Beloved actor, director, and screenwriterAlan Arkinhas sadly passed away at the age of 89. The acting icon, who has been the recipient of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, two SAG Awards, and a Tony Award during his decade-spanning career reportedly died at his home in Carlsbad, California yesterday.
“Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man,” Arkin’s sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony said in a statement made toPEOPLE. “A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed.”
Known for his considerable talent as a character actor, Alan Arkin is best known for roles in the likes of the biographical thriller and Best Picture winnerArgodirected by Ben Affleck, David Mamet’s exceptional dramaGlengarry Glen Ross, andthe tragicomedy road movieLittle Miss Sunshine, for which Arkin was awarded the Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role.
Arkin began his cinematic career in the late 1950s, making his feature film debut in the musicalCalypso Heat Wave. By the mid 1960s his sheer talent had already been noticed, with the actor being showered with awards and nominations, including a Tony Award for his role in the Broadway play Enter Laughing and Oscar nods for Best Actor inThe Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming,andThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.
Able to leap from comedic, often endearingly melancholic roles such as the likes ofCatch-22,Edward Scissorhands, andLittle Miss Sunshine, Arkin was not averse to going down a darker, more menacing path, as demonstrated in the crime thrillerWait Until Dark,in which he starred opposite Audrey Hepburn.
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Alan Arkin Was Still Winning Acclaim in His 80s Thanks to His Netflix Series
Alan Arkin continued to receive critical acclaim and awards attention into the latter part of his career, with the actor being nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for his role as Hollywood agent Norman Newlander in the Netflix comedy dramaThe Kominsky Method.
Starring alongside Michael Douglas, Sarah Baker, Nancy Travis, Paul Reiser, and Kathleen Turner,The Kominsky Methodfollows Sandy Kominsky, a fictional actor who years ago had a brief fling with success and is now a revered Hollywood acting coach. The series has been met with acclaim from both critics and audiences alike, and currently sits at a ‘fresh’ 93% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
Tributes have begun to poor in for Arkin, with comedian and actor Patton Oswalt saying of the actor, “Did ANYONE have the range Alan Arkin had? Hilarious, sinister, insane, tragic. No mood he couldn’t live in. RIP.”This is Spinal TapandBetter Call Saulstar Michael McKean meanwhile calls the actor one of his major inspirations saying, “When I was a young actor people wanted to know if I wanted to be a serious actor or a funny one. I’d answer “Which kind is Alan Arkin?” and that shut them up.”
Arkin is survived by his wife Suzanne Newlander, and his three sons, Adam, Matthew, and Anthony. He will be sorely missed.
