Charles Grodin

Biography

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 Lo…

Movies & TV Shows

1. Rosemary's Baby (1968) — Dr. Hill
2. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) — Brett Forrester
3. Beethoven (1992) — George Newton
4. Midnight Run (1988) — Jonathan Mardukas aka “The Duke”
5. While We're Young (2015) — Leslie Breitbart
6. Beethoven's 2nd (1993) — George Newton
7. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) — Drummer Boy (uncredited)
8. King Kong (1976) — Fred S. Wilson
9. Dave (1993) — Murray Blum
10. The Daily Show (1996) — Self
11. The Woman in Red (1984) — Buddy
12. Saturday Night Live (1975) — Self - Host
13. So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993) — Commandeered Car Driver
14. Heaven Can Wait (1978) — Tony Abbott
15. Heart and Souls (1993) — Harrison Winslow
16. Catch-22 (1970) — Captain Aarfy Aardvark
17. The Great Muppet Caper (1981) — Nicky Holiday
18. The Ex (2006) — Bob Kowalski
19. Taking Care of Business (1990) — Spencer Barnes
20. The Comedian (2016) — Dick D'Angelo
21. Late Show with David Letterman (1993) — Self - Guest
22. Ishtar (1987) — Jim Harrison
23. Seems Like Old Times (1980) — Ira Parks
24. The Humbling (2014) — Jerry
25. The Lonely Guy (1984) — Warren
26. The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) — Vance Kramer
27. The Couch Trip (1988) — George Matlin
28. Clifford (1994) — Martin Daniels
29. The Heartbreak Kid (1972) — Lenny Cantrow
30. Real Life (1979) — Warren Yeager
31. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) — Self
32. Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen (2012) — (archive footage)
33. Laverne & Shirley (1976)
34. The Michael J. Fox Show (2013) — Steve Henry
35. Late Night with David Letterman (1982) — Self - Guest
36. The Big Valley (1965) — Mark Dunigan
37. LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988)
38. The Virginian (1962) — Arnie Doud
39. It's My Turn (1980) — Homer
40. Madoff (2016) — Carl Shapiro

Directed

1. Acts of Love and Other Comedies (1973) — Director
2. Paradise (1974) — Director
3. Simon and Garfunkel: Songs of America (1969) — Director