The late, great Walter Matthau (born today in 1920) doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves – a consummate character actor, he was also a charismatic leading man and a stage actor who always knew how to underplay a part. Best known for The Odd Couple, he actually won Best Supporting Actor in 1966 for another of his many pairings with Jack Lemmon, The Fortune Cookie, a film directed by no less than Billy Wilder! And he won over such geniuses as James Mason, George Segal, and Robert Shaw! (It helps that the role is really a leading one. Category fraud, it works!)

He got two other nominations, for Kotch and The Sunshine Boys, both as a leading actor. If you haven’t seen much of his work, watch it all!

This article is part of a special year-long series of anecdotes, reflections and thoughts about the Academy Awards.