Farewell to Walter Matthau

Walter Matthau (whose real name was Walter Matasschanskayasky) died of a heart attack on July 1st. The Oscar-winning actor started his career in the 1940s and went on to appear in over 70 feature films. He was best known for the role of Oscar in Neil Simon's comedy The Odd Couple - he performed the role on Broadway and went on to star in the 1968 film version alongside Jack Lemmon. His partnership with Lemmon was very successful and the two appeared in many films together, including The Front Page, Buddy Buddy, and Grumpy Old Men. The actor, who suffered from health problems throughout his life, made his last appearance in Hanging Up, as the father of Diane Keaton, Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow.