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Charles Grodin 1935 - 2021

Charles Grodin was born on April 21, 1935 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania United States, and died at age 86 years old on May 18, 2021 in Wilton, CT. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Charles Grodin.

Charles Grodin

April 21, 1935

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

May 18, 2021

Wilton, Connecticut, 06897, United States

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Charles Grodin Charles Grodin (1935 - 2021)

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Charles Grodin's History: 1935 - 2021

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Introduction

Charles Grodin Born April 21, 1935 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Died May 18, 2021 in Wilton, Connecticut, USA (cancer) Birth Name Charles Grodinsky Height 6' 1" (1.85 m) Charles Grodin was born on April 21, 1935 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was an actor and writer, known for Midnight Run (1988), King Kong (1976), The Heartbreak Kid (1972), and Beethoven (1993), among many other roles. He was married to Elissa Durwood since July 1983. They have one child. He was previously married to Julia Ferguson. Spouse (2) Elissa Durwood (July 1983 - present) ( 1 child) Julia Ferguson (? - 1968) ( divorced) ( 1 child) Employed petulant loutishness as a guest on various talk shows. Seemingly miffed or angry, his act was strictly tongue-in-cheek as he lobbed offensive verbal attacks at his hosts Frequently portrayed uptight, bland, and world-weary white-collar professionals Deep smooth voice His wife, Elissa Durwood Grodin, is an author. Was close friends with actor Gene Wilder, who wanted Grodin to play the role of Charles/Pierre in Start the Revolution Without Me (1970), but Grodin declined, having committed to directing the original Broadway production of Lovers and Other Strangers (1970). Daughter with Julia Ferguson: Marion Grodin. Son with Elissa Durwood: Nick Grodin. Admitted in a 2006 interview on Late Show with David Letterman (1993) that the surly attitude he adopts on talk shows is an act he developed in order to be a more interesting guest. According to Grodin, he was scheduled to make his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) in 1973, and was to be in the segment immediately following Diana Ross performing a medley of her hits. Realizing that he would bomb if he followed her as himself, he adopted this churlish character who has little patience for the questions of the host. Carson loved it and it became his trademark. Attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. He later studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. A longtime resident of Fairfield County's Wilton, Connecticut. [May 2007] His father, Theodore Isadore Grodin, was born in Pennsylvania, to Russian Jewish parents. His mother, Lena (Singer), was a Jewish emigrant from Yanov, Tatsinsky District, Russia (her father was born in Brest, Belarus, and her mother was born in Poland). His direction of "Lovers and Other Strangers" introduced him to Elaine May, who became his 'professional benefactor.' Elaine May cast him in The Heartbreak Kid (1972). Has appeared in three movies alongside Bonnie Hunt, He played her husband in Beethoven (1992) and in Beethoven's 2nd (1993) and they both appeared in Dave (1993) where he played Murray Blum and she played The White House Tour Guide and they share no screen time together in Dave.
04/21

1935

Birthday

April 21, 1935

Birthdate

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania United States

Birthplace

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Professional Career

An Imperfect Murder (2017) Arthur The Comedian (2016/III) Dick D'Angelo The New Yorker Presents (TV Series documentary 2016) Psychiatrist (1 episode, 2016) Madoff (TV Mini-Series 2016) Carl Shapiro (4 episodes, 2016) Louie (TV Series 2014-2015) Dr. Bigelow (5 episodes, 2014-2015) While We're Young (2014) Leslie Breitbart The Humbling (2014) Jerry The Michael J. Fox Show (TV Series 2013) Steve Henry (1 episode, 2013) Brazzaville Teen-Ager (Short 2013) Father Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series 2012) Brett Forrester (1 episode, 2012) The Ex (2006) Bob Kowalski It Runs in the Family (1994) Mr. Parker (The Old Man) Clifford (1994) Martin Daniels Beethoven's 2nd (1993) George Newton Heart and Souls (1993) Harrison Winslow So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993) Commandeered Driver Dave (1993) Murray Blum Beethoven (1992) George Newton Taking Care of Business (1990) Spencer The Magical World of Disney (TV Series 1990) Quentin Fitzwaller (1 episode, 1990) Cranium Command (Short 1989) Left Brain Midnight Run (1988) Jonathan Mardukas You Can't Hurry Love (1988) Mr. Glerman The Couch Trip (1988) George Maitlin Ishtar (1987) Jim Harrison American Playhouse (TV Series 1987) Lord Fancourt Babberly (1 episode, 1987) Fresno (TV Mini-Series 1986) Cane Kensington (5 episodes, 1986) Last Resort (1986) George Lollar Great Performances (TV Series 1985) Jake (1 episode, 1985) Movers & Shakers (1985) Herb Derman The Woman in Red (1984) Buddy The Lonely Guy (1984) Warren Charley's Aunt (TV Movie 1983) Lord Fancourt Babberly The Great Muppet Caper (1981) Nicky Holiday The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) Vance Kramer Seems Like Old Times (1980) Ira Parks It's My Turn (1980) Homer Sunburn (1979) Jake Real Life (1979) Warren Yeager DVM The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank (TV Movie 1978) Jim Benson Heaven Can Wait (1978) Tony Abbott Just Me and You (TV Movie 1978) Michael Lindsay It Happened One Christmas (TV Movie 1977) Joseph (voice) The Paul Simon Special (TV Special 1977) Charles Thieves (1977) Martin Cramer King Kong (1976) Fred Wilson 11 Harrowhouse (1974) Howard R. Chesser Bad Men of the West (TV Movie 1974) Arnie Doud, Harge Gang The Heartbreak Kid (1972) Lenny Cantrow Catch-22 (1970) Aarfy Aardvark Judd for the Defense (TV Series 1969) D.A. Tom Durant (1 episode, 1969) Rosemary's Baby (1968) Dr. Hill The Big Valley (TV Series 1968) Mark Dunigan (1 episode, 1968) N.Y.P.D. (TV Series 1967) Joey Diamond (1 episode, 1967) The Guns of Will Sonnett (TV Series 1967) Bells Pickering (1 episode, 1967) The Virginian (TV Series 1967) Arnie Doud (1 episode, 1967) Captain Nice (TV Series 1967) News Vendor (1 episode, 1967) The F.B.I. (TV Series 1967) Carl Platt (1 episode, 1967) Iron Horse (TV Series 1967) Alex (1 episode, 1967) Shane (TV Series 1966) Jed (2 episodes, 1966) The Felony Squad (TV Series 1966) Edgar (1 episode, 1966) The Trials of O'Brien (TV Series 1965) Peter Farnum (1 episode, 1965) My Mother the Car (TV Series 1965) Fred (1 episode, 1965) The Young Marrieds (TV Series 1965) Matt Crane Stevens #2 (65 episodes, 1965) Sex and the College Girl (1964) Bob The Defenders (TV Series 1962) Thomas Martin (1 episode, 1962) Play of the Week (TV Series 1961) (1 episode, 1961) Armstrong Circle Theatre (TV Series 1958) Phelps (1 episode, 1958) Decision (TV Series 1958) Young Hoodlum (1 episode, 1958) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) Drummer Boy (uncredited)
05/18

2021

Death

May 18, 2021

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

Wilton, Connecticut 06897, United States
Death location

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Obituary

Charles Grodin, Star of ‘Beethoven’ and ‘Heartbreak Kid,’ Dies at 86 A familiar face who was especially adept at deadpan comedy, he also appeared on Broadway in “Same Time, Next Year,” wrote books, and had his own talk show. The actor Charles Grodin with the title dog in the hit 1992 family movie “Beethoven.” “I don’t complain,” he said, “when the editor chooses my worst take because it’s the dog’s best take.” May 18, 2021 Charles Grodin, the versatile actor familiar from “Same Time, Next Year” on Broadway, popular movies like “The Heartbreak Kid,” “Midnight Run” and “Beethoven” and numerous television appearances, died on Tuesday at his home in Wilton, Conn. He was 86. His son, Nicholas, said the cause was bone marrow cancer. With a great sense of deadpan comedy and the kind of Everyman good looks that lend themselves to playing businessmen or curmudgeonly fathers, Mr. Grodin found plenty of work as a supporting player and the occasional lead. He also had his own talk show for a time in the 1990s and was a frequent guest on the talk shows of others, making 36 appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and more than 40 on David Letterman’s NBC and CBS shows combined. Mr. Grodin was a writer as well, with a number of plays and books to his credit. Though he never won a prestige acting award, he did win a writing Emmy for a 1977 Paul Simon television special, sharing it with Mr. Simon and six others. Mr. Grodin, who dropped out of the University of Miami to pursue acting, had managed to land a smattering of stage and television roles when, in 1962, he received his first big break, landing a part in a Broadway comedy called “Tchin-Tchin” that starred Anthony Quinn and Margaret Leighton. “Walter Kerr called me impeccable,” Mr. Grodin wrote years later, recalling a review of the show that appeared in The New York Times. “It took a trip to the dictionary to understand he meant more than clean.” Another Broadway appearance came in 1964 in “Absence of a Cello.” Mr. Grodin’s next two Broadway credits were as a director, of “Lovers and Other Strangers” in 1968 and “Thieves” in 1974. Then, in 1975, came a breakthrough Broadway role opposite Ellen Burstyn in Bernard Slade’s “Same Time, Next Year,” a durable two-hander about a man and woman, each married to someone else, who meet once a year in the same inn room. “The play needs actors of grace, depth, and accomplishment, and has found them in Ellen Burstyn and Charles Grodin,” Clive Barnes wrote in a rave in The Times. “Miss Burstyn is so real, so lovely and so womanly that a man wants to hug her, and you hardly notice the exquisite finesse of her acting. It is underplaying of sheer virtuosity. Mr. Grodin is every bit her equal — a monument to male insecurity, gorgeously inept, and the kind of masculine dunderhead that every decent man aspires to be.” The show ran for three and a half years, with an ever-changing cast; the two original stars left after seven months. Mr. Grodin by that point was in demand in Hollywood. Mr. Grodin starred with Eddie Albert and Cybill Shepherd in the comic romance “The Heartbreak Kid” (1972), one of his best-known films. He had already appeared in Mike Nichols’s “Catch-22” in 1970 and had turned in one of his better-known film performances in the 1972 comic romance “The Heartbreak Kid,” in which he played a self-absorbed sporting goods salesman who marries in haste, immediately loses interest in his bride (Jeannie Berlin), and falls in love with another woman (Cybill Shepherd) on his honeymoon. (Elaine May, Mr. Nichols’s longtime comedy partner, and Ms. Berlin’s mother, directed.) In 1978 he had a supporting role in the Warren Beatty vehicle “Heaven Can Wait.” Another signature role was in the action-comedy “Midnight Run” in 1988, in which Mr. Grodin played an accountant who has embezzled a fortune from the mob and is being pursued by a bounty hunter, played by Robert De Niro. Though Mr. Grodin acted opposite stars like Mr. De Niro and Mr. Beatty, what may have been his best-known role found him working with a dog. The film was “Beethoven,” a family-friendly hit in 1992, and the dog was a St. Bernard; Mr. Grodin played a cranky father who did not exactly warm to the new household pet. In one memorable scene, he crawls into bed with what he thinks is his wife and is enjoying having the back of his neck licked until he realizes that the dog, not the wife, is his bedmate. “You’ve ruined my life,” he growls at the beast. “You’ve ruined my furniture. You’ve ruined my clothes. My family likes you more than they like me. Why? All you do is drool and shed and eat.” The next year he reprised the role in “Beethoven’s 2nd.” If he was frequently upstaged by the title character in these films, he took it in stride. “I don’t complain when the editor chooses my worst take because it’s the dog’s best take,” he told The Kansas City Star when the sequel came out. Charles Sidney Grodin was born on April 21, 1935, in Pittsburgh. His father, Ted, was a merchant who dealt in sewing notions, and his mother, Lena (Singer) Grodin, was a homemaker. He grew up in Pittsburgh and tried the University of Pittsburgh, thinking he might want to be a journalist. But, he wrote in a 2011 essay for Backstage magazine, he soon rejected that idea. “I imagined that someday an editor might tell me to ask someone who had lost a loved one how they felt,” he wrote. “I see that all the time on the news now. Not for me.” He often said that the 1951 movie “A Place in the Sun,” which starred Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, caused him to shift his focus to acting. “It was two things,” he told the Television Academy Foundation in oral history. “One is I think I developed an overwhelming crush on Elizabeth Taylor. And two, Montgomery Clift made acting look like, ‘Gee, well that looks pretty easy — just a guy talking.’” Mr. Grodin had a signature role in “Midnight Run” (1988), in which he played an accountant who has embezzled a fortune from the mob and Robert De Niro played the bounty hunter who pursued him. Mr. Grodin had a signature role in “Midnight Run” (1988), in which he played an accountant who has embezzled a fortune from the mob and Robert De Niro played the bounty hunter who pursued him.Credit...City Light Films After six months at the University of Miami, he worked at the Pittsburgh Playhouse for a year and a half, then found his way to New York. From 1956 to 1959 he studied with Uta Hagen, though he often found himself questioning her methods, which he said annoyed her. Mr. Grodin made guest appearances on “Shane,” “The Virginian” and other 1960s TV series before landing his first significant film role, as an obstetrician, in the 1968 horror hit “Rosemary’s Baby.” In 1976 he played an unlikable oilman in a remake of “King Kong,” with some reluctance. “I wanted to play the love interest with Jessica Lange,” he said. “I didn’t want to be the guy responsible for the death of the most beloved animal outside of Bambi. But they wanted me for the bad guy.” By popular demand, his character meets a gruesome end. “The only thing they changed after the first screening, I was told, is when Kong got loose and tried to step on me and kill me and missed,” he said, “the audience was so disappointed that they had to recut it.” Mr. Grodin in 2000, not long after his CNBC talk show ended its run. “They brought me in there to be a humorist,” he said, “but pretty quickly I got caught up in social issues.” Mr. Grodin in 2000, not long after his CNBC talk show ended its run. “They brought me in there to be a humorist,” he said, “but pretty quickly I got caught up in social issues.”Credit...Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times Mr. Grodin showed a different side in the mid-1990s when he hosted “The Charles Grodin Show” on CNBC. “They brought me in there to be a humorist,” he said in the oral history, “but pretty quickly I got caught up in social issues, and the show became just as much that, if not dominantly that. Some people like it better when you’re funny, and some people prefer that you’re taking cameras up to prisons and trying to help people who shouldn’t be in prison.” Nicholas Grodin said his father was particularly proud of his work for the Innocence Project, the prison justice organization, and related causes, and his work for groups that help homeless people. After his talk show ended in 1998, Mr. Grodin largely stepped away from show business for a dozen years. Then he began to take roles again, including a recurring one on “Louie,” the comedian Louis C.K.’s series. Mr. Grodin wrote several memoirs full of anecdotes from his career, including “It Would Be So Nice if You Weren’t Here: My Journey Through Show Business” (1989) and “We’re Ready for You, Mr. Grodin: Behind the Scenes at Talk Shows, Movies and Elsewhere” (1994). His first marriage, to Julie Ferguson, ended in divorce. In 1983 he married Elissa Durwood, who survives him, along with his son, who is from his second marriage; a daughter from his first marriage, the comedian Marion Grodin; and a granddaughter. A 1985 anecdote Mr. Grodin related on Mr. Letterman’s show was typical of the breath of fresh, if offbeat, the air he brought to those appearances. He told Mr. Letterman he had been gratified when, walking through the lobby on his way to the studio, the crowd lined up to get into the show burst into applause. “I turned around to smile,” he said, “and they weren’t applauding me. There was a duck in a tuxedo walking by, and they were applauding the duck. “But,” he added, “for the moment that I thought they were applauding me, it was a lovely, lovely moment.” He offered no explanation for the presence of the duck.

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12 Memories, Stories & Photos about Charles

Daniel Pinna

9.25k+ favorites

05/19/2021

I had no idea Charles had died until I saw this alert. I first took notice of him in his acting role in The Great Muppet Caper (1981) movie where he played a jewel stealing villain that fell in love with Miss Piggy. RIP Charles.

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