Karl Malden Dies at 97

Academy Award winner Karl Malden has passed away.   The veteran actor was 97.   Malden died of natural causes in his home in Brentwood surrounded by his family.

Born Mladen George Sekulovich in Chicago, IL and raised in Gary, IN, Malden began his acting career at the Goodman Theater Dramatic School.   He made his feature film debut in 1940 in ‘They Knew What They Wanted,’ which starred Charles Laughton and Carole Lombard.

11 years and 8 films later, Malden received his first Oscar nomination for his turn as Harold ‘Mitch’ Mitchell in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire.’   Malden won the Oscar for that film for Best Supporting Actor.   He would receive a second nomination three years later for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ‘On the Waterfront.’

In 1971, Malden would accept the Academy Award for Best Director on behalf of Franklin J. Schaffner who won the award for ‘Patton.’   Malden was featured in ‘Patton’ as General Omar N. Bradley.

Malden went on to receive nominations three times for a Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture Actor in a Drama for 1956’s ‘Baby Doll,’ Best Motion Picture Actor in a Musical or Comedy for 1962’s ‘Gypsy,’ and Best TV Actor in a Drama for “The Streets of San Francisco.”   Along with that nominations, Karl Malden also received four consecutive Emmy nominations for his role in “The Streets of San Francisco.”   The Emmy would finally come to him in 1985 for his role in the made-for-TV drama ‘Fatal Vision.’

In 2004, Malden received the Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actor’s Guild.   Malden’s Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame can be found at 6231 Hollywood Blvd.

Karl Malden, in 1938, married Mona Greenberg.   The two were married up until the time of his death, making their marriage one of the longest in Hollywood history.   The Maldens have two daughters, Mila and Carla.   Karl and Carla co-wrote his autobiography, When Do I Start?, published in 1997.