![]() ![]() He also wrote plays and television scripts, winning an Emmy for his work on a 1997 Paul Simon special, and wrote several books humorously ruminating on his ups and downs in show business.Īctors, he wrote, should “think not so much about getting ahead as becoming as good as you can be, so you’re ready when you do get an opportunity. In the 1990s, Grodin made his mark as a liberal commentator on radio and TV. Steve Martin, who co-starred with Grodin in 1984's “The Lonely Guy," remembered him as “one of the funniest people I ever met." (The lawyer instead took a shine to Letterman.) Hosting “Saturday Night Live,” he pretended to not understand live television, ruining all the sketches. In his many late-night appearances, he once brought a lawyer with him to threaten David Letterman for defamation. His commitment, whether acting across De Niro or Miss Piggy, was unsurpassed. ![]() With bone-dry understatement, Grodin could steal entire scenes with just a look. Known for his dead-pan style and everyday looks, Grodin also appeared in “Dave,” “The Woman in Red,” “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Heaven Can Wait.” On Broadway, he starred with Ellen Burstyn in the long-running 1970s comedy “Same Time, Next Year,” and he found many other outlets for his talents. Grodin died Tuesday in Wilton, Connecticut, from bone marrow cancer, his son, Nicholas Grodin, said. One of the great cranky comedic geniuses.Charles Grodin, the droll, offbeat actor and writer who scored as a caddish newlywed in “The Heartbreak Kid” and later had roles ranging from Robert De Niro’s counterpart in the comic thriller “Midnight Run” to the bedeviled father in the “Beethoven” comedies, has died. One of the funniest people I ever met: Charles Grodin, Star of ‘Beethoven’ and ‘Heartbreak Kid,’ Dies at 86 -" Indeed, Charles Grodin wrote and directed a play about the case, "The Prosecution of Brandon Hein." In 2019, Hein was granted parole.Ĭelebrities took to Twitter to express appreciation for Grodin as the news broke. ![]() His dad came and stayed at our house, and it became a lifelong thing." "One particular case was a boy named Brandon Hein in California, who was sentenced to life under the felony murder law. "It wasn't just like he would have someone as a guest on his talk show and then move on it would become a lifelong journey for him where he would hold onto it," his son said. ![]() He hosted a talk show on CNBC ("The Charles Grodin Show," 1995-98) that dealt with the social and political issues of the day. He also wrote a number of books, along with a New York Daily News column that ran for nearly 10 years. He did collect an Emmy as part of the writing staff for another Paul Simon TV special in 1978, "The Paul Simon Special." He scored an Outer Circle Critics actor prize for the stage run of "Same Time, Next Year," which racked up 1,400 performances. Surprisingly, Grodin never won a major acting award. The actor broke through to mainstream success in 1972 with his leading turn in "The Heartbreak Kid" and starred in films through the ’70s and ’80s, including "Seems Like Old Times," Albert Brooks' "Real Life" (one of the first mockumentaries) and the much-maligned "Ishtar." Nick Grodin said, "I know he was proud of the Simon and Garfunkel special he directed, because it has to do with human rights and social issues that were not very popular at the time." I think Johnny Carson really appreciated it." A lot of people did not think it was a joke. "He didn't think it was very interesting to just go on and say, 'Oh, I'm in this movie coming out,' so he adopted this comedic persona where he would be angry. "That was a comedy persona he adopted for when he would go on talk shows," said Nick Grodin, who confirmed his father's death to The Times. He extended that to his many talk-show appearances, in which he seemed uncomfortable and even reluctant to be there - all an act, according to his son, Nick. Known for leading or coleading classic comedies such as "The Heartbreak Kid" and "Midnight Run" and for ruthlessly stealing scenes in "Heaven Can Wait," "Dave" and "The Great Muppet Caper," Grodin cultivated a screen persona that mined his own discomfort for laughs. The performer, who leaves behind a catalog of memorable performances and a legacy of lasting activism, was 86. Charles Grodin, right, starred with Robert De Niro in the comedy "Midnight Run." (Universal Pictures / Getty Images)Ĭharles Grodin, the urbane actor who made his roles as a curmudgeon seem cool, died Tuesday at his home in Connecticut of bone marrow cancer. ![]()
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