Malden primarily was a character actor, who according to Robert Berkvist, "for more than 60 years brought an intelligent intensity and a homespun authenticity to roles in theater, film, and television",[4] especially in such classic films asA Streetcar Named Desire andOn the Waterfront (1954), for which he received a second Best Supporting Oscar nomination.
Film and culture criticCharles Champlin described Malden as "an Everyman, but one whose range moved easily up and down the levels of society and the IQ scale, from heroes to heavies and ordinary, decent guys just trying to get along",[5] and at the time of his death, Malden was described as "one of the great character actors of his time"[6] who created a number of "powerhouse performances on screen".[7]
Karl Malden, the eldest of three sons, was born Mladen Sekulovich (Serbian Cyrillic:Младен Секуловић) in Chicago, Illinois, on March 22, 1912, which was his mother's 20th birthday. He was raised in a home at 457 Connecticut Street inGary, Indiana.[9][10]
HisSerb father Petar Sekulović (Serbian:Петар Секуловић; 1886–1975) worked in the steel mills and as a milkman, and his mother, Minnie (née Sebera) Sekulovich (March 22, 1892 – July 15, 1995), was aCzechseamstress and actress.[11] The Sekulovich family's roots trace back toPodosoje nearTrebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Malden spoke onlySerbian until he was in kindergarten; he remained fluent in the language until his death. Malden's father, who had a passion for music, organized the Serbian Singing Federation, uniting immigrant choral ensembles across the United States.[12]
As a teenager, Malden joined the Karageorge Choir and acted in church plays produced by his father.[13] He took part in many of these plays, which included a version ofJack and the Beanstalk, but mostly centered on the community'sSerbian heritage. In high school, he was a popular student and the star of the basketball team (according to his autobiography, Malden broke his nose twice while playing, taking elbows to the face and resulting in his trademark bulbous nose).[14]
He participated in the drama department and was narrowly elected senior class president. Among other roles, he played Pooh-Bah inThe Mikado. After graduating fromEmerson High School in 1931 with high marks, he briefly planned to leave Gary forArkansas, where he hoped to win an athletic scholarship, but college officials did not admit him owing to his refusal to play any sport besides basketball. From 1931 until 1934, he worked in thesteel mills, as had his father.[15]
He changed his name from Mladen Sekulovich to Karl Malden at age 22, something directorElia Kazan urged him to do.[16] He anglicized his first name by swapping its letters "l" and "a" and used it as his last and taking his grandfather's first name as his own.[17] This was because the first theatre company he was in wanted him to shorten his name for its marquee. He thought that they wanted to fire him and were using his name as an excuse; although that was not the case, he still changed his name to give them no excuse.[16]
Malden later stated that he regretted changing his name and tried to insert the name Sekulovich wherever possible in his work.[18] For example, as GeneralOmar Bradley inPatton,[19] as his troops slog their way through enemy fire inSicily, Malden says "Hand me that helmet, Sekulovich" to another soldier. InDead Ringer, as a police detective in the squad room, Malden tells another detective: "Sekulovich, gimme my hat."[citation needed] InFear Strikes Out,[19] Malden, playingJimmy Piersall's father John, introduces Jimmy to a baseball scout named Sekulovich. InBirdman of Alcatraz, as a prison warden touring the cell block, Malden recites a list of inmates' names, including Sekulovich (Malden's father was not pleased, as he told his son "Mladen, no Sekulovich has ever been in prison!").[20] InOn the Waterfront, in which Malden plays the priest, among the names of the officers of Local 374 called out in the courtroom scene is Mladen Sekulovich, Delegate (played byFred Gwynne).[21] Perhaps the most notable usage of his real name, however, was in the television seriesThe Streets of San Francisco, where Malden's character, Mike Stone, employed a legman (played byArt Passarella) with that name.[22][better source needed]
In September 1934, Malden left Gary, Indiana, to pursue formal dramatic training at the Goodman School (later part ofDePaul University), then associated with theGoodman Theater in Chicago. Although he had worked in the steel mills in Gary for three years, he had helped support his family and was consequently unable to save enough money to pay for his schooling. Making a deal with the director of the program, he gave the institute the little money that he did have, with thedirector agreeing that, if Malden did well, he would be rewarded with a full scholarship.[23] He won the scholarship.
When Malden performed in the Goodman's children's theater, he wooed actress Mona Greenberg (stage name: Mona Graham), who married him in 1938. He graduated from theChicago Art Institute in 1937. Soon after, without work or money, Malden returned to his hometown.
He eventually traveled to New York City, and first appeared as an actor onBroadway in 1937. He did some radio work and then made his film debut with a small role inThey Knew What They Wanted.[24]
Malden also joined theGroup Theatre, where he began acting in many plays and was introduced to a young Elia Kazan, who later worked with him onA Streetcar Named Desire (1951),On the Waterfront (1954) andBaby Doll (1956).[25]
After the war, Malden resumed his acting career on Broadway, playing yet another small supporting role in the short-livedMaxwell Anderson playTruckline Cafe (1946), with a then-unknownMarlon Brando. The next year, directorElia Kazan gave Malden a co-starring role inArthur Miller's breakout playAll My Sons. By the end of that year he had joined the legendary original cast of Tennessee Williams's landmark dramaA Streetcar Named Desire, also directed by Kazan, playing Harold "Mitch" Mitchell. With that high-profile theatre success, he then crossed over into steady film work.
InBaby Doll (1956), Malden's last collaboration with Kazan, he played the leading role, a man sexually frustrated by a teenaged wife. The film was condemned by theLegion of Decency and did not air long. He also played the lead inBombers B-52 (1957), but most of his film work was insupporting roles.
He co-starred in dozens of films from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, such asFear Strikes Out andTime Limit (both 1957). The latter picture was Malden's only directing credit of a film, but whenDelmer Daves was taken ill during the shooting ofThe Hanging Tree (1959), Malden assumed direction of the movie for two weeks. He also starred inPollyanna (1960),One-Eyed Jacks (1961) (working again with Brando),Birdman of Alcatraz,Gypsy,How the West Was Won (all 1962),The Cincinnati Kid (1965), andPatton (1970), in which he portrayed General Omar Bradley.
Malden's wife, Mona (the former Mildred Greenberg), graduated from Roosevelt High School inEmporia, Kansas, where she attended Kansas State Teachers College, nowEmporia State University. He first visited the campus with her in 1959 and was impressed by the ESU Summer Theatre. He returned there in the summer of 1964 to teach, working with the actors in the company. Upon leaving, he gave his honorarium to establish the Karl Malden Theater Scholarship at ESU, still awarded there today.[28]
In 1972, producerQuinn Martin gave Malden the role of Lt. Mike Stone inThe Streets of San Francisco.[30] Although the concept originated as a made-for-television movie,ABC quickly signed on to carry it as a series.Michael Douglas played Lt. Stone's young partner, Inspector Steve Keller.[31]
Malden's character Stone was a widowed cop with more than 20 years of experience, who is paired with Keller, a recently graduated officer.[32] During its first season,The Streets of San Francisco was a ratings winner among many other 1970s crime dramas. For his work as Lt. Stone, Malden was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series four times between 1974 and 1977, though he never won. After two episodes in the fifth season, Douglas left the show to act in movies; Lt. Stone's new partner was Inspector Dan Robbins, played byRichard Hatch. The show took a ratings nosedive after being rescheduled against another Quinn Martin series on CBS,Barnaby Jones, and ABC cancelled the series after five seasons and 120 episodes.
In 1980, Malden starred inSkag, an hour-long drama that focused on the life of a foreman at aPittsburgh steel mill. Malden described his character, Pete Skagska, as a simple man trying to keep his family together. The pilot episode for the series featured Skag temporarily disabled by a stroke, and it explored the effects the stroke had on Skag's family and co-workers. WhileSkag met with poor ratings, critics praised it; the series was cancelled after six episodes.
In 1981, Malden portrayedice hockey coachHerb Brooks in amade for television account of theUnited States men's national ice hockey team'smiraculous gold medal-winningrun in the1980 Winter Olympics. Malden toldSports Illustrated in December 1980 that he had never actually met Herb Brooks in preparation for his portrayal of him, but he studied him on videotape, especially his eyes. Malden said of Brooks "I'd hate to meet him in a dark alley. I think he's a little on the neurotic side. Maybe more than a little. Any moment you think he's going to jump out of his skin."[33] Malden also remarked with disapproval that Brooks could've ventured an occasional smile during one of the less intense games. Malden also wondered how, after working hard over the course of seven months, Brooks could have simply walked away towards the team dressing room after his team clinched the improbable victory against theSoviet team.[34]
In 1987, Malden was the host/narrator for the second and third television specials that later became the long-running seriesUnsolved Mysteries.
His last acting role was in 2000 in the first-season episode ofThe West Wing titled "Take This Sabbath Day" in which he portrayed a Catholic priest, using the same Bible he had used inOn the Waterfront.[35]
Malden delivered the line "Don't leave home without them!" in a series of U.S. television commercials forAmerican Expresstraveler's cheques in the 1970s and 1980s. He also advertised the American Express card, with the famous opening line, "Do you know me?" These ads were occasionally spoofed onThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.[citation needed]
From 1990 to 2009, Malden was a member of the United States Postal Service'sCitizens' Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC), which evaluates potential subjects for U.S. postage stamps and reports its recommendations to thePostmaster General.[36][37]
On December 18, 1938, Malden married Mona Greenberg (May 9, 1917 – July 13, 2019),[38][39] who survived him. Their marriage was one of the longest in Hollywood's history,[40] with their 70th wedding anniversary occurring in December 2008. In addition to his wife, Malden was survived by his daughters Mila and Carla, and his son-in-law Tom. His other son-in-law Laurence predeceased him in 2007.[41] Malden's mother lived to 103 years of age.
In 1997, Malden published his autobiography,When Do I Start?, written with his daughter Carla.[42]
Malden died at his home in Los Angeles on July 1, 2009, at the age of 97. He was reported to have been in poor health for several years.[43][44][45] He is buried at theWestwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.[46]
Malden's friend and former co-starMichael Douglas wrote a tribute to Malden forTime's "Milestones" section.[47]
Malden won the 1951 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor forA Streetcar Named Desire and was nominated in 1954 for his supporting role inOn the Waterfront. Malden was president of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1989 to 1992. In October 2003, he was named the 40th recipient of theScreen Actors' Guild's Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment.
In 1985, he was awarded anEmmy Award forOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series for his performance as Freddy Kassab inFatal Vision. The same year, he was also awarded an honorary doctoral degree in fine arts by Emporia State University.[28]
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