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Karl Malden (born on March 22 , 1912 ) is an Oscar -winning American Actor , known for his bulbous nose and expansive manner who starred in such films as '' A Streetcar Named Desire '' and '' On The Waterfront '', with the late Marlon Brando . He also starred in another blockbuster movie, '' Patton '', before his best-known role, playing Lt. Mike Stone on the popular 1970 s Crime Drama , '' The Streets Of San Francisco ''. He also played Archie Lee Meighan in '' Baby Doll '' and as Zebulon Prescott in '' How The West Was Won '' both starring Carroll Baker . EARLY LIFE Malden was born as Mladen Sekulovich in Gary , Indiana , to a Bosnian Serb father, Petar Sekulovich, who left San Francisco , California in 1910 , to move to Eastern Indiana , where he worked as a factory worker in the steel mills, and Minnie Sevarian, a Czech mother, who was a Seamstress . The Sekulovich family roots trace back to the city of Bileća in Herzegovina . He also grew up with his 2 younger brothers in Eastern Europe and in Mexico . As a youth, he joined the Carol George Choir. In high school, he was a popular student, and the star of the school's basketball team. He participated in the Drama Department, and was even elected Class President. But his father didn't attend both his plays nor his basketball games, at all. After his graduation from Emerson High School in 1931 , with high grades. He wanted to leave his native Gary , Indiana , to move someplace else, like Arkansas , where he would get a sports scholarship at a college. But during the depression, upon his arrival in Arkansas, the college rejected him; and he had no choice other than to go back to his hometown. From 1931 until 1934, he would work as a factory worker in the steel mills, just like his father did. STAGE WORK AND EDUCATION Late in 1934 , when he arrived in Chicago , Illinois , he heard of the play ''Juno of the Payback'' as he jumped the chance to join his first stage production play. That decision proved to be the best moved for Malden after he decided to leave his native, Gary , Indiana , once and for all. When he moved there, he had barely enough money in his pocket which had held him up just to attend the Kenneth Sawyer Goldman Memorial Theatre. He worshipped and loved the school that he would put out a series of plays he acted in. Feeling like the oldest student that he was, he came from a working-class family. He graduated from college in 1937 , but soon after, despite of low money he had in his pocket, once again, Malden had no choice other than to head back to Gary , Indiana , again. FILM CAREER BEFORE AND AFTER WORLD WAR II His miserable life at his hometown would come to an end as he traveled to New York City , and was finding some more appropriate plays for the city. He first appeared as an actor on Broadway in 1937 , then did some Radio work, before becoming a Movie Character Actor in 1940 , where his first film was '' They Knew What They Wanted '' (1940). He also attended the Group Theatre where he began acting in many plays and was introduced by a young Elia Kazan , who would soon work with him on ('' A Streetcar Named Desire '' (1951) and '' On The Waterfront '' (1954)). His acting career was interrupted by World War II and Malden served as a Noncommissioned Officer the US 8th Air Force . While in the War, he was offered a small and important role in '' Winged Victory '' (1944). After the war in 1945 , he resumed his acting career, receiving yet another small role in the play, ''Truckline Cafe'', with a young, unfamiliar actor, Marlon Brando . Jobs were getting harder to find for him as he was in his mid-30s and was about to give up. He received a co-starring role in the play, ''All My Sons'' with the help of director, Elia Kazan . With that success, he would then transfer into movies. IMMENSELY-POPULAR FILM CAREER OF THE 1950S THROUGH THE 1970S Malden has resumed his film acting career in the 1950 s, starting with '' The Gunfighter '' (1950), which followed by '' Halls Of Montezuma '' (1950). The following year, he starred in '' A Streetcar Named Desire '' (1951), where he played a card-playing friend of Stanley's, '' On The Waterfront '' (1954), where he played a priest who must testify their mob bosses. In '' Baby Doll '' (1956), he played a powerhungry sexual man who had been interfered by a teenaged wife. When that movie was in theaters, the Catholic Churches thought it was a sin; as Malden would be the star of his own family, in real-life. Before and after he arrived in Hollywood , he starred in dozens of films of the late 1950 s to the early 1970 s, such as, '' Fear Strikes Out '' (1957), '' Pollyanna '' (1960), '' Birdman Of Alcatraz '' (1962), '' How The West Was Won '' (1962), '' The Cincinnati Kid '' (1965), and '' Patton '' (1970) (playing Gen Omar Bradley ). On this film, he played an officer who had an injured brother, in real-life, which proved to be the blockbuster movie of 1970 , after all the movies he starred in ('' A Streetcar Named Desire '' and '' On The Waterfront ''). After his last film, '' Summertime Killer '' (1972), movies were getting harder to find, however, he also starred in the television movie ''The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro'' (1989) (as wheelchair-bound senior citizen Leon Klinghoffer ). TELEVISION WORK ''The Streets of San Francisco'' After years of starring in films and in stage work, he gained greater fame in 1972 that Malden would be interested in doing a 2-hour movie called '' The Streets Of San Francisco '', after being approached by popular producer Quinn Martin . Though the movie didn't feature a pilot episode, ABC quickly signed the network to do a full season; on which it did. In order for Malden to star in his own show, he was searching for a co-star. Since the early 1930 s, the famed actor attended New York Summer Stock with a then unfamiliar and young actor ( Kirk Douglas ) who at the time was only 15 and Malden was 20, and four decades later, after the seasoned actor became friends of the family, Martin hired an unfamiliar actor, Michael Douglas , to play Lt. Stone's partner, Inspector Steve Keller, and the show took off from there, and Martin realized that Michael was actually more than his father's son ( Kirk Douglas ), but also a friend, as well. On ''Streets'', Malden played Lt. Mike Stone, a veteran widowed California cop whose more than 20 years of experience in the San Francisco Police Department is being shared with a young officer who graduated from college. During its first season, it was a ratings winner among many other 1970 s Crime Drama s, and the chemistry of both Malden & Douglas were clicking together. In fact, while ''Streets'' was on the air, both in real-life and on the show, Malden was beginning to become a second-father to co-star ( Michael Douglas ); as they were actually the best of friends. In 2004 , co-star ( Michael Douglas ) wanted to congratulate his longtime mentor and friend of more than 30 years for Malden's performance, and at the same time, he also presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to his co-star at the 2003 Screen Actors Guild Awards , for Malden's six decades of his own acting. On many episodes, both Malden & Douglas would perform a lot of car chasing scenes and a lot of detective work; as well. The series also moved its production from Los Angeles to San Francisco . At one time, Malden wanted to bring his father, Petar Sekulovich, to San Francisco , California , to guest-star on one episode of ''Streets'', but he refused because the father's son was meant to go there, and just because he was a Sekulovich. For his work as Lt. Stone, Malden was nominated for Emmys twice between 1976 and 1977, for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series; but he only won one Emmy in 1976. That same year, his co-star ( Michael Douglas ) left the show professionally, not only to become a successful movie actor, therefore following his father's Kirk Douglas 's and Karl Malden 's footsteps, in-between; but to also produce the movie, '' One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest ''. Douglas was replaced by character actor Richard Hatch , for the series' fifth and final season; and the show took a nosedive in the ratings as the storyline involved on Inspector Keller's job as a teacher; while his boss was still at work with a new partner. ABC decided to cancel '' The Streets Of San Francisco '' series after a run of 5 seasons, but Malden enjoyed playing an enduring cop and will always be best remembered for this role. AMERICAN EXPRESS He famously delivered the line "Don't leave home without it!" in a series of US television commercials for American Express in the 1970s and 1980s. AWARDS Karl Malden won the 1951 Academy Award For Best Supporting Actor for ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' and was nominated in 1954 for his supporting tole in ''On the Waterfront''. Karl Malden is a past president of the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences . In October of 2003, Malden was named the 40th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild 's Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Karl Malden inspired the newsgroup Alt.fan.karl-malden.nose .
PRIVATE LIFE In 1976 , his father, Petar Sekulovich had died of old age. To honor the memory of his father, Malden had a big role in ''Twilight Time'', six years later. It was a private film that was watched by a few people. Malden has been married to Mona Graham since December 18 , 1938 . Their marriage is the second longest in Hollywood history. Bob Hope 's sixty-nine year marriage to Dolores Reade, which lasted from February 19 , 1934 until his death on July 27 , 2003 , is the longest. FILMOGRAPHY
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