Peter Falk Says He Supplied Columbo Coat

Actor Peter Falk, best-known for his role as the eccentric Lt. Columbo, gestures while on location for "Columbo Likes the Nightlife" in this Oct. 29, 2002 file photo, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ric Francis, File) (Ric Francis - AP)

SAGINAW, Mich. -- Peter Falk, who played the rumpled, crime-solving police lieutenant in the "Columbo" television series starting in 1971 and in made-for-TV movies until 2003, said he was dissatisfied with the stylish clothes laid out for him to consider for the show's debut.

Falk said he brought a shabby old raincoat from home and asked the show's wardrobe department to dye one of the suits a dull brown.

When told to go pick a car for Columbo on the studio lot, he found nothing to his liking.

"They all looked alike, and then I saw it way in the back, just its nose _ an ugly Peugeot," Falk told The Saginaw News before an area public appearance Tuesday. "And it had the perfect touch ... a flat tire."

Falk, 79, has 13 Emmy, two Oscar and nine Golden Globe nominations. He said he helped create the look as well as the mannerisms of the character that made him famous.

"I love the guy," Falk said. "I was very lucky to have a character that rich, that I like personally so much. The whole thing was an actor's dream _ getting a character that tickles you so much you can't wait to act as him."

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Information from: The Saginaw News, http://www.mlive.com