A Closer Look at Peter Falk and His Daughters, Jacqueline and Catherine
Jacqueline Falk, one daughter of Columbo star, Peter Falk, has died at age 60 of suicide on April 27, 2026. Her death came 15 years after the passing of her father, who died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. But as the girls were growing up, the actor had a loving relationship with his two daughters. Keep reading to learn more about their father-daughter bond.
Who are Peter Falk’s daughters?
In 1960, Peter Falk married his college sweetheart, Alyce Mayo, after being classmates at Syracuse University. Not long after they tied the knot, the happy couple welcomed their two daughters via adoption, Catherine and Jacqueline. Although Falk didn’t achieve major fame until 1968 with the TV movie and first Columbo appearance in Prescription: Murder, the girls largely grew up with a star for a father.
“My mom always told me my dad was Columbo long before Columbo found my dad,” Catherine shared. “He’d ask the same question like 20 different ways until he got the answer that he wanted. He was always curious about things.”
Although neither of Falk’s daughters followed in their father’s acting footsteps, Catherine remained more in the public eye than her sister. Catherine went on to become a private investigator, just like her father’s TV counterpart.
“The greatest lesson I learned from my father was how to size people up,” Catherine explained. “He had a true gift for that. He taught me how to analyze people’s gestures, body language and physical movements.”
Falk loved his family
Catherine often speaks highly of her father and their relationship, sharing that he loved to spend quality time with his family. Aside from taking them to film premieres and on set visits, the actor also loved bringing his girls ice skating. She explained, “He just loved to race around the rink.”
As for Falk himself, he shared a sweet sentiment about his daughters in an interview, explaining, “I think they [my daughters] think a lot of me.”
Although Jacqueline kept her distance from Hollywood, she did occasionally attend events with her father, including the 50th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 1998 and the NBC 75th Anniversary celebration in New York in 2002.
Falk’s second marriage
In 1976, Falk and Mayo divorced and about a year later, he remarried to actress Shera Danese. This new relationship caused some complications between the actor and his daughters, according to Catherine, as she claimed her new step mother would keep them apart.
Danese was later appointed conservator of Peter’s estate and allegedly kept contact minimal between he and his children.
When Falk died in 2011, Catherine alleged that she had learned about it through news reports and that she was not allowed to attend his funeral.
“I think that most people feel that I am this money-grubbing daughter, that I’m just going after my dad to get money,” Catherine said. “My father was married to a woman that made it really difficult for my father to feel free. We weren’t allowed to go to his house.”
While there were issues between the two, Catherine said that things were resolved between she and her father ahead of his passing. She added, “There were definitely bumps in the road, but we had reconciled and I had a very loving relationship with him. I adored him, he adored me.”
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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 9:22 AM.