The New York Times reports that Charles Grodin—the actor known for his roles in films like The Heartbreak Kid, Midnight Run, and Beethoven—has died from bone marrow cancer at his home in Connecticut. His son, Nicholas, confirmed the news. Grodin was 86.
Charles Grodin’s big film break came in 1968 when he played the obstetrician in Rosemary’s Baby. A few years later, he played the leading role in The Heartbreak Kid in 1972. Some of his other film credits include: Catch-22, Heaven Can Wait, The Lonely Guy, All Of Me, The Great Muppet Caper, The Woman In Red, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, Seems Like Old Times, and many, many others.
The actor, who delivered deadpan comedy with ease, also was a longtime lover of talk shows. He had his own talk show for a while and made nearly 40 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and made 17 appearances on Late Night With David Letterman.
Grodin also had a long list of Broadway roles under his belt. In 1962, he scored a part in Tchin-Tchin. He was also in 1964’s Absence Of A Cello and 1975’s Same Time, Next Year, and he served as Broadway director for Lovers And Other Strangers in 1968 and Thieves in 1974. His career was as much about writing and directing as it was about appearing in front of the camera. He chronicled his many show business adventures in memoirs like 1990’s It Would Be So Nice If You Weren’t Here (the title was inspired by a comment someone said to him on the set of 1974’s 11 Harrowhouse) and 2009’s How I Got To Be Whoever It Is I Am.
He is survived by his wife, Elissa, and two children.
142 Comments
It’s a small role, but his part in So I Married an Axe Murderer bumps that movie up at least half a letter grade.
I’m sorry. Did someone forget The Great Muppet Caper???? The man was a genius.
It gets overlooked because of the controversy around his affair with Miss Piggy.https://www.vulture.com/2011/11/charles-grodin-affair-with-miss-piggy-muppets.html
If they did, they’ve corrected it.
I don’t think anyone but Grodin could have committed to that level of passion for a felt pig voiced by Frank Oz.
I don’t think anyone but Grodin could have committed to that level of passion for a felt pig voiced by Frank Oz.
I think we should put that question to Mrs. Oz.
She’s probably more of an Animal fan.
Starring everybody… !“… and me.”
Oh sure, add it in later and make me look like a doof. I SEE YOUR PLOY.
You can’t even sing! Your voice was dubbed!
That was the first thing I ever saw him in when I was a little kid. I remember being bemused as a child that a human man was so into Miss Piggy lol.
Absolute classic!
They got the Duke. 🙁
I just watched Midnight Run for the first time a few weeks ago and I already want to watch it again. What a fantastic movie.
Will be watching it tonight….I’ve got an ulcer, and all my kids’ bullshit is makin it bleed.
I literally learned about Chorizo from this movie.
Chorizo and Eggs?
Martin Brest directs Beverly Hills , Midnight Run, Scent of a Woman and Going in Style. Dude directs Gigli and hasn’t directed a mainstream film since. Still haven’t seen Gigli, but is it that bad to blackball a credible director. RIP Charles Grodin.
You ever had lyonnaise potatoes? They are these types of potatoes that are sautéed but then they have this onion thing added to them, and they are really, really delicious. They work well with any, uh, chicken or pork dish. You know I could set you up with lyonnaise potatoes for the rest of your life.
Siddown, relax, have a sandwich, drink a glass of milk, do some fuckin’ thing.
I was gonna say, Midnight Run! SUCH a fantastic movie! “I didn’t think I would get caught.” “Now that’s living in denial.”
Charles Grodin was 86?! I guess he was just perpetually ~48 in my mind.
In the movie Beethoven, he’s 57 years old and Bonnie Hunt is 31.
Well he sure doesn’t seem it! I think Grodin hit 30, plateaued for about thirty more years, and then began incrementally to age in a more realistic way. I’ll bet he looked pretty old at the end, though – bone marrow cancer will do that.
Don’t say that. You’ll give Barsanti a heart attack.
Bonnie Hunt was only 31?
I’m thinking the real question should be, What happened to Bonnie Hunt?
Yep! Grodin was born in 1935 and Hunt was born in 1961. The reason it’s so bizarre is that they really do seem basically the same age (early 40s, maybe?) in the movie.
Also well worth checking out is his book If I Only Knew Then, where he interviewed several of his peers about what they wish they’d known when they were younger and didn’t have any success.
He was amazing and hilarious in The Heartbreak Kid, but also in The Great Muppet Caper, Midnight Run, and (yes, I’ll go there) Ishtar.
He fucking kills in Clifford. And even in an otherwise tough to get through movie like Last Resort, he delivers the goods.
And King Kong! He’s legitimately great in King Kong!
I didn’t see “Real Life” mentioned but he’s so great in that, Albert Brooks was 20 years ahead of his time. Really anything from the 1970s with Grodin is going to be watchable at the very least. The SNL he hosted is hilarious.
Real Life is seriously underrated, as well as a glimpse into the future (or should I say present).
When “reality tv” started to be a thing, I kept thinking that it would not ever be as ridiculous as Albert Brooks’ Real Life. I mean, sure I was wrong, pretty soon, but at least reality shows don’t use those hilarious camera suits.(Do they?)
I haven’t seen that one, actually! But I’m a big fan of Brooks (Modern Love and Lost in America are both masterpieces) and Grodin, so I’ll have to check it out in his honor. Thanks for the rec!
(yes, I’ll go there) Ishtar. Oh, I’m there with you. He was wonderful in Ishtar, and that movie is damn good. I remember all the flack about how much it cost and how Elaine May messed it up (she didn’t). But … I mean, it didn’t cost me 51 million to see it, I only paid six bucks.
I think Elaine May said something about how if she had a nickel for everyone who complained about that movie but hadn’t actually seen it, she’d be rich.Now, I’m not saying there aren’t people out there who have seen it and legitimately don’t like it. Humor’s very subjective, so I totally believe those people are real. But dammit if I won’t go to the end of time saying, “no, this wasn’t one of the worst movies ever made, in fact it was freaking hilarious.” And Grodin’s agent was a huuuuuuge part of that; his deadpan and comic timing were impeccable.
The Lonely Guy is so good. He is perfect as the best friend. Those cardboard cutout friends they used for parties were ahead of their time.
One of my favorite comedies of the 80s, and I feel like it doesn’t get discussed nearly enough!
My mom loved him in that, it was seriously one of her favorite all-time performances.
Yes! Grodin was soooo good in The Lonely Guy.
P.S. “That *was* your dog’s poop… I saw him do it.”
Underrated classic…I laugh every time he asks Steve Martin if his fern wants to shake hands with Grodin’s fern…lol
Why did you leave the Chicago Police Dept., Jack? ….. Jack, why did you leave the Chicago Police Dept.?
I’m saying… if I were your accountant.
So you’re aware of your behaviour.Yet you continue to do things that aren’t good for you.That sounds sort of foolish. Don’t you think?
Jack, cigarettes are killers.
Rest in peace.
I’m sorry, calling Grodin a “Beethoven star” is like calling Christopher Walken a “Kangaroo Jack” star. Do better.
beethoven is a beloved family classic and, for a certain age group, was probably their introduction to him. if anything it’s ‘the country bears’ christopher walken.
God help Judge Reinhold when he dies. He’ll be known as the other Beethoven guy.
Excellent Simpsons reference.
Nah, he’ll always be known as the guy who wacked off to Phoebe Cates (which could also be said about most teen boys from the early 80’s).
Yeah, but only Judge Reinhold can claim to have done it only a few yards away from Phoebe Cates, with only a bathroom wall between them.
For people of a certain age, he’ll always be the Beverly Hills Cop and got caught jerking off in one of the most iconic pool exit scenes in all of cinema ever guy.
To me, he’ll always be the ‘Pirate seafood delivery guy’ from Fast Times…or was it the ‘Guy masturbating to Phoebe Cates at a pool party’ from Fast Times…?
Anyone that remembers any other person in that scene except for Phoebe Cates isn’t watching movies correctly.
I’m pretty he’ll be remembered as Judge Judge Reinhold, who presided over Dante’s case in Clerks: The Animated Series.
Also Judge Judge Reinhold from Mock Trial with J. Reinhold on Arrested Development.
Or “the psychiatrist who wanted a weenie whistle in The Santa Clause.”Or this:
He’ll always be The Santa Clause guy to me. “He’s dragging us into his delusions!”
“Do better.”
Yeah! He’s not the star just because he’s the only actor whose name was ABOVE THE FUCKING TITLE.
Maybe YOU ought to do better.
Oh shut up you pompous ass. To me he is a Beethoven star. I used to love his performance in these movies as a kid. And then I saw some of his other stuff.
Do not take your lack of culture out on me.
Elitist prick.
Uncultured swine
If you’re under 40 you probably ONLY know him from Beethoven unless you’re a cinephile. Sorry, he really was in the nadir of his career after 50 more or less.
Sure, if Walken was most known for Kangaroo Jack.
Shout out for Neil Simon’s “Seems Like Old Times”. Back when there was only a handful of channels, it was a delight to run across on a Saturday afternoon.I also remember watching his talk show because I was a fan and back in the day, I used to let a lot of different talk shows run on what I would now call a second screen.RIP
I made Chicken Pepperoni for my wife just two weeks ago.
I’m not yelling at you! I’m SCREAMING at you! We need chicken pepperoni, and we need it now!
This is the movie I know him from. It wasn’t that long ago we were talking about it and I said, “Isn’t that the movie where the housekeeper has to go get her feet scraped?” When you have Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase in a movie, the fact that you can remember who played the fifth wheel current husband is something.
I just picked up the collectors edition blu ray of King Kong ‘76 and he’s so great in that.
I did as well. This feels appropriate.
He was also fantastic in a small role in Dave, as the title character’s best friend.
RIP to a deadpan legend. I can’t believe he was well into his 80’s. He looked around the same age as De Niro in Midnight Run, even though he was almost a decade older.
As funny as I think all of Mike Meyer’s ‘So I Married an Axe Murderer’ is, Grodin still steals the film with his cameo. That’s saying a lot about a movie with Phil Hartman in it.
Came here for this…
…yes.
It’s a testament to his greatness, given how memorable he was in that movie with only like 40 seconds of screen time. At that unfortunate time that Alan Arkin passes, I’ll similarly go to his scenes with Anthony LaPaglia, which in my opinion are the best thing about the movie. “A quorum?!”
Just that damn look Grodin gives LaPaglia when he’s thumping on the dash!
“This bothers you?”“No, it’s one of my favorite things.” [side eye glare]
“I happen to know for a fact you don’t have the right to comandeer my vehicle.”
Oh I totally agree. His deadpan is legendary.
Definitely didn’t “steal” the film but it was a fun scene.
Great actor – loved him in everything I saw. I also highly recommend his autobiography, “It Would Be So Nice if You Weren’t Here.” Great read and the story behind the title is perfect!
I happened to be watching “The Late Show with David Letterman” when he was on, promoting that. He told the story of the origin of the book’s title, and I’ve never forgotten it. It was hilarious.
I just looked that up. Not on Kindle and the main price showing on Amazon (I’m sure it was hardback, but I didn’t notice) was 902 freaking dollars!I feel like it was probably only about 20-30 dollars yesterday. (I’m sure I can find it somewhere else for a reasonable price, possibly even on Amazon. I just did a quick search because I was going to put it on my wishlist.)
It’s good, but it’s not $902 good! Your hunch is even better than you think – I used an Amazon price tracker and it showed that a used paperback copy was $9.95 for months…and after his death, it jumped to $809.
That’s insane! I will definitely have to find it elsewhere.
Well that’s depressing. I always think of Midnight Run when I think of Charles Grodin. And sadly, Yaphet Kotto died a couple of months ago and he was so good in Midnight Run too.My favorite scene from Midnight Run…whenever I get on a plane, I can’t help but think “These things go down! These things go down!”
I hope he’s having a nice plate of chorizo and eggs.RIP
LOVE Charles Grodin. His prickly appearances on with Johnny Carson and David Letterman were so great. Talk about cringe comedy, he was just a master. You just watched the discomfort and giggled. RIP
For my money, the one time he hosted Saturday Night Live might be the best episode the show ever produced. Front-to-back hilarious and the commitment to the bit is genius.
Jesus I don’t even remember that! Now I’ve got to find it.
I enjoyed his appearances on Letterman.And Dana Carvey’s impression:
He and Martin Short were a legendary comedy duo in the underrated modern comedy classic CLIFFORD.
Uncle Martin!!!
I’m gonna ask the lovely Miss Sarah Davis to marry me, and maybe then she’ll take me to DINOSAUR WORLD!
What’s a face-lift??
Grodin was a great supporting actor, with is general demeanor and subtle wit allowing his to play the straight man or the wing man to the leads. However, he could still rock it as the leading man in the right role. He was perfect in The Heartbreak Kid.The obit mentions, but generally glosses over, his involvement in talk shows and his long career (or maybe it was a hobby) as a political commentator. I thought his talk show was top-notch, easily on par with Charlie Rose. He had a genuine interest in the people he interviewed and asked the same questions I would have asked. I always left feeling a little smarter than I did before I tuned in.
I’ll go so far as to say the Heartbreak Kid is superior to the Graduate. For me it’s certainly aged better, feeling more and more like a 21st century rejoinder to that film’s dated view on male entitlement. I simply love that film, and wish Criterion would release it.
Such a travesty that the original can only be seen on YouTube while the Farrelly remake has near permanent homes on streaming and cable. The scene where Eddie Albert tries to get rid of him is marvelous. He and Grodin were terrific.
My favorite scene is where Grodin asks for a divorce from his newlywed wife. Up to then the film has been tacitly setting up Grodin as the protagonist by loading his wife with annoying ticks and things. But then he asks for a divorce, and you see how beneath her quirk, she was a goodhearted person who geniunely loved him, and has been shattered, and it also implicates us the viewer for being complicit in his shallow appraisal of her. Which is why I think the film is so much better than the Graduate, where that asshole Ben Braddock gets everything he wants despite wrecking a marriage to do it. The Heartbreak Kid is far more caustic in its appraisal of male entitlement and makes it clear that in the end, Grodin’s character doesn’t deserve happiness, and he doesn’t find it.
Note to self: time to watch “The Heartbreak Kid”. I keep forgetting!
the rights are owned by a pharmaceutical company. it’s ethical to pirate it!
Grodin was a very odd guy, but a great character actor. It took major balls to play such a jerk in The Heartbreak Kid. I think that’s his most memorable performance. He was good at making you cringe while you laughed.
It took major balls to play such a jerk in The Heartbreak Kid. The man had acting chops to spare and never cared how he came off in a role like that (maybe he liked it, I don’t know). They remade that a few years back with Ben Stiller, and though I never saw it, the trailer and reviews made it clear that they thought the story would be a fun, wacky comedy with slapstick. Jesus….
So very sad. Doctor to Louie C.K. To say he did deadpan well is an understatement. R.I.P.
That’s what I was going to bring up, perhaps because it’s the most recent work of his I’ve seen.
Aw man. I just bought the ‘76 King Kong on Blu Ray and watched it the other day. He’s fantastically slimy in that movie. A great talent.Also very very funny in the Paul Simon special from 1978. He plays a hapless but well-meaning director of the special-in-the-making.
Loved his cameo in So I Married an Axe Murderer.
My enduring memory of Charles Grodin was from college, when my roommates and I were sitting around and for some reason his talk show came on, and there’s no guest, and he’s just looking at the camera and monitor saying “Look at me, I look great! I should have my own facial cream!” And just kept going on about how good he looked at his age, at that point in the late 90s.My other real standout memory was from his small role in the movie Dave, where he’s eating a potato chips like someone who had never eaten or even scene a potato chip before. He’s holding it like his hand is a paw, with all his fingers and thumb making contact with the chip, takes a tiny nibble, and puts the mostly-uneaten chip down.
I recently saw him as the young sleazy Gynecologist in Rosemary’s Baby. He was so handsome and funny, it’s impossible to not be charmed by him. Poor Rosemary…
That was my introduction to him and I could never really get past what he did to poor Rosemary.
And another:
The older I get (in your face, science!) , the more I believe that Midnight Run might be as close to perfect as a movie can get, and Grodin was one of the main reasons for that. RIP…
He also won an Emmy in 1978 for writing on the Paul Simon Special: https://www.emmys.com/bios/charles-grodin
Possibly lesser-known brilliant Charles Grodin moment:From “Ishtar” (Imagine it in his voice):“We did NOT fire on two Americans in the desert. We did NOT. Who told you that? The Secretary of State? Well, how would he know?”I miss him already.
My mind is blown that he was 86. I would’ve said 70 at the most. That means he was in his late 50s when he was the Beethoven dad.
I still think about his cameo in “So I Married An Axe Murderer” all the time.
R.I.P. Grodin was in so many of my favorite comedies when I was a kid. It seemed he was everywhere in the 1980s.
Uncle Martin. RIP. I’m sure his nephew Clifford is still will be sending his letters of apology to heaven now.
I know him from:
Hysterical as Louie’s doctor on Louie as well, although we’re not supposed to talk about it anymore.
I’ll always remember him for his time on 60 Minutes 2.Not really, but I haven’t yet heard one person bring up the period where they tried to make him B-Team Andy Rooney.(I know, I know, you have two words for me…)
One hand, it’s slightly unfair so many people my age only know him from The Great Muppet Caper. Other hand, he’s so good in it, I also don’t blame them for that.
“Why am I doing this? Because I’m a villain. It’s pretty plain and simple.”
For a second I thought Sean Michaels died!
I was just watching 11 Harrowhouse last week, and looked up Grodin and was surprised he was still alive, and now he isn’t. Little spooky. He was really good in the movie, as well, where he was surrounded by the very British James Mason, John Geilgud and Trevor Howard. Also, was both funny and incredibly sinister in Catch-22. Actually, I can’t remember him being bad in anything. RIP.
King Kong 1976 version!
He was the absolute master of the deadpan stare. No one did it better. RIP.
He was brilliant in the 1986 comedy mini-series “Fresno”. Fresno was a spoof of the then popular Dallas prime time soap opera. There were a lot of funny people in this but his role as the head of the Kensington family stole the show. I still remember the classic speech he gave about “knowing where everybody’s mama is” and it cracks me up every time I think of it. R.I.P. Charles.
Made everything he was in better. Absolute legendary deadpan. This sucks.
I picture him now crossing the River Styx, badgering the ferryman about his smoking, lyonnaise potatoes, and why he’s not popular with the Chicago police department.RIP.
None of the obits are mentioning Clifford, and that’s criminal.
The In-Laws, which may be the funniest movie that not enough people have seen.Dave. (The power of a pastrami sandwich with the good mustard.)
For anyone else, these would lead their obituary. For Grodin, they are afterthoughts? Dude was THAT good.
I love Midnight Run because of course I do. I watched it recently and was struck by how many uses of the F word there were. Always used right, and usually funny, but I wonder if the movie were made today if they would still do that. I mean, it was rated R and today that might have hurt the box office.Grodin was so, so good in Rosemary’s Baby! a very small part, but the doctor he played thought he was doing the right thing and his face, throughout his interactions with Rosemary, revealed only kindness and concern. It was a fine line, because you are set up to believe he might be an active part of the coven, but… nah. Just a doctor trying to help a hysterical woman…
meh. white dude, don’t care.
He deserves more than just some blurb someone made by copying info from Wikipedia. His work in the late 70s and 80s was amazing and really influenced a lot of comedy and comedians in the decades to come. To put “Beethoven” in the headline suggest the author of this only knew him from a kids’ movie and doesn’t realize the extent of his influence. AV Club should be better than this for someone who contributed so much to the “AV” world.