Karl Malden, one of Hollywood’s strongest and most versatile supporting actors, who won an Oscar playing his Broadway originated role as Mitch in “A Streetcar Named Desiree”, died today. He was 97.

Born Mladen George Sekulovich in Gary, Indiana on March 22, 1912, the actor made his New York stage debut in 1938 and first appeared in films in the 1940 melodrama “They knew What They Wanted”.

When his acting career began, Malden took his grandfather’s first name and rearranged the spelling of his own first name to make his professional last name.

Actor Karl Malden starred and best known for his role as Detective Mike Stone in the 70’s TV series “The Streets of San Francisco”, which also also starred Michael Douglas. He was nominated four times for Emmys for the show, and won a supporting-actor Emmy for his part in the miniseries adaptation of the true-crime bestseller “Fatal Vision” in 1985.

He became the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1989-1992, popularly known as, The Oscars.

He is also famous for a series of television ads for American Express card, in which he advised viewers, “Don’t leave home without it”.

He played a variety of roles in more than 50 films. Among these films are when he played the role oa a sympathetic priest in “On the Waterfront”, the resentful husband in “Baby Doll”, the warden in “Birdman of Alcatraz”, the outlaw-turned-sheriff in “One-Eyed Jacks”, the pioneer patriarch in “How the West Was Won”, Madam Rose’s suitor in “Gypsy”, the card dealerin in “The Cincinnati Kid”, and Gen. Omar Bradley in “Patton”. He also starred in “Skag”, a short-lived 1980 NBC drama series where he played a Serbian family man and union foreman at Pittsburgh steel mill.

In 2004, he received the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.

His last acting role was in 200o, according to IMDB.com, he played a priest in an episode of “The West Wing”.

Malden passed away at his home in Brentwood, California. No cause of dead was reported. Flowers will be placed on his Walk of Fame star. A memorial service is expected to be held within the next three to four weeks.