Oscar-Winning Actor Alan Arkin Dies At 89

Longtime screen and stage actor Alan Arkin, who won both an Academy Award and a Tony Award, has died at the age of 89.

In a public statement, his sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony said, “Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man. A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed.”

Arkin’s most recent acting credit was his costarring role in the Netflix sitcom The Kominsky Method with Michael Douglas, garnering Emmy nominations in 2019 and 2020. In the 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine, Arkin played the grandfather of the family. For his role, which only saw him onscreen for 14 minutes, he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Arkin was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1934, and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was a child. Arkin left college and joined the folk group the Tarriers, which made the U.S. Top 10 single “The Banana Boat Song” in 1957. He then departed from the band and attempted to become an actor, joining the Second City improvisational comedy group. He then made his debut on Broadway in 1961 in From the Second City and won a Tony for his role in Enter Laughing (1963).

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For the next five decades, Arkin appeared in more than 100 films, including The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968), Catch-22 (1970) and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).

Arkin is survived by his wife Suzanne Newlander, sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony, grandchildren Molly, Emmet, Atticus and Abigail and great-grandson Elliott.