Karl Malden (22 March 1912 - 1 July 2009)

Karl Malden (born Mladen Sekulovich) died Wednesday at the age of 97. Married to the same woman for 70 years (a rarity in Hollywood or anywhere these days) Malden was a gentleman and a fine actor. In the 50s he turned in two performances for Elia Kazan that permanently etched themselves in my movie memory—Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire and Father Barry in On the Waterfront. Keep in mind he was playing opposite names like Brando and Leigh—performances that defined American movie acting for decades—but he more than held his own. Here's Malden in the famous "Christ on the waterfront" scene from Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront—#8 on AFI's list of the top 100 American films. Enjoy.