Alan Arkin, Oscar Award Winning Actor For 'Little Miss Sunshine' And 'Argo', Passes Away At 89

TV & Film

Jul 1

Critically Acclaimed actor Alan Arkin, unfortunately, passed away this week at the age of eighty-nine. Like many top Hollywood legends, before Arkin stepped behind a camera, he walked the boards. Learning his craft in theatre, he worked on Broadway several times as a director and a performer. But he also gained early fame as a talented singer; in the 1950s, he was a member of the folk music band the Tarriers, who penned The Banana Boat Song. The band hit the top five of the Billboard charts while Arkin was a member.

Alan Arkin’s movie reel contains some of the era’s most influential films, including Grosse Point Blank, The Last Unicorn, Gattaca, and Argo. An actor with a massive range, he would often find himself in zany comedies such as Minions: The Rise of Gru and BoJack Horseman, as well as serious, gritty projects. He also made a splash on the small screen in The Kominsky Method.

Like many New Yorkers of his time, Arkin was a second-generation immigrant, but he was able to bring his heritage to his roles tactfully and gracefully. He was showing shades of his parents’ Jewish secularism, even though he did not share their ideology.

Repeatedly nominated for the Oscars since his appearance in The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, he finally came home with a gold statue with Michael Arndt’s Little Miss Sunshine.

The three sons that he leaves behind have said, ‘Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man. A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed.’

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