Hollywood Mourns the Death of Beloved Actor Charles Grodin: ‘One of the Funniest People I Ever Met’

Andrew ShusterMay 18th, 2021, 4:16 pm
 
Charles Grodin

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Hollywood is mourning the passing of beloved actor Charles Grodin – best known for his roles in The Heartbreak Kid, Midnight Run and the Beethoven movies – who died Tuesday at the age of 86.

Grodin’s son, Nicholas, told the New York Times that the actor died of bone marrow cancer at his home in Connecticut.

Grodin was known for his dry and understated sense of humor, often portraying uptight characters who were ultimately likable.

One of Grodin’s first leading roles was in the 1972 romantic comedy The Heartbreak Kid, in which he starred as a newlywed who falls for another woman while on his honeymoon.

Grodin also stole scenes from Robert De Niro in the 1988 action comedy Midnight Run, in which he played a high-strung accountant convicted of embezzlement.

In addition to playing the leading man, he often took memorable supporting roles in films such as Heaven Can Wait and Rosemary’s Baby.

Later in his career, Grodin played the straight man opposite a rambunctious dog in the hit family comedy Beethoven and its first sequel.

The versatile actor also wrote plays and books and hosted his own talk show in the early ‘90s on CNBC.

Steve Martin, who co-starred with Grodin in the 1984 comedy The Lonely Guy, was among the stars who paid tribute to the late actor on Twitter. “So sad to hear. One of the funniest people I ever met,” Martin wrote.

Other celebrities mourning Grodin’s passing on social media included Josh Gad, Marc Maron, Albert Brooks, Patton Oswalt, Billy Eichner, Kathy Griffin and Jim Belushi, to name a few.

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