Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director and screenwriter. With a film career spanning seven decades, Arkin is known for his performances in The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming ; Wait Until Dark ; The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter ; Popi ; Catch-22 ; The In-Laws ; Edward Scissorhands ; The Rocketeer ; Glengarry Glen Ross ; Thirteen Conversations About One Thing ; Little Miss Sunshine ; Get Smart ; Sunshine Cleaning ; and Argo.
He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor twice, for his performances in The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming and The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Little Miss Sunshine and received critical praise and a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance in Argo.
Early life
Arkin was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on March 26, 1934, the son of David I. Arkin, a painter and writer, and his wife, Beatrice, a teacher. He was raised in a Jewish family with "no emphasis on religion". His grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Ukraine, Russia, and Germany. His parents moved to Los Angeles when Alan was 11, but an 8-month Hollywood strike cost his father his job as a set designer. During the 1950s Red Scare, Arkin's parents were accused of being Communists, and his father was fired when he refused to answer questions about his political ideology. David Arkin challenged the dismissal, but he was vindicated only after his death.Career
Early work
Arkin, who had been taking acting lessons since age 10, became a scholarship student at various drama academies, including one run by the Stanislavsky student Benjamin Zemach, who taught Arkin a psychological approach to acting. Arkin attended Los Angeles City College from 1951 to 1953. He also attended Bennington College. With two friends, he formed the folk music group The Tarriers, in which Arkin sang and played guitar. The band members co-composed the group's 1956 hit "The Banana Boat Song", a reworking, with some new lyrics, of a traditional, Jamaican calypso folk song of the same name, combined with another titled "Hill and Gully Rider". It reached #4 on the Billboard magazine chart the same year as Harry Belafonte's better-known hit version. The group appeared in the 1957 Calypso-exploitation film Calypso Heat Wave, singing "Banana Boat Song" and "Choucoune".From 1958 to 1968, Arkin performed and recorded with the children's folk group, The Baby Sitters. He also performed the role of Dr. Pangloss in a concert staging of Leonard Bernstein's operetta Candide, alongside Madeline Kahn's Cunegonde. Arkin was an early member of the Second City comedy troupe in the 1960s.
Acting
Arkin is one of only six actors to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his first screen appearance. Two years later, he was again nominated, for The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.In 1968, he appeared in the title role of Inspector Clouseau after Peter Sellers dissociated himself from the role, but the film was not well received by Sellers' fans. Arkin and his second wife Barbara Dana appeared together on the 1970–1971 season of Sesame Street as a comical couple named Larry and Phyllis who resolve their conflicts when they remember how to pronounce the word "cooperate."
Arkin and Dana later appeared together again in 1987 on the ABC sitcom Harry, which was canceled after four low-rated episodes.
His best known films include Wait Until Dark as the erudite killer stalking Audrey Hepburn; The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming as the leader of the landing party from the stranded Soviet submarine, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, as Yossarian, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Little Murders, The In-Laws, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Little Miss Sunshine, for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar; and Argo. His portrayal of Dr. Oatman, a scared and emotionally conflicted psychiatrist treating John Cusack's hit man character Martin Q. Blank in Grosse Point Blank was also well received.
His role in Little Miss Sunshine, as Grandfather Edwin, who was foul-mouthed and had a taste for snorting heroin, won him the BAFTA Film Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. On receiving his Academy Award on February 25, 2007, Arkin said, "More than anything, I'm deeply moved by the open-hearted appreciation our small film has received, which in these fragmented times speaks so openly of the possibility of innocence, growth, and connection". At 72 years old, Arkin was the sixth oldest winner of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
In 2006–2007, Arkin was cast in supporting roles in Rendition as a U.S. Senator and as Bud Newman.
On Broadway, Arkin starred in Enter Laughing and Luv. He also directed The Sunshine Boys, among others.
Directing
In 1969, Arkin's directorial debut was the Oscar-nominated 12-minute children's film titled People Soup, starring his sons Adam and Matthew Arkin. Based on a story of the same name he published in Galaxy Science Fiction in 1958, People Soup is a fantasy about two boys who experiment with various kitchen ingredients until they concoct a magical soup which transforms them into different animals and objects.His most acclaimed directorial effort is Little Murders, released in 1971. Written by cartoonist Jules Feiffer, it is a black comedy film starring Elliott Gould and Marcia Rodd about a girl, Patsy, who brings home her boyfriend, Alfred, to meet her severely dysfunctional family amidst a series of random shootings, garbage strikes and electrical outages ravaging the neighborhood. The film opened to a lukewarm review by Roger Greenspan, and a more positive one by Vincent Canby in the New York Times. Roger Ebert's review in the Chicago Sun Times was more enthusiastic, saying, "One of the reasons it works and is indeed a definitive reflection of America's darker moods, is that it breaks audiences down into isolated individuals, vulnerable and uncertain."
Arkin also directed Fire Sale, Samuel Beckett Is Coming Soon and Arigo.
Writing
Arkin is the author of many books, including Tony's Hard Work Day, The Lemming Condition, Halfway Through the Door: An Actor's Journey Toward Self, and The Clearing. He has released two memoirs, An Improvised Life and Out of My Mind.Singing
In 1985, he sang two selections by Jones & Schmidt on Ben Bagley's album Contemporary Broadway Revisited.Accolades
In 2014, Arkin received the Gregory Peck Award for Cinematic Excellence to honor his life's work at the San Diego Film Festival.Personal life
Arkin has been married three times, with two ending in divorce. He and Jeremy Yaffe have two sons: Adam Arkin, born August 19, 1956, and Matthew Arkin, born March 21, 1960. He was married to actress-screenwriter Barbara Dana from 1964 to 1994: she appeared with him in segments of the TV Show Sesame Street in the 1970s. They lived in Chappaqua, New York. In 1967, they had son Anthony Dana Arkin. In 1996, Arkin married psychotherapist Suzanne Newlander, whose surname he adopted for his character Norman Newlander in The Kominsky Method. They live in Carlsbad, California.Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 1957 | Calypso Heat Wave | Tarriers lead singer | |
| 1963 | That's Me | Short film; also writer | |
| 1966 | ' | Lt. Rozanov | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated—BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles Nominated—Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor Nominated—Laurel Award for Top Male Comedy Performance Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor |
| 1966 | The Last Mohican | Mr. Ableman | Short film; also writer |
| 1967 | Woman Times Seven | Fred | segment: The Suicides |
| 1967 | Wait Until Dark | Roat Harry Roat Jr. Harry Roat Sr. | |
| 1968 | Inspector Clouseau | Inspector Jacques Clouseau | |
| 1968 | ' | John Singer | Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated—Laurel Award for Top Male Dramatic Performance |
| 1969 | Popi | Abraham Rodriguez | Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama |
| 1969 | ' | Garbage man in commercial | Cameo |
| 1969 | People Soup | Adam | Also writer and director; Oscar nominee |
| 1970 | Catch-22 | Capt. John Yossarian | Nominated—Laurel Award for Top Male Dramatic Performance Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor |
| 1971 | Little Murders | Lt. Miles Practice | Also director |
| 1972 | Deadhead Miles | Cooper | |
| 1972 | Last of the Red Hot Lovers | Barney Cashman | |
| 1974 | Freebie and the Bean | Det. Sgt. Dan "Bean" Delgado | |
| 1975 | Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins | Gunny Rafferty | Also released as Rafferty and the Highway Hustlers |
| 1975 | Hearts of the West | Burt Kessler | New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1976 | ' | Dr. Sigmund Freud | |
| 1977 | Fire Sale | Ezra Fikus | Also director |
| 1979 | ' | Sheldon S. Kornpett, D.D.S. | Also executive producer |
| 1979 | ' | Yasha Mazur | |
| 1980 | Simon | Prof. Simon Mendelssohn | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor |
| 1981 | Improper Channels | Jeffrey Martley | Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign Actor |
| 1981 | Chu Chu and the Philly Flash | Flash | |
| 1981 | Full Moon High | Dr. Brand | |
| 1982 | ' | Schmendrick | Voice only |
| 1983 | ' | Captain Invincible | |
| 1985 | Joshua Then and Now | Reuben Shapiro | Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role |
| 1985 | Bad Medicine | Dr. Ramón Madera | |
| 1986 | Big Trouble | Leonard Hoffman | |
| 1987 | Escape from Sobibor | Leon Feldhendler | |
| 1990 | Coupe de Ville | Fred Libner | |
| 1990 | Edward Scissorhands | Bill Boggs | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1990 | Havana | Joe Volpi | |
| 1991 | ' | A. "Peevy" Peabody | |
| 1992 | Glengarry Glen Ross | George Aaronow | Valladolid International Film Festival Best Actor Award |
| 1993 | Indian Summer | Unca Lou Handler | |
| 1993 | So I Married an Axe Murderer | Police Captain | |
| 1993 | Samuel Beckett Is Coming Soon | The Director | Also director |
| 1994 | North | Judge Buckle | |
| 1995 | Picture Windows | Tully | Segment: Soir Bleu |
| 1995 | ' | Ernie Lazarro | |
| 1995 | Steal Big Steal Little | Lou Perilli | |
| 1996 | Heck's Way Home | Dogcatcher | |
| 1996 | Mother Night | George Kraft | |
| 1997 | Grosse Pointe Blank | Dr. Oatman | |
| 1997 | Four Days in September | Charles Burke Elbrick | |
| 1997 | Gattaca | Det. Hugo | |
| 1998 | Slums of Beverly Hills | Murray Samuel Abromowitz | |
| 1999 | Jakob the Liar | Max Frankfurter | |
| 2000 | Magicians | Milo | Direct-to-video |
| 2001 | America's Sweethearts | Wellness Guide | |
| 2001 | Thirteen Conversations About One Thing | Gene | Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 2004 | Eros | Dr. Pearl Hal | Segment: Equilibrium |
| 2004 | Noel | Artie Venizelos | |
| 2006 | Little Miss Sunshine | Edwin Hoover | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Cast Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Prism Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role |
| 2006 | Firewall | Arlin Forester | |
| 2006 | The Novice | Father Benkhe | |
| 2006 | ' | Bud Newman | |
| 2006 | Raising Flagg | Flagg Purdy | |
| 2007 | Rendition | Senator Hawkins | |
| 2008 | Sunshine Cleaning | Joe Lorkowski | |
| 2008 | Get Smart | The Chief | |
| 2008 | Marley & Me | Arnie Klein | |
| 2009 | ' | Herb Lee | |
| 2009 | City Island | Michael Malakov | |
| 2011 | Thin Ice | Gorvy Hauer | |
| 2011 | ' | Mitchell Planko Sr. | |
| 2011 | ' | Tour Guide | Cameo |
| 2012 | Argo | Lester Siegel | Hollywood Film Award for Ensemble of the Year Palm Springs International Film Festival Ensemble Cast Award Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Nominated—London Film Critics' Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated—San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 2012 | Stand Up Guys | Richard Hirsch | |
| 2013 | The Incredible Burt Wonderstone | Rance Holloway | |
| 2013 | In Security | Officer Riggs | |
| 2013 | Grudge Match | Louis "Lightning" Conlon | |
| 2014 | Million Dollar Arm | Ray Poitevint | |
| 2015 | Love the Coopers | Bucky | |
| 2017 | Going in Style | Albert Garner | |
| 2019 | Dumbo | J. Griffin Remington | |
| 2020 | Spenser Confidential | Henry Cimoli | |
| 2021 | Wild Knuckles |
Television movies/miniseries
Television appearances
Videos
- photo compilation