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Karl Malden, dead at 97 Date published: 7/9/2009
WHO REALIZED Karl Malden "Them" being, of course, American Express Travelers Cheques, for which Mr. Malden was the quintessential pitchman for two decades. But that was after he'd established himself as a solid character actor, a Hollywood reliable, and a star in every sense of the word save one: ego. Which is what you might expect from one born Mladen George Sekulovich, son of a Serbian immigrant laborer. Mr. Malden changed his name, of course, to fit Hollywood, but he never left his hardworking steel-mill roots behind. Elia Kazan, who directed Mr. Malden in classics including "A Streetcar Named Desire," said, "I hadn't met anyone that non-actorish before [I said] 'Here's a person who can play difficult parts, rough parts, physical parts, who doesn't get frightened easily, who's all there when I need him.'" Mr. Malden, who won an Oscar for his role in "Streetcar," played the strong priest in "On the Waterfront," the frustrated husband in "Baby Doll," and Gen. Omar Bradley in "Patton." A versatile player, he also was in "Gypsy" (a musical), "Cheyenne Autumn" (a Western), and he played a detective in "The Streets of San Francisco" (a TV series). His credits stretch over 60 years. President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1989-1992, Mr. Malden had four Emmy nominations. Perhaps most extraordinarily, he was married to his wife, who survives him, for 70 years. Mr. Malden died July 1 in Los Angeles.
Was truly a fine actor, very few of his kind left.
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