Alan Arkin — the revered Hollywood character actor who catapulted to fame in the 60’s and found late-career success with Little Miss Sunshine, for which he won an Oscar — has died. He was 89.
His death on Thursday was confirmed to People magazine by his sons Adam, Matthew, and Anthony. “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 in a statement.
No cause of death has been disclosed. The actor died at his home in Carlsbad, California, according to multiple reports.
Alan Arkin shot to fame in the 60’s for his performances in The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming and The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter — both of which landed him Academy Award nominations for lead actor.
Kino. Die Russen kommen! Die Russen kommen!, (THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING) USA, 1965, Regie: Norman Jewison, ALAN ARKIN, Stichwort: Pilot, Mütze. (Photo by FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)
But his Hollywood career never fully ignited as he was cast in off-beat, quirky roles that made the most of his versatility and chameleon-like qualities. As a result, he turned toward TV work and live theater.
Still, prominent filmmakers recognized his talents. He starred in Mike Nichols’ adaptation of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, and played supporting roles in Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands and Sydney Pollack’s Havana.
He was also part of the ensemble cast of Glengarry Glen Ross, the 1992 film adaptation of David Mamet’s celebrated play.
It wasn’t until Little Miss Sunshine in 2006 that Arkin made good on the promise of his early career. Though he was only on screen for about 15 minutes, his performance as an obscenity-spewing old man was both comically and dramatically moving, resulting in an Oscar for supporting actor.
He was nominated again a few years later for Ben Affleck’s Argo, in which he played a Hollywood film producer caught up in international intrigue.
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