Charles Grodin
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- April 21, 1935
- Died
- May 18, 2021
- Birthplace
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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.
Filmography
Marty, Life Is Short 2026
as Self (archive footage)
Charles Grodin: Rebel With a Cause 2025
Actor
Waiting for Ishtar 2017
as Self
An Imperfect Murder 2017
as Arthur
The Comedian 2016
as Dick D'Angelo
While We're Young 2015
as Leslie Breitbart
The Humbling 2014
as Jerry
Brazzaville Teen-Ager 2013
as Father
Char·ac·ter 2012
as Self
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen 2012
as (archive footage)
The Harmony Game 2011
as Self
Paul Simon and Friends | The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song 2007
as Self
The Ex 2006
as Bob Kowalski
The Ultimate Collection starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 70s and 80s 2002
as Self (archive footage)
The World of Jim Henson 1994
as Nicky Holiday (archive footage)
It Runs in the Family 1994
as Mr. Parker (The Old Man)
Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! 1994
as Chaz
Clifford 1994
as Martin Daniels
Beethoven's 2nd 1993
as George Newton
Heart and Souls 1993
as Harrison Winslow
So I Married an Axe Murderer 1993
as Commandeered Car Driver
Dave 1993
as Murray Blum
Beethoven 1992
as George Newton
Taking Care of Business 1990
as Spencer Barnes
The Muppets at Walt Disney World 1990
as Quentin Fitzwaller
Cranium Command 1989
as Left Brain (voice)
Midnight Run 1988
as Jonathan Mardukas
You Can't Hurry Love 1988
as Mr. Glerman
The Couch Trip 1988
as George Matlin
Ishtar 1987
as Jim Harrison
- King Kong! The Living Legend
King Kong! The Living Legend 1986
as Self
Last Resort 1986
as George Lollar
Movers & Shakers 1985
as Herb Derman, Writer, Producer
The Woman in Red 1984
as Buddy
The Lonely Guy 1984
as Warren
Charley's Aunt 1983
as Lord Fancourt Babberly
Night of 100 Stars 1982
as Self
The Great Muppet Caper 1981
as Nicky Holiday
The Incredible Shrinking Woman 1981
as Vance Kramer
Seems Like Old Times 1980
as Ira Parks
It's My Turn 1980
as Homer
Sunburn 1979
as Jake
Real Life 1979
as Warren Yeager
The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank 1978
as Jim Benson
Heaven Can Wait 1978
as Tony Abbott
Just Me and You 1978
as Michael Lindsay
The Meanest Men in the West 1978
as Arnie Doud, Harge Gang
It Happened One Christmas 1977
as Joseph
The Paul Simon Special 1977
as Self, Writer
Thieves 1977
as Martin Cramer
King Kong 1976
as Fred S. Wilson
11 Harrowhouse 1974
as Howard R. Chesser, Adaptation
Paradise 1974
Director
Acts of Love and Other Comedies 1973
Director
The Heartbreak Kid 1972
as Lenny Cantrow
Catch-22 1970
as Captain Aarfy Aardvark
Simon and Garfunkel: Songs of America 1969
as Self, Producer, Director
Rosemary's Baby 1968
as Dr. Hill
Sex and the College Girl 1964
as Bob
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 1954
as Drummer Boy (uncredited)
Credits from TMDB.