Alan Arkin Won His Oscar for Just 14 Minutes of Screen Time in 'Little Miss Sunshine'

Arkin, whose death PEOPLE confirmed exclusively on Friday, played Edwin Hoover, the grandfather of the dysfunctional family, in the 2006 hit film

Alan Arkin didn't need a lot of time to show off his acting chops.

The longtime actor, whose death PEOPLE confirmed Friday, won his first and only Academy Award (out of what would be a total of four nominations) back in 2007 for his role in Little Miss Sunshine, in which he played Edwin Hoover, the grandfather of the dysfunctional family the story follows.

Arkin was onscreen for only 14 minutes of the 2006 family road-trip dramedy, which also starred Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano and Abigail Breslin, the latter of whom also earned an Oscar nomination for her role, at just 10 years old.

The film revolves around young Olive (Breslin, now 27), a girl with big dreams whose quirky family embarks on a cross-county road trip so she can compete in a beauty pageant.

In his Oscars acceptance speech, Arkin said at the time, "More than anything I am deeply moved by the open-hearted appreciation our small film has received, which in these fragmented times speaks so openly of the possibility of innocence, growth and connection."

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Related: Abigail Breslin Reflects on 'Little Miss Sunshine' Role: 'People Forget' I'm 'Not 9 Anymore'

"Acting for me has always been and always will be a team sport," he added. "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 and crew and production team of Little Miss Sunshine for creating the same sense of joy and trust and community that the film speaks about."

Arkin's win was considered somewhat surprising at the time, as Eddie Murphy was considered a favorite for the Oscar for his role in Dreamgirls after taking home both the Golden Globe and SAG Award earlier that year. (Murphy, 62, famously walked out of the awards ceremony as soon as Arkin's name was announced, according to The Hollywood Reporter.)

Reflecting on Little Miss Sunshine 15 years later, Breslin recently told Yahoo! Entertainment, "It was such an incredible film to be a part of, and I don't think anyone expected it to become as successful as it was."

"It was obviously a film that gave me a lot of opportunities and opened a lot of doors for me, so it's crazy to think it's already been 15 years, but I have amazing memories from that whole experience," the actress added.

Related: Michael Douglas, John Cusack, More Pay Tribute to Alan Arkin After His Death: He 'Left an Indelible Mark'

On Friday, PEOPLE exclusively confirmed Arkin had died via his three sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony, who jointly offered a statement on the family’s behalf.

"Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man. A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed," they said.

Over the span of his career, Arkin appeared in more than 100 movies and TV shows, notably starring in films like The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968), which earned him his second Oscar nomination; Catch-22 (1970); Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).

Arkin is survived by his wife Suzanne Newlander, whom he married in 1996, and three children: sons Adam Arkin and Matthew Arkin, whom he shared with first wife Jeremy Yaffe, and Anthony Dana Arkin, whom he shared with second wife Dana.

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