Walter Matthau was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears. He won an Academy Award for his performance in the 1966 Billy Wilder film The Fortune Cookie. Matthau was born Walter John Matthow in New York City's Lower East Side on October 1, 1920, the son of Rose , who worked in a sweatshop, and Milton Matthow, an electrician and peddler , both Jewish immigrants. His surname has often incorrectly been listed as... Matuschanskayasky . As a young boy, Walter attended a Jewish non-profit sleepaway camp, Tranquillity Camp, where he first began acting in the shows the camp would stage on Saturday nights. He also attended Surprise Lake Camp. His high school was Seward Park High School. During World War II, Matthau served in the U.S. Army Air Forces with the Eighth Air Force in England as a B-24 Liberator radioman-gunner, in the same 453rd Bombardment Group as James Stewart.
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| Birthdate: | October 1, 1920 |
| Birthplace: | New York City, New York |
| Date of death: | July 1, 2000 |
| Height: | 6' 2" |
| Education: | Seward Park High School, Seward Park High School |
| Also known as: | Walter John Matthow, Matthau, Walter |