Columbo (character)
| Columbo | |
|---|---|
| Columbo character | |
Peter Falk as Columbo c. 1973
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| First appearance | "Enough Rope" (1960) |
| Last appearance | "Columbo Likes the Nightlife" (2003) |
| Created by |
Richard Levinson William Link |
| Portrayed by |
Bert Freed (1960) Thomas Mitchell (1962) Peter Falk (1968–2003) |
| Catchphrases |
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| Information | |
| Occupation | Lieutenant (police) |
| Spouse(s) | Mrs. Columbo (unseen character) |
| Nationality | American |
Columbo or Lieutenant Columbo is the eponymous main character in the successful detective crime drama series Columbo. He is portrayed primarily by Peter Falk, who appeared in the role from 1968 through 2003. Columbo's first name has never officially been identified, although the name "Frank Columbo" has been visible on pieces of identification throughout the show's history.
The character of Columbo was created by William Link, who said that Columbo was partially inspired by the Crime and Punishment character Porfiry Petrovich as well as G. K. Chesterton's humble cleric-detective Father Brown. Other sources claim Columbo's character is also influenced by Inspector Fichet from the French suspense-thriller film Les Diaboliques (1955).
"You know, sir, it's a funny thing. All my life I kept running into smart people. I don't just mean smart like you and the people in this house. You know what I mean. In school, there were lots of smarter kids. And when I first joined the force, sir, they had some very clever people there. And I could tell right away that it wasn't gonna be easy making detective as long as they were around. But I figured, if I worked harder than they did, put in more time, read the books, kept my eyes open, maybe I could make it happen. And I did. And I really love my work, sir."
—Lieutenant Columbo in Columbo (season 6) episode 3 "The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case"
Over the years, the chatty Columbo would let slip many details about his personal life in conversations with suspects. However, in the episode "Dead Weight", Columbo more-or-less admits that he will sometimes make up certain details about his life, even fabricating fictional relatives, in order to establish a better rapport with a suspect. As a result, some of the following biographical details may be exaggerated or otherwise inaccurate, particularly those concerning his family life.
Columbo's boyhood hero was Joe DiMaggio, and he liked gangster pictures. Columbo broke street lamps and played too much pinball (he expressed a wish to have a pinball machine at home). The trick of putting a potato in a car exhaust—which purportedly prevents the car from starting without causing permanent damage—served well on one of his cases. He jokes that he became a cop in part to make up for these juvenile pranks.
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Wikipedia