Peter Falk, TV's Columbo, Dies At 83: The Fresh Air Remembrance Peter Falk, who was known for his portrayal of the disheveled and seemingly inept homicide detective Lt. Columbo, died on Thursday at age 83. Fresh Air remembers the actor with excerpts from a 1995 interview.

'Just One More Thing' About Falk, TV's 'Columbo'

'Just One More Thing' About Peter Falk, TV's 'Columbo'

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Peter Falk, who was known to TV viewers around the world for his portrayal of the disheveled and seemingly inept homicide detective Lt. Columbo, died on Thursday. He was 83.

Falk joined Fresh Air's Terry Gross in 1995 for a discussion about his acting career and about what it was like to grow up with a glass eye.

"I was very comfortable with it," he said. "And I realized you could get a laugh with it. ... You could always get people's attention if you took a spoon and tapped it."

Falk won three Emmys for his work on Columbo. He was also nominated for two Oscars and appeared in stage productions by Paddy Chayefsky, Neil Simon and Arthur Miller. His film credits include Murder By Death, The In-Laws and The Princess Bride.