Born to a Czech mother and a Serbian father in Chicago, on March 22, 1912, Karl Malden didn't learn how to communicate a single word of English until he was in kindergarten. Raised in Gary, IN, a medium-sized steel town, Malden--like many other young men in Gary--got a job in a steel factory when he finished school. He worked there for three years until 1934 when, fed up with the drudgery of manual labor, he took a Depression-era gamble and left to follow another goal. After a short time at Arkansas State Teacher's College, he attended the Goodman Theater Dramatic School and never looked back. Three years later he went to New York City to find fame. He rapidly became involved with the Group Theater, an awesome organization of actors/directors who were changing the face of Broadway. Malden's own unforgettable face was shortly in the media when he made his stage debut in 1937. His performance attracted the attention of fledgling director Elia Kazan. With Kazan directing, Karl blazed a trail across the Broadway boards in plays like "All My Sons" by Arthur Miller and "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams. He returned unscathed from duty in the armed services and then immersed himself in his work. Fortunately, his short "vacation" had not harmed his career. From the "Golden Era" of Broadway, he made a transition to the screen, starting with his first appearance in They Knew What They Wanted. Jobs came came and fast, and in 1951 he won the Oscar for his performance as Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire. He was showing himself to be a consummate performer, whether tackling roles that had to be delivered with great moral weight or those requiring none whatsoever, like that of Father Corrigan in On the Waterfront or the Southern lecher Archie Lee in Baby Doll. A later role came as Capt. Wessels, in John Ford's Cheyenne Autumn. The film, Ford's last, was shot in his beloved Monument Valley. Malden found his greatest fame, however, in the early 1970s on the small screen, as Det. Mike Stone in the hit series The Streets of San Francisco, co-starring with future movie star Michael Douglas. He came into millions of homes every week for five years. He also became the pitchman for American Express, a position he held for 21 years. The crowning glory of his career was in 1988 when he was elected President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a title he held for five years. Not one to rest on his laurels, Malden recently wrote his memoir entitled, "When Do I Start?: A Memoir."


"Skag: Pilot (#1.0)" (1980): $75,000 per 1 hour episode

Born Mladen Sekulovich, he always regretted that in order to become an actor, he had to change his name. Since he was proud of his heritage, when he starred in a movie or on TV, he insisted that a character carry his family name: In On the Waterfront (1954), Fred Gwynne's character was named "Sekulovich". 2008 marks the Maldens' 70th wedding anniversary making theirs the third longest marriage in Hollywood history surpassing the 69 years of Bob Hope and Dolores Hope (1934 until his death in 2003) and just behind Norman Lloyd and Peggy Lloyd, who were married in 1936. Art Linkletter and Lois Foerster hold the record with 73 years (1935). President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1989 to 1992 Has two daughters, Mila Malden and Carla Malden. Carla co-authored his autobiography "When Do I Start". Raised in the same city as Michael Jackson. In 2001, he received an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, from Valparaiso University. On November 12, 2005, the Los Angeles Barrington Station renamed the building, after him, in Los Angeles, California, in honor of his proud achievements. This was followed by a passage of a bill founded by U.S. Congressman, Henry Waxman. After he graduated from high school at the top of his class, he briefly left Gary, Indiana, to move to Arkansas, where he'd hoped to get a college athletics scholarship. The college turned him down due to his refusal to play football, other than basketball, hence, he returned to his hometown of Gary, Indiana. As a teenager, he joined the Karageorge Choir. On December 12, 2008, just six days before his 70th wedding anniversary, Malden was inducted into the Wall of Legends, at St. Sava Church in San Gabriel, California, where Milan Opacich paid tribute to a wonderful man who was a great benefactor of a Serbian Ortodox church. He quit working in the steel mills at 22 to study acting at the Goodman Theatre because he wasn't getting anywhere in the mills. He had not saved enough money to pay for one semester of schooling at the Goodman Theatre, the dramatic arm of the Chicago Art Institute, despite his working in the steel mills for a few years. He made a deal with the director of the program, hence, he gambled what little money he had agreeing that if he impressed the staff during his first semester, he would be given a full scholarship. The most controversial film he starred in was Baby Doll (1956), which he played a dullard husband whose child bride is exploited by a businessman. The film was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency for what was termed its "carnal suggestiveness." It was written by Tennessee Williams. Was a spokesperson for American Express Traveler's Checks, from 1968 to 1989. At the urging of Elia Kazan, he change his name from Mladen Sekulovich to Karl Malden, taking his maternal grandfather's given name for his first name, and switching a couple of letters of his own first name for his last name. Malden remained a strong friend of Kazan's after the famed director was chastised by the Hollywood community for naming names before the House of Un-American Activities Committee in 1952. He strongly supported Kazan's controversial "lifetime achievement" Oscar honor, claiming that politics should have no place when it comes to awarding artistic merit. In high school he played basketball and was president of his class. He broke his nose twice playing sports as a teenager. Started acting when he was only 15. Served as a noncommissioned officer in the 8th Air Force. Graduated from Chicago Art Institute in 1937, and came back to Gary, Indiana, without work or money. His wife graduated from Roosevelt High School in Emporia, Kansas, where she attended Kansas State Teachers College (now Emporia St. University). He and Mona visited the campus in 1959, and was impressed by the ESU Summer Theatre. He returned in the summer of 1964, to teach, working with the actors in the company. Prior to leaving, he gave his honorarium to established the Karl Malden Scholarship, which is still given today. Best remembered on TV for his starring role as Lt. Mike Stone on "The Streets of San Francisco" (1972). Remained good friends with Michael Douglas, during and after "The Streets of San Francisco" (1972).