Charles Grodin, the comedic actor from stage and screen famous for his dry, deadpan delivery, has died. He was 86.
Grodin’s death was confirmed to The New York Times by his son, Nicholas, who said his father’s cause of death was due to bone marrow cancer.
Grodin’s lengthy acting career began in the 1960s on Broadway where he appeared in a number of productions including Tchin-Tchin and Absence of a Cello. He also racked up a handful of directing credits. The New York Times notes, “Then, in 1975, came a breakthrough Broadway role opposite Ellen Burstyn in Bernard Slade’s ‘Same Time, Next Year,’ a durable two-hander about a man and woman, each married to someone else, who meet once a year in the same inn room.”
While working on Broadway, Grodin would begin work in television and film. His diverse list of acting credits include 1972’s The Heartbreak Kid, 1976’s King Kong, 1978’s Heaven Can Wait, 1981’s The Great Muppet Caper, 1987’s Ishtar, 1988’s The Couch Trip and Midnight Run, 1992’s Beethoven, 1993’s Dave and Beethoven’s 2nd, 1994’s Clifford and 2016’s Madoff.
Grodin won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1978 for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special for 1977’s The Paul Simon Special. He was part of a writing team that also consisted for Lorne Michaels, Paul Simon, Chevy Chase, Tom Davis, Al Franken, Lily Tomlin and Alan Zweibel.
