In a career spanning over 50 years, Arkin earned a reputation from Broadway in the 1960s to “Little Miss Sunshine” and “The Kominsky Method” on Netflix
Actor Alan Arkin passed away yesterday at home in San Diego at the age of 89.
The news of Arkin’s passing was first reported by actor Jason Alexander on Twitter just before midnight on Thursday, June 29th:
“Such a wonderful, original voice for comedy. And on the few occasions I was in his presence, a kind and generous soul. I learned so much from watching him. And the laughs I got from his glorious work seem endless. May he rest well.”
Arkin co-starred with Alexander in the 1994 Rob Reiner film, “North.”
Throughout his career that spanned over fifty years, Arkin won top awards for his acting in film, television and theater.
He also received Best Supporting Actor nominations for “Argo” (2013), and won for his role as Edwin Hoover in “Little Miss Sunshine” in 2006.
Arkin was born on March 26, 1934 in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family. He started acting at age five, having idolized actors Charlie Chaplin in “The Great Dictator” and Louis Hayward in “The Man in the Iron Mask.”
His family relocated to Los Angeles in the 1940s where his parents worked in the film industry. His father David lost his job as a teacher. He continued his acting through college, where his talents proved to be quite exceptional. He dropped out of Bennington College in Vermont to play guitar and sang in the music group The Tarriers. In 1956, their version of “The Banana Boat Song” became their top hit.
Arkin continued acting and joined the Chicago comedy troupe The Second City. He wouldn’t be in Chicago for long. By 1963, he was on Broadway, where he would go on to win a Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role as David Kolowitz in “Enter Laughing.”
On film, Arkin’s early days in the industry didn’t go unnoticed. He received Best Actor Academy Award nominations for his role in “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming” in 1967, and again in 1969 for his role in “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter.”
In 1973, Arkin received a Tony nomination for Best Direction of a Play for “The Sunshine Boys.”
He received five acting Emmy nominations over the course of his career for roles on “ABC Stage 67” (1967), “Escape from Sobibor” (1987), “Chicago Hope” (1997), “The Pentagon Papers” (2003), and twice for “The Kominsky Method” in 2019 and 2020.
Arkin worked through almost the very end of his life. His last film appearance was the voice of Wild Knuckles in “Minions: The Rise of Gru” in 2022.
In all, he had over eighty roles in film throughout his career, and earned a reputation as a delight and inspiration to work with.
In fact, Arkin improvised nearly every line in the 1997 film “Grosse Pointe Blank.” His co-star John Cusack mourned the passing of Arkin several times throughout the day on Twitter, saying “He was like a great totally disciplined jazz musician - could go anywhere - and still keep the time,” and “Alan always came with everything in him - instant gravitas dimension - no matter how absurd - deeply rooted.”
“I love this man so much. The favorite of all my movie dads and so brilliant, inspiring and kind for so long,” tweeted actress Natasha Lyonne—Arkin’s co-star from “The Slums of Beverly Hills.”
Actor Paul Reiser, who co-starred with Arkin on “The Kominsky Method,” remembered him on Twitter:
A world without Alan Arkin is …not so great. I’ve loved this man from the moment he came on screen in “The Russians Are Coming...” (“Whitaker Walt!") I was 8. Getting to know him - and getting a laugh out of him - is a highlight of my life. RIP dear friend.”
The Twitter eulogies speak volumes of the Arkin, who described acting as "a team sport."
“Acting for me has always been and always will be a team sport,” Arkin said in 2007 while accepting an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in “Little Miss Sunshine.”
“I cannot work at all unless I feel a spirit of unity around me. So my main sense of gratitude goes to the entire cast of crew and production team for ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ for creating the same sense of joy, trust and community that the film speaks about.”
He is survived by his wife Suzanne, and sons Adam, Matthew and Tony.