Walter Matthau — actor with roots in the Russian Empire
Walter Matthau was an American actor who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Fortune Cookie (1966) and became one of Hollywood's most beloved stars through The Odd Couple, The Bad News Bears, and his legendary partnership with Jack Lemmon.
Tracing the roots — Lithuania
Born Walter John Matuschanskayasky in New York in 1920 to Milton Matuschanskayasky from Kyiv (Russian Empire, now Ukraine) and Rosie Berolsky from Lithuania (Russian Empire), Matthau grew up in poverty on the Lower East Side. His name, he joked, was shortened because it didn't fit on a cinema marquee. The gruff warmth of his screen persona was entirely the product of that immigrant world.
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Lithuania. At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.