Site Revisions Underway Some Features May Not Work
Photo of Charles Grodin

Charles Grodin

Acting 86 (deceased) years old Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA ★ 1.0
Born: April 21, 1935
Died: May 18, 2021

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 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.

External Links

🎬 IMDb

Known For

Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby Dr. Hill 1968
Beethoven
Beethoven George Newton 1992
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Drummer Boy (uncredited) 1954
Midnight Run
Midnight Run Jonathan Mardukas aka “The Duke” 1988
King Kong
King Kong Fred S. Wilson 1976

Jimmy's Seen (1)

While We're Young
While We're Young Leslie Breitbart 2015

Filmography

Acting Credits (82)

Charles Grodin: Rebel With a Cause
Charles Grodin: Rebel With a Cause 2025
Waiting for Ishtar
Waiting for Ishtar Self 2017
An Imperfect Murder
An Imperfect Murder Arthur 2017
The Comedian
The Comedian Dick D'Angelo 2016
Madoff
Madoff Carl Shapiro 2016
While We're Young
While We're Young Leslie Breitbart 2015
The Humbling
The Humbling Jerry 2014
The Michael J. Fox Show
The Michael J. Fox Show Steve Henry 2013
Brazzaville Teen-Ager
Brazzaville Teen-Ager Father 2013
Char·ac·ter
Char·ac·ter Self 2012
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen (archive footage) 2012
The Harmony Game
The Harmony Game Self 2011
Paul Simon and Friends | The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
Paul Simon and Friends | The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song Self 2007
The Ex
The Ex Bob Kowalski 2006
The Ultimate Collection starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 70s and 80s
The Ultimate Collection starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 70s and 80s Self (archive footage) 2002
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Brett Forrester 1999
The Daily Show
The Daily Show Self 1996
The World of Jim Henson
The World of Jim Henson Nicky Holiday (archive footage) 1994
It Runs in the Family
It Runs in the Family Mr. Parker (The Old Man) 1994
Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! Chaz 1994
Clifford
Clifford Martin Daniels 1994
Beethoven's 2nd
Beethoven's 2nd George Newton 1993
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman Self - Guest 1993
Heart and Souls
Heart and Souls Harrison Winslow 1993
So I Married an Axe Murderer
So I Married an Axe Murderer Commandeered Car Driver 1993
Dave
Dave Murray Blum 1993
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories Narrator (voice) 1992
Beethoven
Beethoven George Newton 1992
Taking Care of Business
Taking Care of Business Spencer Barnes 1990
The Muppets at Walt Disney World
The Muppets at Walt Disney World Quentin Fitzwaller 1990
Cranium Command
Cranium Command Left Brain (voice) 1989
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
LIVE with Kelly and Mark 1988
Midnight Run
Midnight Run Jonathan Mardukas aka “The Duke” 1988
You Can't Hurry Love
You Can't Hurry Love Mr. Glerman 1988
The Couch Trip
The Couch Trip George Matlin 1988
Ishtar
Ishtar Jim Harrison 1987
Fresno
Fresno Cane Kensington 1986
King Kong! The Living Legend
King Kong! The Living Legend Self 1986
Last Resort
Last Resort George Lollar 1986
Movers & Shakers
Movers & Shakers Herb Derman 1985
The Woman in Red
The Woman in Red Buddy 1984
The Lonely Guy
The Lonely Guy Warren 1984
Charley's Aunt
Charley's Aunt Lord Fancourt Babberly 1983
Night of 100 Stars
Night of 100 Stars Self 1982
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman Self - Guest 1982
The Great Muppet Caper
The Great Muppet Caper Nicky Holiday 1981
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
The Incredible Shrinking Woman Vance Kramer 1981
Seems Like Old Times
Seems Like Old Times Ira Parks 1980
It's My Turn
It's My Turn Homer 1980
Sunburn
Sunburn Jake 1979
Real Life
Real Life Warren Yeager 1979
The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank
The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank Jim Benson 1978
Heaven Can Wait
Heaven Can Wait Tony Abbott 1978
Just Me and You
Just Me and You Michael Lindsay 1978
The Meanest Men in the West
The Meanest Men in the West Arnie Doud, Harge Gang 1978
It Happened One Christmas
It Happened One Christmas Joseph 1977
The Paul Simon Special
The Paul Simon Special Self 1977
Thieves
Thieves Martin Cramer 1977
King Kong
King Kong Fred S. Wilson 1976
Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley 1976
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live Self - Host 1975
11 Harrowhouse
11 Harrowhouse Howard R. Chesser 1974
The Heartbreak Kid
The Heartbreak Kid Lenny Cantrow 1972
Great Performances
Great Performances Jake 1971
The Great American Dream Machine
The Great American Dream Machine Himself 1971
Catch-22
Catch-22 Captain Aarfy Aardvark 1970
Simon and Garfunkel: Songs of America
Simon and Garfunkel: Songs of America Self 1969
Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby Dr. Hill 1968
Judd, for the Defense
Judd, for the Defense 1967
The Guns of Will Sonnett
The Guns of Will Sonnett Bells Pickering 1967
Captain Nice
Captain Nice News Vendor 1967
Felony Squad
Felony Squad 1966
Shane
Shane Jed 1966
The F.B.I.
The F.B.I. Carl Platt 1965
The Big Valley
The Big Valley Mark Dunigan 1965
My Mother the Car
My Mother the Car 1965
The Young Marrieds
The Young Marrieds Matt Crane Stevens 1964
Sex and the College Girl
Sex and the College Girl Bob 1964
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Self 1962
The Virginian
The Virginian Arnie Doud 1962
The Defenders
The Defenders Thomas Martin 1961
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Drummer Boy (uncredited) 1954

Directing Credits (3)

Writing Credits (3)

Powered by

TMDB
× Person photo
❮ Back to Person Search