Beethoven and Midnight Run star Charles Grodin dies aged 86

We take a look back at the life of the late actor.

Charles-grodin

by Lorna White |
Updated on

We were so sad to hear that the comic actor, Charles Grodin who we know and love from films including Beethoven, Midnight Run and The Heartbreak Kid, has died aged 86.

It was reported that Grodin died at his home in Wilton, Connecticut, US after the actor's son, Nicholas, announced his death came after a battle with bone marrow cancer.

Many famous faces have shared their tributes to the Hollywood actor, including Steve Martin who described Charles as "one of the funniest people I ever met".

Charles was a familiar face in Hollywood, especially in popular family comedies and prime time talk shows where he brought joy to audiences.

Grodin's career

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1935, he decided to drop out of his studies at the University of Miami to pursue a career in acting. Luckily, it was a decision that paid off and in the 1960s, he went on to star on Broadway in a number of stage productions.

He later moved to the screen, starting with a small role in Rosemary's Baby in 1968. However, his career really took off in the 70s when he starred in popular films including Catch-22 (1970) and The Heartbreak Kid (1972), establishing himself as a talented comic actor.

One of his most famous roles was in the family comedy film, Beethoven in 1992 where he played an irritable dad who his tormented by a cute, but rather accident-prone dog.

Later on in his TV career, he was a regular on American prime time talk shows including Saturday Night Live. He also had a few awkward interviews on these talk shows with Johnny Carson (who later banned him from his show) and Late Night with David Letterman.

Our thoughts are with Charles's family at this time.

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