Peter Falk | 1927-2011

Peter Falk tries out a line from a new script with his then-wife, Alyce, in their Hollywood home on March 10, 1965. Behind him is the Emmy he won for his performance in “The Price of Tomatoes.”  (David F. Smith / Associated Press)

Peter Falk demonstrates a little softshoe routine for photographers as he arrives to attend the premiere of the film “Hair” and the opening of the Los Angeles International Film Exposition on March 15, 1979.  (Nick Ut / Associated Press)

In this 1987 file photo originally released by 20th Century Fox, actors Fred Savage , left, and Peter Falk are shown in a scene from “The Princess Bride.”  (20th Century Fox / AP)

In this Sept. 16, 1990, file photo, actor Peter Falk gestures as he accepts the Emmy for best actor in a drama for his role in the “Columbo” series.  (Nick Ut / Associated Press)

Peter Falk plays a seen-it-all cop dealing with a technophobic librarian, played by Jason Alexander, who threatens to blow up the library if his card catalog is replaced by a computerized filing system. Both actors worked to break out of their beloved television personas in the stage production at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Peter Falk arrives at NBC‘s 75th-anniversary celebration at New York‘s Rockefeller Center. Lt. Colombo, the actor’s iconic rumpled detective, first appeared on the network, but his later mysteries were seen on ABC.  (Ron Frehm / Associated Press)

In this file photo from 2003, actor Peter Falk wears a German police officer uniform on the TV show “Bet That” in Berlin.  (Miguel Villagran / EPA)