Oscar-winning actor Karl Malden died yesterday at the age of 97. Surely this is old news to you now. We wanted to write something, got behind and now it feels like anything that needed to be said, has already been said ad nauseum all over the web and at this point, we can’t contribute much other than white noise.
It’s no tragedy though, Malden — easily best known for his roles in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “On the Waterfront” and the 1970s detective TV show, “The Streets of San Francisco” — obviously led a long, rich life and was able to accomplish what most people can only dream of.
The thing that sticks with us the most about this great character actor was his pug-nosed face; the one the looked like it had been soaked in booze or knocked on by some surly jack nape.
A nose that only a mother could love, or rather old Hollywood, when there wasn’t such a preoccupation with every actor on screen looking entirely beautiful at all times. Malden’s bulbous face mostly reminds us of a tough looking guy who could convey vulnerability and someone who was cherished for his acting, not his looks — what a novel idea. He ways usually never front and center (aside from ‘Streets’), but he always played that super-solid supporting character making people like Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Montgomery Clift, Rod Steiger and George C. Scott look even better than they were.
Malden was also rather great in “Patton,” “The Cincinnati Kid”and “Birdman of Alcatraz” and countless others. RIP, Mr. Malden. Is this the too obvious clip to play? Absolutely. But he’s just so damn good in ‘Streetcar,’ we can’t pass it up.
