Charles Grodin
Acting
Charles Sidney Grodin (April 21, 1935 – May 18, 2021) was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. Grodin began his acting career in the 1960s appearing in TV serials including The Virginian. After a small part in Rosemary's Baby in 1968, he played the lead in Elaine May's The Heartbreak Kid (1972) and supporting roles in Mike Nichols's Catch-22 (1970), the 1976 remake of King Kong, and Warren Beatty's Heaven Can Wait (1978).
Known for his deadpan delivery and often cast as a put-upon straight man, Grodin became familiar as a supporting actor in many Hollywood comedies of the era, including Real Life (1979), Seems Like Old Times (1980), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), Ishtar (1987), Dave (1993), and Clifford (1994). Grodin co-starred in the action comedy Midnight Run (1988) and in the family film Beethoven (1992). He made frequent appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman.
In the mid-1990s, Grodin retired from acting and wrote autobiographies; he became a talk show host on CNBC and in 2000 a political commentator for 60 Minutes II. He returned to acting with a handful of roles in the mid-2010s, including in Louis C.K.'s FX show Louie and Noah Baumbach's film While We're Young (2014).
Grodin won several awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special in 1978 for the Paul Simon Special alongside Chevy Chase, Lorne Michaels, Paul Simon, and Lily Tomlin. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for The Heartbreak Kid in 1972. He won Best Actor at the 1988 Valladolid International Film Festival for Midnight Run, and the American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his performance in Dave in 1993.
Media of
Charles Grodin
Photos (21)
Filmography of
Charles Grodin
... 2025
Self
... 2017
Arthur
... 2017
Dick D'Angelo
... 2016
Leslie Breitbart
... 2015
Jerry
... 2014
Father
... 2013
Self
... 2012
(archive footage)
... 2012
Self
... 2011
Bob Kowalski
... 2006
Self (archive footage)
... 2002
Nicky Holiday (archive footage)
... 1994
Mr. Parker (The Old Man)
... 1994
Martin Daniels
... 1994
George Newton
... 1993
Harrison Winslow
... 1993
Commandeered Car Driver
... 1993
Murray Blum
... 1993
George Newton
... 1992
Spencer Barnes
... 1990
Quentin Fitzwaller
... 1990
Jonathan Mardukas aka “The Duke”
... 1988
Mr. Glerman
... 1988
George Matlin
... 1988
Jim Harrison
... 1987
... 1986
George Lollar
... 1986
Herb Derman
... 1985
Buddy
... 1984
Warren
... 1984
Lord Fancourt Babberly
... 1983
Self
... 1982
Nicky Holiday
... 1981
Vance Kramer
... 1981
Ira Parks
... 1980
Homer
... 1980
Jake
... 1979
Warren Yeager
... 1979
... 1978
Tony Abbott
... 1978
Michael Lindsay
... 1978
Arnie Doud, Harge Gang
... 1978
Joseph
... 1977
... 1977
Martin Cramer
... 1977
Fred S. Wilson
... 1976
Howard R. Chesser
... 1974
Lenny Cantrow
... 1972
Captain Aarfy Aardvark
... 1970
... 1969
Dr. Hill
... 1968
... 1964
Drummer Boy (uncredited)
... 1954