...who was always a pro. I remember him mostly from STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO for he and Michael Douglas were one of the more memorable "young cop/older cop" TV pairings--they seemed to seriously enjoy playing off each other. But his STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and ON THE WATERFRONT portrayals were excellent, as well...

Karl Malden was always one of my favorites and I truly hope he was enjoyed the long dusk of his life. Thanks Andrew for this loving tribute.

were also very beautiful. Thanks for the nice essay. I never knew about the Sekulovich references.

Was as the minister in "Pollyanna". He was brilliant in the scene with Haley Mills on the hill where they discussed religion. Such a great actor!

This has long been my favorite oater. Malden's character is the essence of Bad Guy; and Brando is so seemingly compliant at first ( Malden's character is called Dad), But when Brando develops a meanness equal to Malden's, things get interesting.

To my mind this is one of the best westerns ever. "you stand up; you big tub of guts."

Of all those who have dropped the last week or so, Malden did the work that I enjoyed best. It is not even close.

Odd thing is that, as far as his TV work goes, I always think of "Skag" first. But in my mind the film work was just so stunning -- I've been half tempted to see who beat him for Best Supporting Actor for "On the Waterfront," just because I can't believe any one could have been better in a supporting role that year. And my father was always very fond of his work as the bad guy in "One Eyed Jacks" as well.

Two Sekulovich observations:

1) Fred Gwynne played the Sekulovich character in "On the Waterfront," no doubt Gwynne's first inkling that, his term as president of the Harvard Lampoon notwithstanding, he was going to get typecast as a hulking lunkhead for the rest of his life;

2) This is well known, but I'll say it anyway: Malden's family was very offended that he used the Sekulovich name to describe a Leavenworth inmate in "The Birdman of Alcatraz."

I particularly loved the early movie roles (Baby Doll, Birdman, Waterfornt), and then of course the tv role.

One of the greats.