Alan Arkin, 'Little Miss Sunshine' Actor, Dead at 89
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Alan Arkin, the Oscar and Tony-winning actor best known for his role in Little Miss Sunshine has died. He was 89 years old.
His sons Adam, Matthew, and Anthony confirmed the news in a joint statement, via Variety: "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."
Arkin was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 26, 1934. He began taking acting lessons at age 10 and moved to Los Angeles the following year. He made his feature film debut with a small role in Calypso Heat Wave in 1957 but didn't get his big break until joining the renowned comedy troupe Second City in the 1960s, making his Broadway debut in From the Second City in 1961.
His first starring Broadway role came two years later, as David Kolowitz in Joseph Stein's comedic play Enter Laughing. It earned him a Tony Award. The next year, he took the Broadway stage again in the Tony-winning play, Luv.
After achieving success in theater, Arkin's career in film took off. He starred in the Norman Jewison Cold War comedy The Russians Are Coming, for which he received his first Academy Award nomination. He also won a Golden Globe for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for that role.
Though his on-screen career experienced a brief lull shortly after, Arkin bounced back tremendously with The In-Laws, which was among the top-grossing films of 1979. He also had plenty of notable TV appearances around that time, including on The Muppet Show, Carol Burnett & Company, and St. Elsewhere.
Arkin went on to star in many notable films, including Edward Scissorhands, Grosse Pointe Blank, and the 2008 Get Smart remake. In 2006, he received his first Academy Award for his role as grandfather Edwin Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine. He also received an Academy Award-nomination for his role in Argo as fictional movie producer Lester Siegel.
His final film role was as a voice actor on Minions: The Rise of Gru, in which he portrayed anti-hero Wild Knuckles. One of his final TV roles was also as a voice actor, playing JD Salinger on Netflix's hit series BoJack Horseman. His last starring live-action TV role was in The Kominsky Method, from 2018 until 2019.
Arkin had three marriages. His first was to Jeremy Yaffe, whom he was married to from 1955 until 1961. They had two children: Adam and Matthew. Three years after their divorce, Arkin married actress and screenwriter Barbara Dana. They had one son together named Anthony. After divorcing Dana in 1994, Arkin married Suzanne Newlander. They remained married until his death.
