karl malden (22 march 1912 – 1 july 2009) was an american actor. he worked in acting from the 1930s to 2000. he won the academy award for best supporting actor for his role in "a streetcar named desire". he was also in other classic movies, such as "on the waterfront", "one-eyed jacks" and "patton". he is perhaps best known for his role on television in the series "the streets of san francisco" during the 1970s.