mentoras Max in Finding John Christmas (2003)
- Mentoras Max in When Angels Come to Town (2004)
- Mentoras Sam Kleinman in The Thing About My Folks (2005)
- Heroas Gus 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald in Three Days to Vegas (2007)
Moods and endings
- Happy21
- Bittersweet21
- Tragic5
- Ambiguous2
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Peter Falk's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 34 of their 61 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) · actor · free
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) · actor · free
- The In-Laws (1979) · actor · free
- The Great Race (1965) · actor · free
- Pocketful of Miracles (1961) · actor · free
- The Red Skelton Hour (1951) · actor · free
- Made (2001) · actor · free
- Decoy (1957) · actor · free
- Castle Keep (1969) · actor · free
- Lakeboat (2000) · actor · free
- Vibes (1988) · actor · free
- Anzio (1968) · actor · free
- +1 more
Subscription and free streaming for Peter Falk's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
116 credits, 61 with a Motif page; 54 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Motif score: 91st percentile of all films
Motif score: 88th percentile of all films
Lost Case (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)

American Cowslip (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2009)

Next(2007)
Motif score: 44th percentile of all films
Three Days to Vegas(2007)
Motif score: 11th percentile of all films
Checking Out (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)

The Thing About My Folks(2005)
Motif score: 58th percentile of all films
When Angels Come to Town(2004)
Motif score: 66th percentile of all films
Shark Tale(2004)
Motif score: 41st percentile of all films
Finding John Christmas(2003)
Motif score: 64th percentile of all films
Wilder Days (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

Undisputed(2002)
Motif score: 47th percentile of all films
Three Days of Rain(2002)
Motif score: 30th percentile of all films
The Lost World (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

The Lost World (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

A Town Without Christmas(2001)
Motif score: 51st percentile of all films
Corky Romano(2001)
Motif score: 17th percentile of all films
Made(2001)
Motif score: 51st percentile of all films
Hubert's Brain (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

Enemies of Laughter (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

Lakeboat(2000)
Motif score: 44th percentile of all films
A Storm in Summer(2000)
Motif score: 69th percentile of all filmsFrom Where I Sit (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

Vig(1998)
Motif score: 35th percentile of all films
Pronto (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)

The Sunshine Boys (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)

Roommates(1995)
Motif score: 55th percentile of all films
Cops n Roberts (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

The World of Jim Henson (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1994)

Faraway, So Close!(1993)
Motif score: 84th percentile of all films
The Larry Sanders Show(1992)
Motif score: 90th percentile of all shows
The Player(1992)
Motif score: 93rd percentile of all films
Tune in Tomorrow...(1990)
Motif score: 46th percentile of all films
In the Spirit (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1990)

Cookie(1989)
Motif score: 29th percentile of all films
Live with Kelly and Mark(1988)
Motif score: 3rd percentile of all shows
Vibes(1988)
Motif score: 39th percentile of all films
The Princess Bride(1987)
Motif score: 98th percentile of all films
Wings of Desire(1987)
Motif score: 97th percentile of all films
Happy New Year(1987)
Motif score: 37th percentile of all films
Big Trouble(1986)
Motif score: 18th percentile of all films
Motif score: 95th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)Shoot Don't Shoot (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1982)

The Great Muppet Caper(1981)
Motif score: 87th percentile of all films
...All the Marbles(1981)
Motif score: 59th percentile of all films
The In-Laws(1979)
Motif score: 87th percentile of all films
The Brink's Job(1978)
Motif score: 61st percentile of all films
Scared Straight! (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1978)

The Cheap Detective(1978)
Motif score: 59th percentile of all films
Mikey and Nicky(1976)
Motif score: 90th percentile of all films
Murder by Death(1976)
Motif score: 84th percentile of all films
Griffin and Phoenix (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)
Motif score: 98th percentile of all films
Ransom for a Dead Man(1971)
Motif score: 94th percentile of all films
Columbo (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1971)

A Step Out of Line(1971)
Motif score: 64th percentile of all films
Husbands(1970)
Motif score: 82nd percentile of all films
Operation Snafu (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1970)

Castle Keep(1969)
Motif score: 46th percentile of all films
Machine Gun McCain(1969)
Motif score: 44th percentile of all films
The Name of the Game (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1968)

Anzio(1968)
Motif score: 38th percentile of all films
A Hatful of Rain(1968)
Motif score: 66th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Prescription: Murder(1968)
Motif score: 97th percentile of all films
Luv(1967)
Motif score: 20th percentile of all films
Penelope(1966)
Motif score: 49th percentile of all films
Brigadoon (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1966)

Too Many Thieves (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1966)

The Trials of O'Brien (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1965)

The Great Race(1965)
Motif score: 86th percentile of all films
Attack and Retreat (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1964)

Robin and the 7 Hoods(1964)
Motif score: 60th percentile of all films
Motif score: 88th percentile of all filmsBob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1963)

The Balcony (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1963)

Pressure Point(1962)
Motif score: 80th percentile of all films
Jackie Gleason and His American Scene Magazine (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)
Motif score: 96th percentile of all shows
Pocketful of Miracles(1961)
Motif score: 86th percentile of all films
The New Breed (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

Ben Casey (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

Target: The Corruptors! (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

Dr. Kildare (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

The Dick Powell Show (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

87th Precinct (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

The DuPont Show of the Week (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)
The Million Dollar Incident (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

The Secret of the Purple Reef (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)

The Law and Mr. Jones (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)

The Islanders (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)
The Witness (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)

The Barbara Stanwyck Show (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)

The Aquanauts (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)

Murder, Inc.(1960)
Motif score: 63rd percentile of all films
Pretty Boy Floyd (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1960)

The Bloody Brood (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

The Untouchables (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

Play of the Week (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

The Twilight Zone(1959)
Motif score: 96th percentile of all shows
Deadline (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

New York Confidential (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

Naked City(1958)
Motif score: 75th percentile of all shows
Motif score: 65th percentile of all films
Decoy(1957)
Motif score: 47th percentile of all shows
Wagon Train(1957)
Motif score: 58th percentile of all shows
Have Gun, Will Travel (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1957)
Motif score: 96th percentile of all shows
Omnibus (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1952)

The Red Skelton Hour(1951)
Motif score: 76th percentile of all shows
Armstrong Circle Theatre (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1950)

Robert Montgomery Presents (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1950)

Studio One (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1948)

Kraft Television Theatre (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1947)

A Trace of Murder (not in the Motif catalog yet)

Columbo: Death Hits the Jackpot (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 114 titles, 112 of them dated from 1947 to 2014; peak year 1977.
Film career
Peak 1977 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 17 Motif titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1958Screen debut· Wind Across the Everglades
- 1961Oscar nomination· Pocketful of Miracles
- 1968First top-billed film· Prescription: Murder
- 1976Career best· Mikey and Nicky
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
Awards
5 Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe from 24 major nominations, 1961–1994.
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Actor in a Television Series - Drama
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Actor in a Television Series - Drama
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best TV Actor - Drama
Show 5 earlier yearsShow fewer
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best TV Actor - Drama
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Drama Series - Continuing)
- Golden Globe, won · Best TV Actor - Drama
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best TV Actor - Drama
- Oscar, nominated · Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
- Oscar, nominated · Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor or Actress in a Single Program
- Golden Globe, nominated · Most Promising Newcomer - Male
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Peter Falk's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 62nd percentile, the median of all 52; across their 50 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up25
- 50th to 74th16
- 25th to 49th15
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
28 of their 61 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved11
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser28
- Broadly Agreed5
- Mixed16
Reviewers score the acting 72/100 in their films, across 43 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Peter Falk's work okay for kids?
Across up to 13 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore runs lighter than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Peter Falk work with?
People who share at least 2 of Peter Falk's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Cassavetes shares the most, 5.
Directors
- John CassavetesShared titles: Big Trouble (1986), Mikey and Nicky (1976), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Husbands (1970), Machine Gun McCain (1969)See all 5 shared titles with John Cassavetes

- Andy WolkShared titles: When Angels Come to Town (2004), Finding John Christmas (2003), A Town Without Christmas (2001)See all 3 shared titles with Andy Wolk
- Wim WendersShared titles: Faraway, So Close! (1993), Wings of Desire (1987)See all 2 shared titles with Wim Wenders

- Arthur HillerShared titles: The In-Laws (1979), Penelope (1966)See all 2 shared titles with Arthur Hiller

Writers
- Michael J. MurrayShared titles: When Angels Come to Town (2004), Finding John Christmas (2003), A Town Without Christmas (2001)See all 3 shared titles with Michael J. Murray
- Richard ReitingerShared titles: Faraway, So Close! (1993), Wings of Desire (1987)See all 2 shared titles with Richard Reitinger
- Andrew BergmanShared titles: Big Trouble (1986), The In-Laws (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Andrew Bergman

- Neil SimonShared titles: The Cheap Detective (1978), Murder by Death (1976)See all 2 shared titles with Neil Simon

Actors
- Charles DurningShared titles: Lakeboat (2000), Happy New Year (1987), Big Trouble (1986)See all 3 shared titles with Charles Durning

- Peter BoyleShared titles: John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs (2017), The Brink's Job (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Peter Boyle

- Julianne MooreShared titles: Next (2007), Roommates (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Julianne Moore

- Jeremy AkermanShared titles: Finding John Christmas (2003), A Town Without Christmas (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Jeremy Akerman

Composers and editors
- Drake SillimanShared titles: When Angels Come to Town (2004), Finding John Christmas (2003), A Town Without Christmas (2001)See all 3 shared titles with Drake Silliman
- Patrick WilliamsShared titles: When Angels Come to Town (2004), Finding John Christmas (2003), The Cheap Detective (1978)See all 3 shared titles with Patrick Williams

- Peter PrzygoddaShared titles: Faraway, So Close! (1993), Wings of Desire (1987)See all 2 shared titles with Peter Przygodda
- Bill ContiShared titles: Happy New Year (1987), Big Trouble (1986)See all 2 shared titles with Bill Conti

Producers
- Daniel H. BlattShared titles: When Angels Come to Town (2004), Finding John Christmas (2003), A Town Without Christmas (2001)See all 3 shared titles with Daniel H. Blatt
- Danielle McVickersShared titles: When Angels Come to Town (2004), Finding John Christmas (2003), A Town Without Christmas (2001)See all 3 shared titles with Danielle McVickers
- Ken GrossShared titles: When Angels Come to Town (2004), Finding John Christmas (2003), A Town Without Christmas (2001)See all 3 shared titles with Ken Gross
- Al RubanShared titles: Happy New Year (1987), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Husbands (1970)See all 3 shared titles with Al Ruban

Mixed roles
- Sydney PollackShared titles: Char·ac·ter (2009), Castle Keep (1969)See all 2 shared titles with Sydney Pollack

- Laurent PetitgandShared titles: Faraway, So Close! (1993), Wings of Desire (1987)See all 2 shared titles with Laurent Petitgand
- Michael V. GazzoShared titles: Cookie (1989), A Hatful of Rain (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Michael V. Gazzo

- Margaret BoothShared titles: The Cheap Detective (1978), Murder by Death (1976)See all 2 shared titles with Margaret Booth



