Born Mladen Sekulovich in March 1919, Karl Malden starred opposite Marlon Brando, Jessica Tandy and Kim Hunter in the premiere 1947 staging of Tennessee Williams' Streetcar, repeating his role on film to Oscar-winning effect. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his work in 1954's "On the Waterfront." Mr. Malden made his Broadway debut in 1937 in Clifford Odets' Golden Boy, which was produced by The Group Theatre and directed by Harold Clurman. His numerous Broadway credits also include The Egghead, The Desperate Hours, Tea and Sympathy, Desire Under the Elms, Peer Gynt, All My Sons, Truckline Cafe, The Assassin, Winged Victory, Sons and Soldiers, Counterattack, The Sun Field, Uncle Harry, Flight to the West, Journey to Jerusalem, Key Largo, The Gentle People, Missouri Legend and How to Get Tough About It.

The actor received two Emmy nominations for his work on the television series "The Streets of San Francisco," and he was nominated for Golden Globes for "San Francisco" and for his performance as Herbie in the 1962 film of "Gypsy."

In 2004 Mr. Malden received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, which is awarded to actors for both their career and humanitarian achievements. In a statement at the time, SAG president Melissa Gilbert said, "In a career spanning six decades, Karl Malden has superbly achieved the goal of every actor — to bring an extraordinarily rich range of iconic characters to the screen and stage."

His autobiography is titled "When Do I Start?: A Memoir."