Alan Arkin, Tireless Oscar-Winning Screen Legend, Dies at 89
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Getting nominated for an Oscar for your first credited performance in a movie sets a certain standard that’s hard to live up to. Under that kind of pressure, who wouldn’t burn out early? Well, Alan Arkin. The observant, pointed, naturally amusing actor made his debut and earned his first Oscar nod with the same 1967 Norman Jewison film: The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming. And then he kept going. For six more decades. Arkin, a master of comedy but an accomplished dramatic actor as well, got another nomination for 1969’s The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter but didn’t win an Oscar until 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine. He followed that up with another Oscar nod for Argo and a few Emmy nominations on The Kominsky Method. An accomplished actor with over 100 credits, who stole scenes big and small in everything from Edward Scissorhands to Grosse Pointe Blank, Arkin has died at age 89.
Arkin died yesterday, June 29, at his home in Carlsbad, California, as confirmed by his sons:
“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.”