![]() ![]() After scoring another surprise hit with the family friendly "Beethoven" (1992), Grodin shifted gears to become the host of his own news hour, "The Charles Grodin Show" (CNBC, 1995-98), while also delivering political commentary for "60 Minutes II" (CBS, 1999-2005). But he had his greatest success and most memorable performance as a timorous embezzler in the action comedy "Midnight Run" (1988) opposite Robert De Niro. By the time the 1980s rolled around, Grodin had grown comfortable as a supporting player with roles in hit comedies like "Seems Like Old Times" (1980), "The Great Muppet Caper" (1981) and "The Incredible Shrinking Woman" (1981). His career gradually slowed down throughout the remainder of the decade, though he had villainous supporting parts in "King Kong" (1976) and "Heaven Can Wait" (1978). After beginning his career on Broadway opposite Anthony Quinn, Grodin quickly segued into movies, landing memorable supporting roles in "Rosemary's Baby" (1968) and "Catch-22" (1970) before landing his breakout leading role in "The Heartbreak Kid" (1972). ![]() Grodin's career would be marked by portraying business men and fathers often in supporting roles, appearing in films like Beethoven, Midnight Run, and Dave, for which he received the American comedy award for funniest supporting actor in a motion picture in 1993.As one of Hollywood's true jack-of-all-trades, actor Charles Grodin amassed a résumé that boasted acting, screenwriting, producing, directing, and television hosting credits over the course of his decades-long career. His performance as Lenny Cantrow, a narcissistic sporting goods salesman who grows weary of his new wife, would go on to earn a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a musical or comedy. After appearing in Mike Nichols's 1970 film Catch-22 and turning down the role of Benjamin Braddock in Nichols's classic *The Graduate-*that part jump started Dustin Hoffman's career-Grodin was cast in The Heartbreak Kid, directed by Nichols's longtime comedy partner, Elaine May. Meanwhile, Grodin's career as a screen actor was taking off. Grodin received his big break when he landed a part in Broadway revival of Tchin-Tchin in 1963 starring Anthony Quinn and Margaret Leighton, delivering a performance theater critic Walter Kerr called “impeccable.” (“It took a trip to the dictionary to understand he meant more than clean," Grodin wrote years later.) He would go on to build his theater career, directing Broadway productions of plays Love and Strangers and Thieves on Broadway and starring opposite Ellen Burstyn in the two-hander Same Time, Next Year in 1975. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Grodin dropped out of University of Miami to pursue acting, studying under renowned acting coach Uta Hagen in the '50s. Grodin made a name for himself for his versatile, often deadpan comedic performances on stage and screen. His son, Nicholas, told the New York Times that the cause of death was bone marrow cancer. Charles Grodin, the character actor who starred in popular films like The Heartbreak Kid, Heaven Can Wait, and Ishtar, has died at 86 at his home in Wilton, Connecticut. ![]()
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