Charles Grodin (created April 21, 1935) is an American celebrity, comedian, writer, and former cable talk show host. Grodin started his performing career in the 1960s appearing in TV serials including “The Virginian”. He’d a little part as an obstetrician in Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby” in 1968. In the 1970s he went into film acting, including playing the lead in “The Heartbreak Kid” (1972) and supporting parts in “Catch 22” (1970) and “Heaven Can Wait” (1978). He’s possibly famous for his iconic appearances on “The Tonight Show” and “The Late Show”, for co starring alongside Robert DeNiro in the timeless action comedy “Midnight Run” (1988), as well as for his character as George Newton in the 1990s John Hughes comedy franchise “Beethoven”. He also shared a 1978 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program because of his work on “The Paul Simon Special”.
In the mid-1990s, Grodin retired from performing to be a talk show host on CNBC as well as in 2000 a political commentator for “60 Minutes II”. He’s composed several autobiographical and performing associated works, including 1990’s “It Could Be So Nice If You’re Not Here: My Journey Through Show Business” and 1994’s “We Are Prepared for You, Mr. Grodin”. Nevertheless, he’s lately returned to his performing career.
Comedian, Actor, Author, Presenter, Radio personality, Screenwriter, Television Director
Education
University of Miami
Nationality
United States of America
Spouse
Julie Ferguson
Children
Marion Grodin, Nicholas Theodore Grodin
Parents
Theodore I. Grodin, Lena Singer
Siblings
Jack Grodin
Nicknames
Charles Grodinsky , Chuck Grodin
Awards
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy, Variety, or Music Special, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance
Nominations
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play
Movies
Midnight Run, Beethoven, Beethoven's 2nd, The Heartbreak Kid, The Woman in Red, While We're Young, Heaven Can Wait, Seems Like Old Times, Rosemary's Baby, The Lonely Guy, King Kong, Heart and Souls, The Ex, The Great Muppet Caper, Ishtar, Dave, The Couch Trip, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Taking Ca...
TV Shows
The Young Marrieds, The Charles Grodin Show
Star Sign
Taurus
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Trademark
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Deep smooth voice
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Frequently portrays uptight, bland and world-weary white-collar professionals.
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Grodin's trademark is his petulant loutishness that he employs as a guest on various talk shows. Seemingly miffed or angry, his act is strictly tongue-in-cheek as he lobs offensive verbal attacks at his hosts.
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Quote
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I'm not that easy to insult, believe me, but cracks about people on movies who are there to pick up paychecks or actors who look like they phoned it in get me. People who write this stuff obviously have never been on the set of a movie from beginning to end. Just showing up somewhere every day for twelve to sixteen hours for three or four months should be enough to disqualify movie people from those cracks. The only thing about a movie that can be phoned in is a review.
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Fact
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Turned down a $500 a week offer to star in "The Graduate.".
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His direction of "Lovers and Other Strangers" introduced him to Elaine May who became his 'professional benefactor' Elaine May, who cast him in "The Heartbreak Kid.".
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His father, Theodore Isadore Grodin, was born in Pennsylvania, to Russian Jewish parents. His mother, Lena (Singer), was a Jewish immigrant from Yanov, Tatsinsky District, Russia (her father was born in Brest, Belarus and her mother was born in Poland).
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Longtime resident of Fairfield County's Wilton, Connecticut. [May 2007]
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Attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.
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Studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village, New York City.
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Admitted in a 2006 interview on Late Show with David Letterman (1993) that the surly attitude he adopts on talk shows is an act he developed in order to be a more interesting guest. According to Grodin, he was scheduled to make his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) in 1973, and was to be in the segment immediately following Diana Ross performing a medley of her hits. Realizing that he would bomb if he followed her as himself, he adopted this churlish character who has little patience for the questions of the host. Carson loved it and it became his trademark.
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He auditioned as Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate (1967), but was never offered the role. Mike Nichols still offered him a role in Catch-22 (1970), which he was already scheduled to direct at the time.
Having already been cast as Captain Aarfy Aardvark in Catch-22 (1970), director Mike Nichols asked him to take over the role of Colonel Cathcart when the original actor did not work out. As the role was written for an older man, old age make-up was experimented with for several days, until it was decided to cast Martin Balsam instead, and Grodin returned to his original role.