Peter Falk and his first wife adopted children before divorcing, but his second wife, Shera, hated them. Shera didn't want them in their house, and when Peter got dementia, she stopped his daughter, Catherine, from contacting him, making her realize she might never see him again.
According to Daily Mail, Peter Falk was married twice in his life. His first marriage occurred in 1960 when he tied the knot with Alyce Mayo, a fellow student at Syracuse University.
During their marriage, the couple couldn't have biological children of their own, so they decided to adopt. Peter and Mayo adopted two children, daughters before things fell apart in their marriage.
Peter Falk and Alyce Mayo at a party in Los Angeles, California, circa 1972 | Source: Getty Images
In 1976, the couple's marriage concluded in divorce. Speaking to Fox News in 2017, Catherine Falk, one of Peter's adopted daughters, revealed upon his death that to them, he "wasn't 'Columbo,'" adding:
"He wasn't in character. He was the character."
Peter Falk and his daughter Catherine Falk on the set of "Columbo" on December 16, 1975, in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images
While recalling his laugh, she described him as "genuinely" "bumbling, goofy, absent-minded." Catherine revealed how her late father had been a funny person who loved his family.
She recalled how they used to give him Christmas presents that he'd place in the trunk of his Mercedes and forget about. Peter's daughter shared how when the next Christmas came around, the actor opened the trunk, and all the gifts from the previous year would be there!
Shera Danese and Peter Falk posing for a photo together circa 1991 | Source: Getty Images
Sadly, Catherine only had those memories to hold on to because things changed when her father married his second wife. The star's daughter's stepmother never allowed her to see her father again.
The New Woman in Peter's Life Who Changed Everything
Peter didn't take long to move on from his first wife. A year after his divorce from Mayo went through, he married Shera Danese, an actress who had regular appearances on "Columbo."
Peter Falk during the 20th Anniversary William S. Paley Television Festival Presents "Columbo" in Hollywood, California, on March 6, 2003 | Source: Getty Images
Danese was 21 years younger than Peter, and he typically joked about the age gap. In the 1970s, when the actor was asked what he had in common with his second wife, he hilariously said:
"I think it's safe to say that we both like the colour blue."
Peter Falk and Shera Danese circa 1979 in New York City | Source: Getty Images
During a 2017 interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Catherine confessed said her father's last years saw him suffering from dementia but that he was cognizant. She shared that he was lucid in the early stages of Alzheimer's.
The star's daughter said she had contact with him by phone, and at one point, he had to go in for hip replacement surgery. Catherine knew that there was a possibility that the anesthesia would worsen his dementia or Alzheimer's.
Peter Falk and Shera Danese during the "Dreamkeeper" ABC All-Star Winter Party in Los Angeles, California, on January 15, 2003 | Source: Getty Images
After having surgery, the actor "often disappeared," with Danese switching his phone off, causing Catherine and others not to have a way to contact him. In 2021, Peter's daughter told BBC Select that her stepmother couldn't stand her and her sister.
The late actor's daughter also alleged that Danese wouldn't let them into the house she shared with their father when she and her sibling were little. Catherine claimed her stepmother couldn't stand them.
Peter Falk with his daughter at the NBC 75th Anniversary in New York City on May 5, 2002 | Source: Getty Images
She alleged that as Peter got older and lost his faculties, his second wife got more isolated and controlling. Catherine said she and her sister were pushed away and told not to contact their father; this was what she did:
"I started to call my dad's private line. She picked up the phone and said, 'He never wants to speak to you again.'"
Peter's daughter recalled panicking, thinking, "I might never see my dad again." Catherine decided not to go down without a fight and fought for the right to see her father and to take care of him.
Catherine's Fight against Shera and the System
In 2008, The Guardian noted how Peter, then aging, looked "sprightly" that year in the YouTube video where he played the role of Father Randolph in the comedy film "American Cowslip." However, the papers Catherine filed in Los Angeles Superior Court the week before told a different story.
Shera Danese and Peter Falk at the Carousel of Hope Gala on October 25, 1996, in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images
Peter, then 81, had Alzheimer's disease, and his daughter said he'd become unable to care for himself. The two-time Oscar Award nominee's child wanted to be his legal guardian or "conservator."
Catherine also claimed Danese was preventing her, since spring, from seeing her father, and a court hearing was set. The court documents said she wanted "full-time custodial care for his health and safety."
The star's child alleged that he could no longer himself against undue influence or fraud. Catherine also claimed the actor wasn't able to recognize what he physically needed or to communicate that to others so they could meet them.
Through her lawyer, Steven Hogan, Peter's daughter also said Danese had "cruelly" stopped her and other people from visiting him since Father's Day in June 2008. She shared how his Alzheimer's had worsened and wanted to ensure he got the care he needed.
Shera Danese and Peter Falk during the 11th Annual Amanda Foundation Comedy Night and Silent Auction in Santa Monica, California on October 14, 2004 | Source: Getty Images
In her court papers, Catherine said her father was so sick he couldn't recognize familiar places, people, and things. The actor had allegedly forgotten significant life events and only recalled those that hadn't occurred.
At the time, Peter nor his wife had spoken about his situation. Catherine also claimed that six months before her legal filing, her father had suffered a head injury after losing control of his car and crashing into an office building.
She also said he couldn't manage his finances, and his property could be transferred away through deception. In 2017, Fox News noted how things became complicated when Peter got sick.
His children said they couldn't see or talk to him and were denied information about his health. At the time, there had been a rise in adult children being denied access to their ill parents.
Shera Danese and Peter Falk during the 33rd Annual Vision Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on June 24, 2006 | Source: Getty Images
Some states were noticing the trend and trying to get legislation that would give visitation rights to children. Catherine and Danese fought for years for access and the conservatorship of Peter.
Catherine [Falk] claimed she only discovered about his [Peter Falk] death hours later.
During her Las Vegas Review-Journal interview, Catherine claimed she hadn't wanted conservatorship but was forced into it because it was the only way she could see her father. The star's daughter told the judge she just wanted visitation.
Instead, she had to withdraw her petition over the estate because it was unheard of. Catherine wanted conservatorship to go to Peter's wife but wished to go in to say goodbye to her father before he passed on.
The judge granted that wish, and that's how the actor's daughter began her work for guardianship reform in 2011. Catherine's court battle was in vain, and Danese ultimately kept her in the dark even after Peter died.
How Catherine Was Cut Out from Her Father's Funeral
Speaking to Inside Edition in 2011, Catherine was mourning her father's death. The star's daughter shared how devastated she was after being banned from Peter's funeral, with her stating:
"I've been filled with so many different emotions, so much anger, so much sadness, so much pain. I am in a state of shock."
Peter Falk during the 3rd Annual Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic in Los Angeles, California, on April 8, 2002 | Source: Getty Images
The actor famous for playing Detective Columbo was allegedly kept away from his daughter in his final years. Catherine claimed she only discovered about his death hours later.
Peter's daughter alleged that she only heard the heartbreaking news through the media and her attorney. She created the Catherine Falk Organization to advocate for the rights of adult children to see their sick parents.
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