Alan Arkin was an American comedian, actor and producer. He is best known for his role in the 1970s comedy film The Russians Are Coming (1966). He has also played roles in the comedy shows “The Saturn Function” and “The Nutz”.
Arkin first began his acting career in 1963 in the Broadway play “Enter Laughing.” He was awarded a Tony Award for his performance.
He appeared in numerous films, television shows and stage productions during his seven-decade career, including “The Russians Are Coming” (1966), “Catch-22” (1970), “Edward Scissorhands” (1980), “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006), and Argo (2012).
Arkin received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Little Miss Sunshine”. In addition he has received nominations for BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award and Emmy Awards.
Physical Stats
| Full name: | Alan Wolf Arkin |
| Profession: | American Actor, and Producer |
| Born: | 26 March, Brooklyn, New York, U.S |
| Dies: | June 29, 2023, San Marcos, California, |
| Best known for: | Oscar Awards Winner for film Little Miss Sunshine (2006) |
| Education: | Los Angeles State College and Bennington College(1951-1953) |
| Age: | 89 Years |
| Parents: | David I. Arkin and Beatrice Arkin |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Spouse: | Jeremy Yafa (m. 1965-1961) Barbara Dana (m.1964-div.1994) Susan Nielander (m.1996-Till now) |
| Children: | 3, (Adam Arkin, Matthew Arkin, Anthony (Tony) Dana Arkin |
| Net worth: | USD $10 Million |
| Nationality: | American |
Early Life
Alan Wolf Arkin was born on March 26, 1934 in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family. His ancestors were Jewish immigrants from Ukraine, Russia and Germany. When Allen was 11 years old, his parents moved to Los Angeles.
Alan’s father, David I. Arkin, was a writer who co-wrote the hit Three Dog Night song “Black and White”. He also worked as a set designer in the Hollywood industry. And his mother Beatrice Arkin was a teacher.
Alan has been interested in acting since childhood. When he was 10 years old, he started taking acting lessons. He also participated in various drama academies.
Alan’s primary education was from Los Angeles. He studied at Los Angeles State College from 1951 to 1953 and then at Bennington College.
Career
Music career
Alan Arkin began his career as a singer and guitarist with the folk group, “The Terriers”. He, along with his bandmates Eric Darling and Bob Carey, released “The Banana Boat Song” in 1956, which proved to be a hit. This song reached number 4 on the Billboard magazine chart.
After this, he performed with the children’s folk group “The BabySitters” from 1958 to 1968. In 1985, he sang two select songs by Jones and Schmidt on Ben Bagley’s album Contemporary Broadway Revisited.
After this, Alan also made his Broadway debut as a performer in From the Second City at the Royal Theater in 1961.
Acting Career
Alan started his acting career in 1957 with the feature film “Heat Wave”, in which he appeared in a small role. He appeared in 1960s East Side/West Side and ABC stage episodes.
Broadway play Enter Laughing (1963)
Alan’s most famous career came from the 1963 Broadway play “Enter Laughing”. In this play he played the role of David Kolovitz.
This play proved to be commercially successful. And he was awarded a Tony Award and a Theater World Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1966)
Arkin’s first comedy film, “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming”, was released in 1966. This film was one of the most amazing films of his career.
Praising his character in this film, he received the Academy Award for Best Actor nomination and the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer nomination. Apart from this, he also received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Arkin then starred in several successful films, including “The Love Bush” (1969), “Edward Scissorhands” (1980), “The Godfather Part III” (1990), “The Kaminsky Method” (2005), “The Professor ” (2011), and “The Making of a Moonshine” (2012).
He also appeared in television shows, and played OJ Simpson’s father, John Simpson, in “The Real OJ: The Untold Story” (2016).
Arkin received an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1994 for his performance in “The Little Miss Sunshine”, the story of a young girl who travels with her family to the Miss America pageant.
Arkin’s Directorial Debut
Arkin’s first directorial debut was People Soup, released in 1969. The film is a fantasy about two boys who experiment with various kitchen ingredients until they create a magical soup that transforms them into different animals. His sons Adam Arkin and Matthew Arkin also starred in this film.
The names of the films directed by Alan Arkin
- Little Murders (1971)
- The In-Laws (1979)
- Fire Sale (1977)
- Samuel Beckett Is Coming Soon (1993)
- Arrigo (2000)
Alan Arkin’s Top Movies
Alan Arkin worked in more than 100 films during his career, in which the names of some of his famous films are as follows.
- The Russians Are Coming (1966)
- Wait Until Dark (1967)
- The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968)
- Poppy (1969)
- Catch-22 (1970)
- The In-Laws (1979)
- Edward Scissorhands (1990)
- Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
- Grosse Pointe Blank (1997
- Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001
- Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
- Sunshine Cleaning (2007)
- Get Smart (2008)
- Argo ( 2012)
Awards and Achievements
- One Academy award
- One Bafta Award
- One Golden Globe Award
- Two Screen Actors Guild Awards
- One Tony Award
- Six Primetime Emmy Award Nominations
- Gregory Peck Award
Personal Life
Alan Arkin was married three times. Her first marriage was to Jeremy Yaffe and they had two sons, Adam Arkin, born August 19, 1956, and Matthew Arkin, born March 21, 1960.
Arkin’s second marriage was to actress-screenwriter Barbara Dana in 1964, and they had a son, Anthony (Tony) Dana Arkin, born in 1967. They got divorced in 1994.
Arkin’s third marriage was to psychiatrist Suzanne Newlander in 1996, which lasted until her death.
Arkin died on June 29, 2023, at his home in San Marcos, California, at the age of 89.
