The celebrity deaths keep on happening, which makes me hope that Death takes a holiday at least over the 4th of July weekend. Yesterday we lost actor and baritone singer Harve Presnell, who is best remembered nowadays for playing William H. Macy’s father-in-law in Fargo, and now today we say goodbye to Karl Malden, who won a supporting actor Oscar for A Streetcar Named Desire, which was one of his four collaborations with director Elia Kazan. He was also Oscar-nominated for his performance in Kazan’s On the Waterfront.

Other memorable film appearances include roles in Gypsy, Patton, How the West Was Won, Birdman of Alcatraz, I Confess, Pollyanna and One-Eyed Jacks, directed by his occasional costar Marlon Brando. He also starred on TV’s The Streets of San Francisco. My favorite of his movies is Baby Doll because his character was one of the first I’d encountered where I wasn’t sure if I should like him or hate him. Ultimately I sympathized with him over his rival in the film, played by Eli Wallach, simply because I grew up loving Malden and his big bulbous nose. Plus, between Waterfront and Pollyanna, as a kid I always associated Malden with good, religious roles. Even though he hadn’t worked in years, his passing today marks quite a significant loss for both cinema and television.

Check out other film blogs’ tributes to the great actor after the jump:
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