Charles Grodin
Born
April 21, 1935
Died
May 18, 2021 (86 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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.
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Known For
Charles Grodin: Rebel With a Cause
2025
Waiting for Ishtar
Self
2017
An Imperfect Murder
Arthur
2017
The Comedian
Dick D'Angelo
2016
Madoff
Carl Shapiro · (4 episodes)
2016
While We're Young
Leslie Breitbart
2015
The Humbling
Jerry
2014
The Michael J. Fox Show
Steve Henry · (1 episode)
2013
Brazzaville Teen-Ager
Father
2013
Char·ac·ter
Self
2012
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
(archive footage)
2012
The Harmony Game
Self
2011
Paul Simon and Friends | The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
Self
2007
The Ex
Bob Kowalski
2006
The Ultimate Collection starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 70s and 80s
2002
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Brett Forrester · (1 episode)
1999
The Daily Show
Self · (1 episode)
1996
The World of Jim Henson
Nicky Holiday (archive footage)
1994
It Runs in the Family
Mr. Parker (The Old Man)
1994
Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
Chaz
1994
Clifford
Martin Daniels
1994
Beethoven's 2nd
George Newton
1993
Heart and Souls
Harrison Winslow
1993
So I Married an Axe Murderer
Commandeered Car Driver
1993
Dave
Murray Blum
1993
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
Narrator (Voice) · (1 episode)
1992
Beethoven
George Newton
1992
Taking Care of Business
Spencer Barnes
1990
The Muppets at Walt Disney World
Quentin Fitzwaller
1990
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
(1 episode)
1988
Midnight Run
Jonathan Mardukas aka “The Duke”
1988
You Can't Hurry Love
Mr. Glerman
1988
The Couch Trip
George Matlin
1988
Ishtar
Jim Harrison
1987
Fresno
Cane Kensington · (5 episodes)
1986
King Kong! The Living Legend
Self
1986
Last Resort
George Lollar
1986
Movers & Shakers
Herb Derman
1985
The Woman in Red
Buddy
1984
The Lonely Guy
Warren
1984
Charley's Aunt
Lord Fancourt Babberly
1983
Night of 100 Stars
Self
1982
The Great Muppet Caper
Nicky Holiday
1981
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
Vance Kramer
1981
Seems Like Old Times
Ira Parks
1980
It's My Turn
Homer
1980
Sunburn
Jake
1979
Real Life
Warren Yeager
1979
The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank
Jim Benson
1978
Heaven Can Wait
Tony Abbott
1978
Just Me and You
Michael Lindsay
1978
The Meanest Men in the West
Arnie Doud, Harge Gang
1978
It Happened One Christmas
Joseph
1977
The Paul Simon Special
Self
1977
Thieves
Martin Cramer
1977
King Kong
Fred S. Wilson
1976
Laverne & Shirley
(1 episode)
1976
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host · (1 episode)
1975
11 Harrowhouse
Howard R. Chesser
1974
The Heartbreak Kid
Lenny Cantrow
1972
Great Performances
Jake · (1 episode)
1971
The Great American Dream Machine
Himself · (34 episodes)
1971
Catch-22
Captain Aarfy Aardvark
1970
Simon and Garfunkel: Songs of America
Self
1969
Rosemary's Baby
Dr. Hill
1968
Judd for the Defense
(1 episode)
1967
The Guns of Will Sonnett
Bells Pickering · (1 episode)
1967
Captain Nice
News Vendor · (1 episode)
1967
Felony Squad
(1 episode)
1966
Shane
Jed · (2 episodes)
1966
The F.B.I.
Carl Platt · (1 episode)
1965
The Big Valley
Mark Dunigan · (1 episode)
1965
My Mother the Car
(1 episode)
1965
The Young Marrieds
Matt Crane Stevens · (2 episodes)
1964
Sex and the College Girl
Bob
1964
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self · (5 episodes)
1962
The Virginian
Arnie Doud · (1 episode)
1962
The Defenders
Thomas Martin · (1 episode)
1961
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Drummer Boy (uncredited)
1954