CINEFILER

Charles Grodin

Born
April 21, 1935
Died
May 18, 2021
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Charles Grodin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Beethoven
(1992)
George Newton
Rosemary's Baby
(1968)
Dr. Hill
Beethoven's 2nd
(1993)
George Newton
Heart and Souls
(1993)
Harrison Winslow
King Kong
(1976)
Fred S. Wilson
Clifford
(1994)
Martin Daniels
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
(1954)
Drummer Boy (uncredited)
Dave
(1993)
Murray Blum
The Woman in Red
(1984)
Buddy
Midnight Run
(1988)
Jonathan Mardukas
So I Married an Axe Murderer
(1993)
Commandeered Driver
The Humbling
(2014)
Jerry
While We're Young
(2015)
Leslie Breitbart
The Ex
(2006)
Bob Kowalski
Catch-22
(1970)
Captain Aarfy Aardvark
Ishtar
(1987)
Jim Harrison
Full Filmography
Acting
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
(1954)
Drummer Boy (uncredited)
Sex and the College Girl
(1964)
Bob
Rosemary's Baby
(1968)
Dr. Hill
Simon and Garfunkel: Songs of America
(1969)
Self
Catch-22
(1970)
Captain Aarfy Aardvark
The Heartbreak Kid
(1972)
Lenny Cantrow
11 Harrowhouse
(1974)
Howard R. Chesser
King Kong
(1976)
Fred S. Wilson
Thieves
(1977)
Martin Cramer
The Paul Simon Special
(1977)
Self
It Happened One Christmas
(1977)
Joseph
Heaven Can Wait
(1978)
Tony Abbott
The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank
(1978)
Jim Benson
The Meanest Men in the West
(1978)
Arnie Doud, Harge Gang
Just Me and You
(1978)
Michael Lindsay
Real Life
(1979)
Warren Yeager
Sunburn
(1979)
Jake
Seems Like Old Times
(1980)
Ira Parks
It's My Turn
(1980)
Homer
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
(1981)
Vance Kramer
The Great Muppet Caper
(1981)
Nicky Holiday
Night of 100 Stars
(1982)
Self
Charley's Aunt
(1983)
Lord Fancourt Babberly
The Woman in Red
(1984)
Buddy
The Lonely Guy
(1984)
Warren
Movers & Shakers
(1985)
Herb Derman
Last Resort
(1986)
George Lollar
King Kong! The Living Legend
(1986)
Self
Ishtar
(1987)
Jim Harrison
You Can't Hurry Love
(1988)
Mr. Glerman
The Couch Trip
(1988)
George Matlin
Midnight Run
(1988)
Jonathan Mardukas
Taking Care of Business
(1990)
Spencer Barnes
The Muppets at Walt Disney World
(1990)
Quentin Fitzwaller
Beethoven
(1992)
George Newton
So I Married an Axe Murderer
(1993)
Commandeered Driver
Beethoven's 2nd
(1993)
George Newton
Dave
(1993)
Murray Blum
Heart and Souls
(1993)
Harrison Winslow
Clifford
(1994)
Martin Daniels
It Runs in the Family
(1994)
Mr. Parker (The Old Man)
The World of Jim Henson
(1994)
Nicky Holiday (archive footage)
Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
(1994)
Chaz
The Ultimate Collection starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 70s and 80s
(2002)
The Ex
(2006)
Bob Kowalski
Paul Simon and Friends: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
(2007)
Self
The Harmony Game
(2011)
Self
Char·ac·ter
(2012)
Self
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
(2012)
(archive footage)
Brazzaville Teen-Ager
(2013)
Father
The Humbling
(2014)
Jerry
While We're Young
(2015)
Leslie Breitbart
The Comedian
(2016)
Dick D'Angelo
An Imperfect Murder
(2017)
Arthur
Waiting for Ishtar
(2017)
Self
Directing
Production
Writing
Data provided by TMDB