Charles Grodin

Charles Grodin (born April 21, 1935) is an American actor and cable talk show host.

Biography

Early life

Grodin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 assisant to director Gene Saks.

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. 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, which received only a limited release and was a sequel to the film A Christmas Story.

Grodin has been a commentator for 60 Minutes II since 2000, and hosted his own issues-oriented talk show, The Charles Grodin Show, on CNBC from 1995 to 1998. In 2004, Grodin appeared in The Right Kind of People, an off-Broadway play about Co-op boards in certain buildings in Manhattan.

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.

Personal life

Grodin has a daughter, Marion, from his first marriage to Julia. He is currently married to Elissa, from whom he has a son, Nicky (born 1988).

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role
1994	It Runs in the Family	Mr. Parker (The Old Man)
1994	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
1984	The Lonely Guy	Warren Evans
1981	The Great Muppet Caper	Nicky Holiday
1981	The Incredible Shrinking Woman	Vance Kramer
1980	Seems Like Old Times	Dist. Atty. Ira J. Parks
1980	It's My Turn	Homer
1979	Sunburn	Jake
1979	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

External links

The Jewish News Weekly interview (November 26, 2004)