Charles Grodin

Birthday: 1935-04-21
Deathday: 2021-05-18
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Gender: Male
Owned By: Unowned

Charles Sidney Grodin (April 21, 1935 – May 18, 2021) was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. Grodin began his acting career in the 1960s appearing in TV serials including The Virginian. After a small part in Rosemary's Baby in 1968, he played the lead in Elaine May's The Heartbreak Kid (1972) and supporting roles in Mike Nichols's Catch-22 (1970), the 1976 remake of King Kong, and Warren Beatty's Heaven Can Wait (1978).

Known for his deadpan delivery and often cast as a put-upon straight man, Grodin became familiar as a supporting actor in many Hollywood comedies of the era, including Real Life (1979), Seems Like Old Times (1980), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), Ishtar (1987), Dave (1993), and Clifford (1994). Grodin co-starred in the action comedy Midnight Run (1988) and in the family film Beethoven (1992). He made frequent appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman.

In the mid-1990s, Grodin retired from acting and wrote autobiographies; he became a talk show host on CNBC and in 2000 a political commentator for 60 Minutes II. He returned to acting with a handful of roles in the mid-2010s, including in Louis C.K.'s FX show Louie and Noah Baumbach's film While We're Young (2014).

Grodin won several awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special in 1978 for the Paul Simon Special alongside Chevy Chase, Lorne Michaels, Paul Simon, and Lily Tomlin. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for The Heartbreak Kid in 1972. He won Best Actor at the 1988 Valladolid International Film Festival for Midnight Run, and the American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his performance in Dave in 1993.

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Credits

Year Title Character
2017-09-03 An Imperfect Murder Arthur
2016-12-09 The Comedian Dick D'Angelo
2015-04-03 While We're Young Leslie Breitbart
2014-12-31 The Humbling Jerry
2013-04-13 Brazzaville Teen-Ager Father
2006-12-01 The Ex Bob Kowalski
2002-10-13 The Ultimate Collection starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 70s and 80s
1994-09-23 It Runs in the Family Mr. Parker (The Old Man)
1994-05-18 Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! Chaz
1994-04-01 Clifford Martin Daniels
1993-12-14 Beethoven's 2nd George Newton
1993-08-13 Heart and Souls Harrison Winslow
1993-07-30 So I Married an Axe Murderer Commandeered Car Driver
1993-05-07 Dave Murray Blum
1992-04-03 Beethoven George Newton
1990-08-16 Taking Care of Business Spencer Barnes
1990-05-06 The Muppets at Walt Disney World Quentin Fitzwaller
1988-07-20 Midnight Run Jonathan Mardukas
1988-01-20 You Can't Hurry Love Mr. Glerman
1988-01-15 The Couch Trip George Matlin
1987-05-15 Ishtar Jim Harrison
1986-03-31 Last Resort George Lollar
1985-05-03 Movers & Shakers Herb Derman
1984-08-15 The Woman in Red Buddy
1984-01-27 The Lonely Guy Warren
1983-02-06 Charley's Aunt Lord Fancourt Babberly
1981-06-26 The Great Muppet Caper Nicky Holiday
1981-01-30 The Incredible Shrinking Woman Vance Kramer
1980-12-19 Seems Like Old Times Ira Parks
1980-10-24 It's My Turn Homer
1979-08-10 Sunburn Jake
1979-03-02 Real Life Warren Yeager
1978-10-25 The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank Jim Benson
1978-06-28 Heaven Can Wait Tony Abbott
1978-05-22 Just Me and You Michael Lindsay
1978-05-04 The Meanest Men in the West Arnie Doud, Harge Gang
1977-12-11 It Happened One Christmas Joseph
1977-02-11 Thieves Martin Cramer
1976-09-08 King Kong Fred S. Wilson
1974-09-26 11 Harrowhouse Howard R. Chesser
1972-12-17 The Heartbreak Kid Lenny Cantrow
1970-06-24 Catch-22 Captain Aarfy Aardvark
1968-06-12 Rosemary's Baby Dr. Hill
1964-09-03 Sex and the College Girl Bob
1954-12-23 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Drummer Boy (uncredited)