American actor Charles Grodin, best known for his roles in Midnight Run and Beethoven, has passed away aged 86 after losing a battle with bone marrow cancer, his family have announced.
Grodin began his career with an uncredited role in Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in 1954 and in a number of TV guest roles as well as acting, writing and directing on Broadway. He made an early big screen appearances in 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby and 1970’s Catch-22 and subsequently gained recognition as a comedic actor with 1972’s The Heartbreak Kid.
Grodin went on to appear in the likes of King Kong (1976), Heaven Can Wait (1978), Seems Like Old Times (1980), The Couch Trip (1988) before starring opposite Robert De Niro in the classic 1988 buddy comedy Midnight Run. He followed that in 1992 with the smash hit family comedy Beethoven, returning for the sequel Beethoven’s 2nd in 1993.
Other feature film credits followed including the likes of So I Married An Axe Murderer (1993) and My Summer Story (1994) before Grodin took a hiatus from acting as he focussed on talk show hosting and political commentating. He returned to acting with 2006’s The Ex while later credits included 2014’s While We’re Young and a recurring role in the FX comedy Louie.
