Peter Falk played the brilliant detective Columbo over a period of 35 years, and the “Murder, Inc.” actor also wrote one television movie for “Columbo,” which also happens to be his only writing credit. The esteemed crime drama is one of the best detective shows ever made, and the “Columbo” mystery that Falk penned ended up receiving three Golden Globe nominations in 1994.
Titled “Columbo: It’s All in the Game,” the 98-minute mystery follows Lauren Staton (Faye Dunaway) and Lisa Martin (Claudia Christian), who kill their two-timing lover and make it look like an accident. Enter Lieutenant Columbo, seeming confused as ever while harboring an attraction to Lauren, who uses this to her advantage. Although charmed, Columbo is quick to spot inconsistencies at the crime scene, deducing that Lauren is somehow involved. The rest of the story unravels in traditional “Columbo” style, with a shocking twist that also puts the good lieutenant on the spot to make a difficult moral decision.
The Golden Globe nominations were best performance by an actor in a limited series, anthology series, or a motion picture made for television (Falk); best performance by an actress in a limited series, anthology series, or a motion picture made for television (Dunaway); and best television limited series, anthology series, or motion picture made for television. Though “Columbo: It’s All in the Game” didn’t win any of these Golden Globe nominations, Faye Dunaway did win an Emmy for outstanding guest actress in a drama series for her role as Lauren.
Peter Falk earned several accolades for Columbo
“Columbo” laid its rock-solid foundations with its iconic pilot, “Murder by the Book,” directed by none other than Steven Spielberg and written by crime show legend Steven Bochco (who would go on to make “Hill Street Blues” and “NYPD Blue”). To the show’s credit, it sustained this quality (and goodwill) over 10 riveting seasons, with Peter Falk fleshing out Columbo after Spielberg changed Falk’s view of television forever. After all, Columbo never lost sight of his deeply relatable “everyman” charm, which went hand in hand with the often clever “howcatchem” formula that these episodes employed.
These ingredients were good enough to create a show that was both inventive and widely loved, earning it several awards and accolades during its 10-season run. Falk received 10 Emmy nominations for the show and its TV movies, winning four in various categories, including outstanding lead actor in a drama series. The actor also won a Golden Globe for the role, for which he also received multiple nominations.
Falk’s other prominent television roles include the series “The Trials of O’Brien” and the TV movie “The Sunshine Boys.” He also appeared in numerous guest roles on shows such as “The Dick Powell Theatre” (notably in the episode “Price of Tomatoes”), “The Twilight Zone” (in the Season 3 episode “The Mirror”), “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” and “Ben Casey.” Falk’s final television role before his death was in the TV movie “When Angels Come to Town,” a fantasy drama in which he played the whimsical angel Max.
