"'Columbo' was a change of pace for me," says Peter Falk, seen here in his role as a "quiet man" in the television series on May 2, 1974. For much of his career he'd played characters who came on strong. Two gangster roles, in "Murder, Inc." and "A Pocketful of Miracles" won him Oscar nominations. This coming season he will make only six "Columbo" episodes instead of eight "The fewer you make the better they are," he explained. "And it gives me more time to make movies." (AP Photo/NBC)