Crumpled raincoat‑wearing Columbo is one of the most famous TV detectives of our time; he never failed to keep us on the edge of our seats.
Just when you thought the bad guy might get away with it, the cigar‑smoking super sleuth would appear with just “one nagging detail” he couldn’t let go.
Throughout the ’70s, the show aired in prime time and then appeared less frequently from the late ’80s through 2003.
For years, TV detectives were typically portrayed as polished and superior to the criminals they pursued — but Columbo flipped that stereotype on its head. He was a shrewd but scruffy blue‑collar homicide detective who consistently outwitted the wealthiest and most influential criminals.
The beloved detective, who became a household name around the world, earned actor Peter Falk four Emmy Awards for his work on the show.
But behind all 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 the authors, the book offers an in‑depth look at the actor’s life, his place in history, and his artistic journey.
“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 he 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 secured his big break in 1960 with Murder, Inc., an American gangster film in which his performance as vicious killer Abe Reles earned him an Academy Award nomination.
The following year, he starred alongside Bette Davis in Pocketful of Miracles, earning another Oscar nomination.
Many consider him one of the most iconic stars of his generation. With a salary of roughly $250,000 per episode of Columbo, Falk was also the highest‑paid actor on television at the time. But his family life wasn’t as successful.
In 1960, the actor married his college sweetheart, Alyce Mayo. The couple met at Syracuse University, where both studied. They dated for 12 years before finally marrying on April 17, 1960.
Alyce, a designer, reportedly turned a blind eye to her husband’s infidelities, but after 16 years, she had enough.
Together, Falk and Alyce adopted two daughters, Catherine and Jackie. Jackie occasionally appeared at press events with her father but later stepped out of the spotlight.
Catherine, who became a private investigator, had a rocky relationship with Peter and even filed a lawsuit against him when he reportedly stopped paying her college expenses. “I think 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 Catherine, things became more strained when Falk married his new wife, 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.
And the conflict between Catherine and Shera Danese would soon escalate.
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 and apparent Alzheimer’s worsened after hip surgery in 2008, and he no longer remembered playing the world‑famous detective Columbo.
The actor had also battled retinoblastoma — a rare cancer — at age three, losing his eye and wearing a prosthetic thereafter. One agent even told him not to expect much acting work because of it.
Peter Falk died peacefully at his Beverly Hills home at age 83. Tributes poured in, including one from the legendary Steven Spielberg, who said: “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. She told Inside Edition she was kept away from her father during his final years and didn’t learn of his passing until hours later.
She accused Shera of many things — but Shera responded through her attorney, Troy Martin:
“Peter’s final resting place is only about Peter, not Catherine, his estranged adopted daughter.”
Such a talent lost to such a cruel disease. He entertained millions around the world with his brilliant portrayal of the haphazard detective.
Please share with all the Columbo fans you know.
