Memories of My Father PETER FALK

TO A GENERATION OF TELEVISION VIEWERS HE WAS LIEUT. COLUMBO, BUT TO CATHERINE FALK HE WAS DAD

Columbo star Peter Falk liked to take his daughters to the park to watch people pass by. “The greatest lesson I learned from my father was how to size people up. He had a true gift for that,” Catherine Falk tells Closer. “He taught me how to analyze people’s gestures, body language and physical movements.”

The Emmy-winning actor, who played America’s favorite police detective on TV for more than three decades, shared a lot of personality traits with Lieut. Columbo. That’s no surprise because Peter played a big part in creating the rumpled yet uniquely perceptive sleuth. “My mom always told me my dad was Columbo long before Columbo found my dad,” says Catherine, with a chuckle. “He’d ask the same question like 20 different ways until he got the answer that he wanted. He was always curious about things.”