Charles Grodin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Grodin (born April 21, 1935 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American actor and cable talk show host.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Grodin was born in Pittsburgh to Orthodox Jewish American parents Theodore Grodin, who sold wholesale supplies, and Lena, who worked as an assistant in the family's store; his maternal grandfather was a Russian Jewish immigrant who came from a long line of Rabbis and moved to Pittsburgh at the turn of the 20th century. He has an older brother, Jack.
Grodin attended the University of Miami, but did not graduate. His first acting role was in a 1962 Broadway production of Tchin-Tchin. He made his film debut in the 1964 comedy, Sex and the College Girl, which was filmed in Puerto Rico and not released for several years. In 1965, he began working as an assistant to director Gene Saks.
[edit] Career
Grodin, a student of Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen, began appearing on several television series during the 1960s, and played an obstetrician in the 1968 horror film, Rosemary's Baby. During the late 1960s, he also co-wrote and directed Hooray! It's a Glorious Day...and All That, a Broadway play, and directed Lovers and Other Strangers, also on Broadway.
After having a supporting role in 1970's comedy, Catch-22, Grodin was cast in the lead role of the film The Heartbreak Kid, which was released in 1972 and gained Grodin recognition as a comedy actor. He subsequently appeared in several notable 1970s films, including the 1976 version of King Kong and the hit 1978 comedy, Heaven Can Wait. During this period, he frequently appeared on Broadway, and was also involved in producing several plays, including Thieves, which he also directed.
In 1977, Grodin hosted an episode of the NBC sketch show, Saturday Night Live. He and the writers decided beforehand to play the show as if he had missed dress rehearsals and was clumsily ad-libbing his way through his sketches. Much like Andy Kaufman before him, his comic scenario was taken a bit too literally by the audience, and he was never asked to host again.
His 1980s roles included Neil Simon's Seems Like Old Times, opposite Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn, and 1988's well-reviewed comedy, Midnight Run, a buddy movie co-starring Robert De Niro.
Grodin's career took a turn in 1992, when he played the nervous family man in the kids' comedy Beethoven, opposite Bonnie Hunt. He reprised the role in the film's 1993 sequel. His last film role to date was in 1994's It Runs in the Family (a.k.a. My Summer Story), which received only a limited release and was a sequel to the film A Christmas Story.
Grodin was a commentator for 60 Minutes II starting in 2000, and hosted his own issues-oriented talk show, The Charles Grodin Show, on CNBC from 1995 to 1998. In 2004, Grodin wrote The Right Kind of People, an off-Broadway play about Co-op boards in certain buildings in Manhattan.
Grodin's commentaries continue to be heard on New York City radio station WCBS and other affiliates of the CBS Radio Network, as well as on the CBS Radio Network's Weekend Roundup.
Grodin is also a best-selling author; his works include It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here and How I Get Through Life.
[edit] Personal life
Grodin has a daughter, Marion, from his first marriage. He is currently married and has a son from the marriage, Nicky (born 1988).
[edit] Selected filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | It Runs in the Family | Mr. Parker (The Old Man) | |
Clifford | Martin Daniels | ||
1993 | Beethoven's 2nd | George Newton | |
Heart and Souls | Harrison Winslow | ||
So I Married an Axe Murderer | Commandeered Driver | ||
Dave | Murray Blum | ||
1992 | Beethoven | George Newton | |
1990 | Taking Care of Business | Spencer Barnes | |
1988 | Midnight Run | Jonathan Mardukas | |
You Can't Hurry Love | Mr. Glerman | ||
The Couch Trip | George Maitlin | ||
1987 | Ishtar | Jim Harrison | |
1986 | Last Resort | George Lollar | |
1984 | The Woman in Red | Buddy | |
The Lonely Guy | Warren Evans | ||
1981 | The Great Muppet Caper | Nicky Holiday | |
The Incredible Shrinking Woman | Vance Kramer | ||
1980 | Seems Like Old Times | Dist. Atty. Ira J. Parks | |
It's My Turn | Homer | ||
1979 | Sunburn | Jake | |
Real Life | Warren Yeager | ||
1978 | Heaven Can Wait | Tony Abbott | |
1977 | Thieves | Martin Cramer | |
1976 | King Kong | Fred Wilson | |
1972 | The Heartbreak Kid | Lenny Cantrow | |
1970 | Catch-22 | Capt. Aarfy Aardvark | |
1968 | Rosemary's Baby | Dr. C.C. Hill |
[edit] External links
- Charles Grodin at the Internet Movie Database
- Charles Grodin at the Notable Names Database
- Charles Grodin Fan Web Site
- "The Heartfelt Kid: Actor/Playwright Charles Grodin Premiers New Play in San Francisco", Jewish News Weekly, November 26, 2004.