Peter Falk Quotations

The only mountain that I would still like to climb: I'd like to break 85.

I never understood a word John Cassavetes said. And I think he did that deliberately.

I'm just looking to get through the day.

I'm old fashioned. I really think you should know how to draw before you start painting. I use charcoal and graphite; I put a skylight in. In my house, I turned the garage into an art studio. So I'm awash in art studios.

You talk about what a director, he was smart. He said, Turn the camera on!

I've worked with some terrific actors. The list of guys that came on the 'Columbo' show, I mean they were world-class actors from all over the world - Oskar Werner, Laurence Harvey, Donald Pleasence, you know... foreigners.

If your mind is at work, we're in danger of reproducing another cliche. If we can keep our minds out of it and our thoughts out of it, maybe we'll come up with something original.

I came to Hollywood and nobody knew me. I was on a coupla TV shows.

I had two ambitions: One was to be in The Actors Studio, and the other was to walk into a bar where actors hung out, and everyone would know that I was a professional actor and I would be accepted.

I didn't become an actor until I was an old man of 28 or 29. I declared to the world that I was an actor. Nobody heard me, but I did declare it.

My father's whole life was work. He had a retail store in Ossining, New York, and I mean, he was down there at 6:15 every morning. The store didn't open until 9, but he hadda be down there. That's all he knew.

I saw a picture in the newspaper ? it was the art newspaper out of London ? of a young man on a ladder painting over the largest mural of the face of Saddam in Baghdad.

Paul never told me anything about why he wrote it -- he never mentioned his father and he never mentioned my father, ... He never put me in a position in which I would feel a lot of external pressure other than wanting my reaction to the script. That's the way I would do it. That's the way I know a real professional would do it. That's the proper to do it.

I think Morris has a fantastic zest for life. He's hit upon something, and that is this central question: 'I'm full of life now, but what do I see in the future? A slow, steady disintegration into paralysis. Do I go out while I'm on top, or do I want to hang around, inch by inch, watching myself decay and have my family watch me decay?' He approaches this subject with tremendous humor, and he's never depressing -- he's always way ahead of everybody else, and full of life. He's a fantastic character.

I've been able to play one of the richest characters in the history of television. Why would anybody think that I would be tired of hearing about it? The only thing I could say is that I feel like I'm the luckiest guy on the face of the globe,

They know there's a gap, and if they're interested in finding out more about why they aren't more connected with their parents, they should see the movie,

It wasn't that we improvised it. We were going to shoot it, but I had the props in my hand, and I wanted to understand the props before we shot, so I asked Paul 'Is this the hook?' and 'Where do you put the worm?' that's when the director just said 'Shoot these guys!' I didn't even know the camera was on, but it felt good!

It was automatic. We were always on the same wavelength even before we started shooting.

It's not proper to give someone a script and say, 'Listen, I'm going to give you a script but this means an awful lot to me because it's about my father and mother ... ' The person who reads the script -- they don't give a s--- about that, ... What does he care? What does an actor care about when he reads a script? He cares about whether he can score or not. He cares about whether or not the audience is going to identify with him or whether they're going to laugh or be compelled by the story. The reason I said yes is because I enjoyed it.

I never heard that before in my life. I loved it so much even though I was supposed to be mad at him. You see the look in my face, which is so delighted.

If people asked me whether I'm annoyed or tired or whatever adjective they use about being typecast, I look at them like they're crazy,

He sent the script over and I read it that first night, and about page 45 or 50, I called him up and said I'd do it. I didn't even finish it. You look for a part that you can score in. If I like this character and I can play it, the people are going to laugh or be interested, that's what you look for. They send me things that I wonder why they would send to anybody.

For my money, Patrick McGoohan is the quintessential Columbo adversary.

For some reason, his pool-hall education gets far more ink than his master's degree. And most important, he's part of a hardworking showbiz tradition that doesn't make films, it makes ''pictures.

Usually, I get hired because I`m tall.

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 wouldnt believe.

I did do my own stunts.

I do share with the lieutenant (Columbo) one very pronounced part of his personality - he loves to talk about his wife. You can't shut him up. I have the same problem. I can tell Shera stories till three in the morning. Shera is my wife.

I could not chop down a tree if my life depended on it.

Ill smoke anything anybody gives me, Im not particular.