Peter Falk died Thursday night, June 23, 2011, at the age of 83. While best-known as disheveled 1970s detective Columbo (which had later spin-offs), fans of fantasy and SF remember him as the grandfather/narrator in The Princess Bride, and as the crazy missionary in the 2002 tv adaptation of The Lost World.
Just one more thing: he was also in the highly regarded Wim Wenders fantasy flick Wings of Desire. I have the Criterion Collection Blu-Ray, and just jumped up a few spaces in my review queue.
I didn’t know that one. I look forward to the review.
We might also note the bizarre and frequently funny Murder by Death, a mystery/horror spoof. Playing opposite the likes of Alec Guiness and Peter Sellers, Falk more than holds his own. (also features Elsa “the Bride of Frankenstein” Lanchester and author Truman Capote, among others).