Oliver Brandt
Theodore Bikel
EPISODE 40
Last Words to Columbo: "Lieutenant, have you ever considered another line of work?"
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In "The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case" Oliver Brandt (played by Theodore Bikel) and Bertie Hastings are partners in an accounting firm catering to corporate and individual clients. Bertie discovers that Oliver has been stealing from individual accounts to maintain his lavish lifestyle and confronts him. In response, Oliver, tired of Bertie's humiliation, shoots him with a silencer and constructs an elaborate plan to make it look like a burglary. Despite his perfect alibi, Oliver didn't account for Lt. Columbo's involvement in the investigation.
Theodore Bikel was an Austrian-American actor, folk singer, musician, and social activist. Born on May 2, 1924, in Vienna, Austria, Bikel and his family fled to Palestine in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution. He later moved to England to pursue acting and eventually emigrated to the United States in 1954.
Bikel's acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in over 150 films and television shows, as well as numerous stage productions. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in "The Defiant Ones" in 1958.
In addition to his acting career, Bikel was also a talented musician and recorded over 20 albums of folk music. He was a passionate advocate for human rights and social justice, serving as president of the American Jewish Congress and as a board member of Amnesty International.