We’re getting some very sad news to pass along as veteran actorCharles Grodinhas died. Known for his starring roles in movies likeThe Heartbreak Kid,Midnight Run, andBeethoven, Grodin died on Tuesday of bone marrow cancer at his home in Wilton, Connecticut. He was 86 years old.
Grodin was born on August 23, 2025, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After high school, he attended the University of Miami but dropped out to pursue a career in acting. He began by studying the craft at HB Studio in New York City, and it wasn’t long before he started to find acting roles. He made his movie debut with an uncredited role in Disney’s 1954 hit20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Just a few years later, he’d land the small but memorable role of Dr. Hill in Roman Polanski’s acclaimed horror flickRosemary’s Baby.
Released in 1972,The Heartbreak Kidserved as a breakout movie role for Grodin. His performance as Lenny Cantrow earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. Grodin’s co-starring role alongside Robert De Niro inMidnight Runalso had him named as Best Actor at the Valladolid International Film Festival in 1988. The actor would also be given the American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor for his performance inDavein 1993. There was talk nearly a decade ago ofmaking a Midnight Run sequelwith both Grodin and De Niro returning, but that eventually went nowhere.
In 1992, Grodin appeared in another one of his most famous roles as the father of the family, George Newton, in the comedy movieBeethoven. In the classic movie, Grodin’s character is apprehensive about bringing in a St. Bernard to be the family pet, he comes to care for the animal just as much as the rest of the family. The actor reprised the role in the 1993 sequelBeethoven’s 2nd.
Grodin also played the frustrated uncle of Martin Short’s titular character in 1993’sClifford, with some of his other movie credits includingSo I Married an Axe Murderer,Heart and Souls,While We’re Young, andThe Comedian. For a time in the 2000s, Grodin placed his acting career on hold to focus on raising his children as a stay at home dad. His final theatrical credit came along in the 2017 dramaAn Imperfect Murderwith Sienna Miller and Alec Baldwin.
On the small screen, Grodin had a substantial role in the 60s soap operaThe Young Marriedsamong a plethora of other TV credits, which includesMadoff,Louie,The Defenders,The Virginian,Laverne & Shirley,American Playhouse, andLaw & Order: SVU. He also hostedSaturday Night Livein 1977 with Paul Simon serving as the episode’s musical guest, and later hosted the short-lived seriesThe Charles Grodin Showin the mid 90s. Grodin also won the Primetime Emmy Award for his work on thePaul Simon Specialin 1978.
Grodin’s survivors include a daughter, Marion, and a son, Nicholas. Our thoughts go out to them and the rest of the late actor’s family and friends at this difficult time. It’s not easy to say farewell, but Grodin’s work delivered over the course of several decades will help to ensure his memory will never be forgotten. May herest in peace. This news comes to us fromThe Hollywood Reporter.
