Every actor looks all his life for a part that will combine his talents with his personality... 'The Odd Couple' was mine. That was the plutonium I needed. It all started happening after that.

His surname has often incorrectly been listed as Matuschanskayasky (see below for a detailed discussion). Wall. S.

Walter Matthau (October 1 1920 – July 1 2000) was an American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears.