You can't do ninety-seven years much better than Karl Malden. Born Mladen George Sekulovich on March 22, 1912 in Gary, Indiana, Malden (he Anglicized his name for obvious reasons, but still felt guilty for it) got his start as an actor with the legendary Group Theater in the 1930s, and appeared in the some of the most influential productions of the first half of the twentieth century. Harold Clurman, Lee Strasberg, Elia Kazan and Stella Adler were his contemporaries. He played Vivien Leigh's love interest in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (after originating the role in the original 1947 Broadway production).
I think we can safely say Karl Malden made the best of his time on this planet.
Though Malden won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Mitch in STREETCAR, the greatness of his understated performance is often overshadowed by Marlon Brando's jarring, animalistic portrayal of Stanley Kowalski. And while Brando is certainly deserving of every ounce of praise he continues to receive, Malden's quiet, halting courtship of Blanche DuBois in the below scene may be my favorite thing in the movie.
And then the guy turns out to be a complete asshole.
If you're looking for a definitive Malden moment, you'll do no better than his browbeating of frightened dockworkers in ON THE WATERFRONT. Nothing understated about this:
Twenty years later, he was co-starring with Michael Douglas in THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO:
And then there was his late-career work as the voice of American Express:
If this clip is all Malden means to you, then be sure to tune into TCM's tribute on July 10th, when they'll air three of his best: A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, ON THE WATERFRONT and BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ. You should also check out BABY DOLL, ONE-EYED JACKS, THE CINCINNATI KID and PATTON.
