Karl Malden, 1912-2009

Karl Malden ministering to Eva Marie-Saint in On the Waterfront.

The death has been announced of actor Karl Malden. Malden won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in the 1951 movie A Streetcar Named Desire, and was nominated a second time three years later for his role as the priest who ministers to the downtrodden dockworkers in On the Waterfront. Malden was 97.

Malden was born with the name Mladen Sekulovich, and with a name like that, it's easy to understand why his name was changed for Hollywood. However, Malden was extremely proud of his Serbian heritage, and tried to get the name "Sekulovich" inserted into the movies he made if at all possible. For example, in On the Waterfront, when the heads of the union local are called to testify before the grand jury, one of the delegates is named Sekulovich.

Malden's career was surprisingly varied; for example, he can be seen tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM ET in the Disney movie Pollyanna. He also appeared in the musical Gypsy; dramas like The Birdman of Alcatraz, and military movies like Patton.

As of this writing, I haven't come across a TCM schedule change announcement, although I'd expect one to come.