Crumpled raincoat‑wearing ‘Columbo’ remains one of the most famous TV detectives of all time; he never failed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
Just when it seemed the villain might get away with it, the cigar‑smoking super sleuth would reappear with “one nagging detail” he simply couldn’t let go.
Throughout the 1970s, the show aired on prime‑time television and continued 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 by presenting a shrewd yet scruffy blue‑collar homicide detective who routinely outwitted the wealthiest and most influential offenders.
The beloved detective, who became a global household name, earned actor Peter Falk four Emmy Awards for his portrayal.
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 the authors, the book offers an in‑depth look at the actor’s life, his place in entertainment 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
At 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 contributed to his signature squint.
Despite this, he remained 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 killer Abe Reles earned him an Academy Award nomination.
The following year, he starred alongside Bette Davis in Pocketful of Miracles, earning another nomination.
Many consider him one of the most iconic stars of his generation. Earning roughly $250,000 per episode of Columbo, Falk was also the highest‑paid actor on television at the time. But his family life was far less stable.
In 1960, he married his college sweetheart, Alyce Mayo. The couple met at Syracuse University, where both studied. Their relationship spanned 12 years before they finally wed on April 17, 1960.
Alyce, a designer, reportedly overlooked her husband’s infidelities for years, but after 16 years of marriage, she had enough.
Together, Falk and Alyce adopted two daughters, Catherine and Jackie. Jackie occasionally appeared at press events with her father before stepping away from the spotlight.
Catherine, who became a private investigator, had a rocky relationship with Falk and even filed a lawsuit when he allegedly stopped paying her college expenses. “I think most people feel I’m this money‑grubbing daughter, that I’m just going after my dad to get money,” she told Inside Edition in 2011.
According to Catherine, their relationship grew more strained after Falk married actress Shera Danese.
“My father was married to a woman who made it really difficult for him to feel free. We weren’t allowed to go to his house,” Catherine said.
The conflict between Catherine and Shera Danese only escalated.
Peter Falk’s 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 no longer remembered playing the world‑famous detective Columbo.
He had also battled retinoblastoma as a child, losing his eye at age three, and was once told by an agent 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 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 Catherine claimed she never got the chance to say goodbye. Speaking with Inside Edition, she said 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 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,” he stated.
Such a remarkable talent lost to a cruel disease. He entertained millions around the world with his brilliant portrayal of the disheveled detective.
Please share with all the Columbo fans you know.
