Alan Arkin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alan Arkin
Arkin in 1975
Born	Alan Wolf Arkin (1934-03-26)March 26, 1934 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	June 29, 2023(2023-06-29) (aged 89) Carlsbad, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor director screenwriter
Years active	1951–2023
Spouse(s)	Jeremy Yaffe ​ ​ (m. 1955; div. 1961)​ Barbara Dana ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1994)​ Suzanne Newlander ​ (m. 1996)​
Children	3, including Adam and Matthew
Parent(s)	David I. Arkin (father)
Relatives	Joseph Wortis (uncle) Avi (cousin)
Awards	Full list

Alan Wolf Arkin (born March 26, 1934 – died June 29, 2023) was a very talented American actor, director, and writer. He had a long career that lasted for more than 70 years! During this time, he won many important awards, including an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar), a British Academy Film Award (BAFTA), a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. He was also nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on TV.

Arkin started his career on the Broadway stage, which is where plays and musicals are performed in New York City. He starred in a play called Enter Laughing in 1963 and won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He also directed a play called The Sunshine Boys and was nominated for another Tony Award for directing in 1973.

Alan Arkin became famous for his roles in movies like The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966), Wait Until Dark (1967), and Catch-22 (1970). Later, he played supporting roles in popular films such as Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Argo (2012). He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his funny role as a grandfather in Little Miss Sunshine (2006).

On television, he was known for playing Leon Felhendler in Escape from Sobibor (1987). He also voiced J.D. Salinger in the animated series BoJack Horseman from 2015 to 2016. From 2018 to 2019, he starred with Michael Douglas in the Netflix comedy series The Kominsky Method, which earned him more Emmy nominations.

Early Life and Learning

Alan Wolf Arkin was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 26, 1934. His father, David I. Arkin, was a painter and writer, and his mother, Beatrice, was a teacher. His family was Jewish, and his grandparents had come to the U.S. from Ukraine, Russia, and Germany. When Alan was 11, his family moved to Los Angeles.

During the 1950s, a time called the Red Scare, some people in America were worried about Communism. Alan's parents were wrongly accused of being Communists. His father lost his job because he refused to answer questions about his political beliefs. Later, after his father passed away, he was proven innocent.

Alan Arkin started taking acting lessons when he was just 10 years old. He even got scholarships to study drama at different schools. He learned a special way of acting that focused on understanding a character's feelings and thoughts. He also attended California State University, Los Angeles and Bennington College.

Acting Career Highlights

Starting Out and Becoming a Star

Arkin in Enter Laughing (1963)

Alan Arkin was one of the first members of a famous comedy group called The Second City in the 1960s. In 1957, he had a small part in his first movie, Calypso Heat Wave. He also appeared in TV shows like East Side/West Side (1964). In 1961, he made his first appearance on Broadway in a show called From the Second City.

In 1963, Arkin starred on Broadway as David Kolowitz in the play Enter Laughing. Critics really liked his performance, and he won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. The next year, he starred in another Broadway play called Luv.

Arkin in Popi (1969)

In 1966, Arkin starred in the comedy film The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming. Many people praised his acting, and he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The next year, he was in the thriller movie Wait Until Dark with Audrey Hepburn.

In 1968, he played Inspector Jacques Clouseau in Inspector Clouseau. That same year, he starred as a deaf man in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and was nominated for another Oscar. In 1969, he starred in the comedy Popi, playing a Puerto Rican widower trying to raise his sons in New York City.

Arkin also started directing films. His first directing job was a short children's film called People Soup in 1969. His sons, Adam Arkin and Matthew Arkin, starred in it.

Becoming an Established Actor in the 1970s

With Shirley Knight in the TV special The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1978)

In 1970, Alan Arkin starred as Captain John Yossarian in the movie Catch-22, which was a dark comedy about war. He also appeared on Sesame Street with his wife, Barbara Dana, playing a funny couple who learned to "cooperate."

His most famous directing work was the film Little Murders (1971), a dark comedy about a girl who introduces her boyfriend to her strange family while their city is having problems.

During the 1970s, Arkin acted in many different types of movies, including comedies like Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972) and Freebie and the Bean (1974). In 1979, he starred in and helped produce the comedy film The In-Laws, which was very popular.

In 1975, Arkin directed the Broadway play The Sunshine Boys and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play.

1980s: Escape from Sobibor

In the 1980s, Arkin continued to appear in films and TV shows. He starred in the comedy Simon (1980) and other comedies like Improper Channels (1981). He also appeared on TV shows like The Muppet Show and St. Elsewhere.

A very important role for him in 1987 was in the TV movie Escape from Sobibor. He played Leon Felhendler, a real person who helped lead a mass escape from a Nazi concentration camp. For this role, Arkin was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

1990s: Supporting Roles

In the 1990s, Arkin often played supporting roles in many well-known films. In 1990, he was in Tim Burton's fantasy romance Edward Scissorhands with Johnny Depp. He also appeared in The Rocketeer (1991) and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) with Al Pacino.

He continued to act in comedies like Indian Summer (1993) and So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993). In 1997, he appeared in the comedy Grosse Point Blank and the science fiction film Gattaca.

2000s: Winning an Oscar

In 2001, Arkin was in the comedy America's Sweethearts and the drama Thirteen Conversations About One Thing. In 2003, he starred in the TV movie The Pentagon Papers, which earned him another Emmy nomination.

In 2006, Alan Arkin played Edwin Hoover, a grumpy but lovable grandfather, in the movie Little Miss Sunshine. This role was a huge success for him! He won the BAFTA Award and the Academy Award (Oscar) for his performance. He was 72 years old, making him one of the oldest actors to win that Oscar. When he accepted his award, he said he was "deeply moved by the open-hearted appreciation our small film has received."

After Little Miss Sunshine, he appeared in more films like Rendition (2007), Sunshine Cleaning (2008), Get Smart (2008), and Marley & Me (2008).

2010s: Continuing to Work

Arkin at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2012, Arkin played a Hollywood agent named Lester Siegel in Ben Affleck's drama Argo. His performance earned him his fourth Oscar nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actor again. He also received nominations for the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards. The cast of Argo won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

He continued to act in comedies like The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013) and Grudge Match (2013). He also appeared in Million Dollar Arm (2014), Love the Coopers (2015), Going in Style (2017), and Tim Burton's Dumbo (2019).

From 2015 to 2016, Arkin voiced the character of J. D. Salinger in the animated Netflix series BoJack Horseman. From 2018 to 2019, he starred with Michael Douglas in the Netflix comedy series The Kominsky Method. For this role, he received two Emmy nominations and four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

2020s: Final Roles

Alan Arkin's last two film roles were in the 2020 Netflix movie Spenser Confidential with Mark Wahlberg. His very last performance was voicing the character Wild Knuckles in the animated film Minions: The Rise of Gru in 2022. This movie was very popular.

Singing Career

Alan Arkin was also a singer! He formed a folk music group called The Tarriers with two friends. Arkin sang and played guitar in the band. They helped write the group's hit song from 1956, "The Banana Boat Song". This song became very famous, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard music chart. The group also appeared in the 1957 movie Calypso Heat Wave.

From 1958 to 1968, Arkin performed and recorded music with a children's folk group called The Baby Sitters.

Personal Life

Alan Arkin was married three times. He had two sons, Adam Arkin (born 1956) and Matthew Arkin (born 1960), with his first wife, Jeremy Yaffe. He was married to actress and writer Barbara Dana from 1964 to 1994. They had a son named Anthony (Tony) Dana Arkin in 1967. In 1996, Arkin married psychotherapist Suzanne Newlander.

Death

Alan Arkin passed away at his home in Carlsbad, California, on June 29, 2023, at the age of 89. He had some heart problems.

Filmography and Live Performances

Film

Television

Theater

Awards and Nominations

In 2014, Alan Arkin received the Gregory Peck Award for Cinematic Excellence. This award honored all the amazing work he did in movies throughout his life.

See Also

In Spanish: Alan Arkin para niños

• List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees

Images for kids

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  Arkin in 1975

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  Arkin in Enter Laughing (1963)

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  Arkin in Popi (1969)

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  With Shirley Knight in the TV special The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1978)

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  Arkin at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival