Charles Grodin, movie star and Broadway actor known for his role in films, such as The Heartbreak Kid, Heaven Can Wait, and Midnight Run, died Tuesday at the age of 86.
Nicholas Grodin, the actor’s son, said his father died at his home in Wilton, Connecticut, after suffering from bone marrow cancer, according to the Associated Press.
Grodin’s roles gained notoriety for his deadpan delivery and wit he carried in typecast parts. He excelled in performing as characters such as an uptight father in the Beethoven films and a shady businessman in King Kong (1976). Grodin also played the role of the accountant character Murray Blum in Dave, a political comedy about a stand-in president.
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He was a notable figure on television, making appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman, and was also a significant performer in Broadway productions such as Same Time, Next Year, which earned him an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance in 1975.
In 1978, he also won an Emmy award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special for NBC’s The Paul Simon Special. Grodin hosted a talk television show, The Charles Grodin Show, on NBC from 1995 to 1998.
Grodin made his Hollywood debut at the age of 19, with an uncredited performance as a drummer boy in Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).
The actor was born in Pittsburgh in 1935. He began his career studying acting at HB Studio in New York City under the actress Uta Hagen.
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Grodin is survived by his daughter, comedian Marion Grodin from his first marriage with Julia Ferguson, as well as his son, Nicholas, from his marriage with his second wife, Elissa Durwood.
