Karl Malden and The Post Office

Actor Karl Malden has died of natural causes at his home in California. He was 97.

Malden was born Mladen Sekulovich in Chicago on March 22, 1912 and won a supporting actor Oscar in 1951 for his role in the film "A Streetcar Named Desire" — a role he also played on Broadway.

Besides being an Oscar winning actor, Malden was also a well-known stamp collector and served on the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) which reviews and recommends subjects for U.S. postage stamps.

Malden helped create the "Legends of Hollywood" stamp series that featured a number of his friends and fellow actors as well as the 2003 miniature sheet,American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes, celebrating Hollywood's directors, producers and other studio workers.

According to the Associated Press, "In 2005, the U.S. Postal Service honored Malden by naming the post office in Brentwood [CA] to honor his achievement in film and his contributions to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee."

On hand to honor him at the event were family members, and lifetime friend Kirk Douglas. Kirk’s son, Michael, could not attend, but sent a letter teasing his former Streets of San Francisco co-star with the line, “Karl — a stamp of your own wasn’t enough? You had to have an entire Post Office?”

At the ceremony, Postmaster General Jack Potter spoke glowingly of Malden’s work on behalf of the Postal Service and said, “The Postal Service has had no better friend." Malden also made a number of USPS public service announcements during his time on the CSAC.

Shown above, Malden (on right) and Postmaster General Potter at the Karl Malden Post Office dedication ceremony in 2005.

For more on Karl Malden, click here.