The crumpled raincoat-wearing ‘Columbo’ remains one of the most famous TV detectives of all time; he never failed to keep us on the edge of our seats.
Just when it seemed the culprit might get away, the cigar-smoking sleuth would return with just “one nagging detail” he couldn’t ignore.
Throughout the 1970s, the show aired in prime time and later continued with less frequent episodes from the late ’80s through 2003.
For years, TV detectives were portrayed as polished and superior to the criminals they chased, but Columbo flipped that idea—portraying a shrewd yet scruffy blue-collar homicide detective who outsmarted the wealthy and powerful.
The beloved character, who became a household name worldwide, earned actor Peter Falk four Emmy Awards for his performance.
But behind the success and fame, there was another side to Peter Falk—at least according to authors Richard Lertzman and William Birnes, who wrote the biography Beyond Columbo.
According to them, the book offers an in-depth look at the actor’s life, his place in history, and his journey as an artist.
“He drank and smoked incessantly, loved boozing with his friends, and was an inveterate womanizer. He was a negligent husband and an absentee father.”
Marriage
When he was just three years old, Falk had his right eye surgically removed due to retinoblastoma and wore a prosthetic eye for most of his life. The artificial eye also contributed to his signature squint.
Despite this, he was active in team sports as a boy, especially baseball and basketball.
In a 1997 interview with Cigar Aficionado, Falk recalled a memorable high school moment: “I remember once in high school the umpire called me out at third base when I was sure I was safe. I got so mad I took out my glass eye, handed it to him and said, ‘Try this.’ I got such a laugh you wouldn’t believe.”
Falk got his big break in 1960 with Murder, Inc., an American gangster film in which his role as the ruthless killer Abe Reles earned him an Academy Award nomination.
The following year, he starred alongside Bette Davis in Pocketful of Miracles, earning another Academy Award nomination.
Many consider him one of the most iconic actors of his generation. With a salary of around $250,000 per episode of Columbo, Falk was also among the highest-paid TV actors of his time.
But his family life was less successful.
In 1960, he married his college sweetheart, Alyce Mayo. The couple met at Syracuse University, where they both studied, but it took years before they tied the knot—dating for 12 years before marrying on April 17, 1960.
Alyce Mayo, a designer, reportedly overlooked her husband’s infidelities, but after 16 years, she decided to leave.
Together, Falk and Alyce adopted two daughters, Catherine and Jackie. Jackie occasionally appeared with her father at press events before stepping away from the spotlight.
Catherine, who became a private investigator, had a complicated relationship with Falk and even filed a lawsuit when he reportedly stopped paying her college expenses.
“I think that most people feel that I am this money-grubbing daughter, that I’m just going after my dad to get money,” Catherine told Inside Edition in 2011.
According to her, their relationship became more strained after Falk married actress Shera Danese.
“My father was married to a woman that made it really difficult for my father to feel free. We weren’t allowed to go to his house,” Catherine said.
The conflict between Catherine and Shera Danese later intensified.
Peter Falk cause of death
Sadly, the New York-born actor with the trademark squint passed away in June 2011 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. His death was primarily caused by pneumonia, with complications from Alzheimer’s.
According to his doctor, Stephen Read, Falk’s dementia worsened after hip surgery in 2008, and he eventually no longer remembered playing the world-famous detective ‘Columbo.’
Falk had also battled retinoblastoma as a child, losing his eye at age three and wearing a prosthetic afterward. Early in his career, one agent even told him not to expect much acting work because of it.
Peter Falk died peacefully at his Beverly Hills home at the age of 83. Tributes poured in, with legendary director Steven Spielberg saying, “I learned more about acting from him at that early stage of my career than I had from anyone else.”
His daughters said they would remember his “wisdom and humor”—but according to Catherine, she never got the chance to say goodbye. Speaking with Inside Edition, she claimed she was kept away from her father during his final years and didn’t learn of his passing until hours later.
She accused his wife of several things, but Shera responded through her attorney, Troy Martin.
“Peter’s final resting place is only about Peter, not Catherine, his estranged adopted daughter,” he said.
Such a remarkable talent lost to a cruel disease. He entertained millions around the world with his brilliant portrayal of the unconventional detective.
Please share with all the ‘Columbo’ fans you know.
