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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCharles Grodin, Familiar Face From TV and Film, Dies at 86

The actor Charles Grodin with the title dog in the hit 1992 family movie Beethoven.Credit...via Photofest
Mr. Grodin, who also appeared on Broadway in Same Time, Next Year and wrote books, was especially adept at deadpan comedy.
By Neil Genzlinger
May 18, 2021, 1:26 p.m. ET
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 17 on Late Night With David Letterman.
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.
-/snip-
Cross gently, Mr Grodin.
blogslug
(39,144 posts)Damn
cinematicdiversions
(1,969 posts)Check out his Carson and Letterman appearances on YouTube. The man turned them into a piece of performance art genius.
eppur_se_muova
(41,713 posts)RIP, Mr. Grodin.
Rhiannon12866
(254,245 posts)2naSalit
(102,103 posts)He was funny and talented, I was wondering about him a few weeks ago, just popped into my head. Rest in Peace, Mr. Grodin.
50 Shades Of Blue
(11,369 posts)LeftInTX
(34,130 posts)Dallas spoof - Hidden gem
So funny...
Doc Sportello
(7,964 posts)He was perfect for that part and it is a classic. If he was on Carson or Letterman you knew it was going to be good.
bullwinkle428
(20,662 posts)Possibly my favorite comedy of all time!!
RIP, Mr. Grodin.
JHB
(38,144 posts)UTUSN
(77,564 posts)More_Cowbell
(2,241 posts)While everyone else was in the studio. Grodin was looking around for David, saying something like "You know, I had errands I could be doing, too."
roamer65
(37,896 posts)KT2000
(22,106 posts)thing down and they really had fun with it!
kysrsoze
(6,436 posts)gohuskies
(1,226 posts)He left such a great volume of performance works in his long career. My favorite recollection is his brilliant performance in Heaven Can Wait.
bahboo
(16,953 posts)smart, funny guy...
CloudWatcher
(2,127 posts)Not!! So sorry to see him pass.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/691451.It_Would_Be_So_Nice_If_You_Weren_t_Here
eppur_se_muova
(41,713 posts)... or maybe it was Carson, telling an anecdote about the incident that gave him the title. His sense of humor was truly quirky, and his interaction with the host was great.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(134,965 posts)hlthe2b
(113,660 posts)XanaDUer2
(15,770 posts)lame54
(39,582 posts)IrishAfricanAmerican
(4,435 posts)StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)I was just thinking of him yesterday - remembering how wonderful he was in "Dave" and so many other films.
He could do more with a puzzled squint than most actors could do with years of acting lessons.
RIP.
SYFROYH
(34,214 posts)
DENVERPOPS
(13,003 posts)ellie
(6,975 posts)Do you dye your hair?
Kingofalldems
(40,196 posts)LudwigPastorius
(14,584 posts)Dennis Donovan
(31,059 posts)***"There is no deceit in the cauliflower***
edbermac
(16,430 posts)RIP
Johonny
(26,036 posts)Demnation
(435 posts)Wounded Bear
(64,189 posts)RANDYWILDMAN
(3,156 posts)RIP and all the best to his family
rickford66
(6,058 posts)Time to watch again.
ellie
(6,975 posts)I love him! He was such a great actor!
JohnnyRingo
(20,798 posts)He didn't even have to try to be funny. He just was.
SergeStorms
(20,439 posts)where we're going to start losing many of our generation's favorite actors (that includes female actors as well) because, let's face it, we're going to start dropping like flies pretty soon as well. Not trying to be a downer, that's just the way life is.
Grodin was a great actor, and I greatly enjoyed his movies. 'Midnight Run' was probably my favorite.
lpbk2713
(43,267 posts)He was always good in whatever role he played.
IcyPeas
(25,350 posts)Demovictory9
(37,113 posts)Raine
(31,157 posts)I always liked him ... R-I-P Charles
LetMyPeopleVote
(178,665 posts)GoCubsGo
(34,870 posts)His rants against the GOP were priceless! What sad news.