Karl Malden, the Academy Award-winning actor whose intelligent characterizations on stage andscreen made him a star despite his plain looks, died Wednesday, his family said. He was 97.
Malden died of natural causes surrounded by his family at his Brentwood home, they told theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. He served as the academy's president from 1989-92.
While he tackled a variety of characters over the years, he was often seen in working-classgarb or military uniform. His authenticity in grittier roles came naturally: He was the son of aCzech mother and a Serbian father, and worked for a time in the steel mills of Gary, Ind., afterdropping out of college.
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Malden said he got his celebrated bulbous nose when he broke it a couple of timesplaying basketball or football, joking that he was "the only actor in Hollywood whose nosequalifies him for handicapped parking."
Malden won a supporting actor Oscar in 1951 for his role as Blanche DuBois' naive suitorMitch in "A Streetcar Named Desire" - a role he also played on Broadway.
He was nominated again as best supporting actor in 1954 for his performance as FatherCorrigan, a fearless, friend-of-the-workingman priest in "On the Waterfront." In both movies, hecostarred with Marlon Brando.
Among Malden's more than 50 film credits were: "Patton," in which he played Gen. OmarBradley, "Pollyanna," "Fear Strikes Out," "The Sting II," "Bombers B-52," "Cheyenne Autumn," and"All Fall Down."
One of his most controversial films was "Baby Doll" in 1956, in which he played a dullardhusband whose child bride is exploited by a businessman. It was condemned by the Catholic Legion ofDecency for what was termed its "carnal suggestiveness." The story was by "Streetcar" authorTennessee Williams.
Malden gained perhaps his greatest fame as Lt. Mike Stone in the 1970s television show "TheStreets of San Francisco," in which Michael Douglas played the veteran detective's junior partner.
During the same period, Malden gained a lucrative 21-year sideline and a place in pop culturewith his "Don't leave home without them" ads for American Express.
"The Streets of San Francisco" earned him five Emmy nominations. He won one for his role as amurder victim's father out to bring his former son-in-law to justice in the 1985 miniseries "FatalVision."
Malden played Barbra Streisand's stepfather in the 1987 film "Nuts;" Adm. Elmo Zumwalt Jr. inthe 1988 TV film "My Father, My Son;" and Leon Klinghoffer, the cruise ship passenger murdered byterrorists in 1985, in the 1989 TV film "The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro."
He acted sparingly in recent years, appearing in 2000 in a small role on TV's "The WestWing."
In 2004, Malden received the Screen Actors Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award, telling thegroup in his acceptance speech that "this is the peak for me."
Malden first gained prominence on Broadway in the late 1930s, making his debut in "GoldenBoy" by Clifford Odets. It was during this time that he met Elia Kazan, who later was to direct himin "Streetcar" and "Waterfront."
He steadily gained more prominent roles, with time out for service in the Army in World WarII (and a role in an Army show, "Winged Victory.")
"A Streetcar Named Desire" opened on Broadway in 1947 and went on to win the Pulitzer Prizeand New York Drama Critics Circle awards. Brando's breakthrough performance might have gotten mostof the attention, but Malden did not want for praise. Once critic called him "one of the ablestyoung actors extant."
Among his other stage appearances were "Key Largo," "Winged Victory," Arthur Miller's "All MySons," "The Desperate Hours," and "The Egghead."
Malden was known for his meticulous preparation, studying a script carefully long before hestepped into his role.
"I not only figure out my own interpretation of the role, but try to guess other approachesthat the director might like. I prepare them, too," he said in a 1962 Associated Press interview."That way, I can switch in the middle of a scene with no sweat."
"There's no such thing as an easy job, not if you do it right," he added.
He was born Mladen Sekulovich in Chicago on March 22, 1912. Malden regretted that in order tobecome an actor he had to change his name. He insisted that Fred Gwynne's character in "On theWaterfront" be named Sekulovich to honor his heritage.
The family moved to Gary, Ind., when he was small. He quit his steel job 1934 to study actingat Chicago's Goodman Theatre "because I wasn't getting anywhere in the mills," he recalled.
"When I told my father, he said, `Are you crazy? You want to give up a good job in the middleof the Depression?' Thank god for my mother. She said to give it a try."
In 2005, the U.S. Postal Service honored Malden by putting his name on a post office in LosAngeles to honor his achievement in film and his contributions to the Citizens' Stamp AdvisoryCommittee, which meets to discuss ideas for stamp designs.
Malden and his wife, Mona, a fellow acting student at the Goodman, had one of Hollywood'slongest marriages, having celebrated their 70th anniversary in December.
Besides his wife, Malden is survived by daughters Mila and Cara, his sons-in-law, threegranddaughters, and four great grandchildren.
