Peter Falk as Columbo - 'Sorry to bother you ma'am. That will be all. Uh, ma'am...just one more thing...'

Charismatic and beloved actor Peter Falk, best-known to 70s fans as TV’s “Columbo,” has died at the age of 83. In recent years Mr. Falk had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and passed away Thursday evening in his Beverly Hills home. You can read the NY Times Obit for more.

Mr. Falk first appeared as Columbo in the 1968 TV movie “Prescription: Murder,” followed by another TV movie “Ransom For a Dead Man” in 1971. The success of these specials led NBC to launch a monthly Columbo series (as part of their NBC Mystery Movie, rotating with McCloud and McMillan & Wife) on September 15, 1971. Columbo ran regularly from 1971 to 1978.

Interesting Factoids: The first regular episode of Columbo, “Murder by the Book,” was directed by Steven Spielberg. Peter Falk also appeared in the 1970s films; Murder by Death (’76), The Cheap Detective (’78), The Brink’s Job (’78) and The In-Laws (’79).

Grab a look below at three minutes of the excellent Columbo episode ‘Try and Catch Me’ from 1977. Thank you Mr. Falk. You will be missed.

Columbo Wiki, Peter Falk IMDb