ByHANNAH BROWN

Charles Grodin was an extraordinary Jewish-American actor who specialized in deadpan comedy and who could fit into both the leading-man or character actor categories.

The actor, who passed away on Tuesday of cancer at the age of 86, was unparalleled at getting laughs without moving a facial muscle. In addition to his acting career, he was also a playwright and wrote comedy scripts, including for a Paul Simon television special, for which he shared an Emmy with several co-writers. He wrote several memoirs about his career, among them, It Would Be So Nice if You Weren’t Here: My Journey Through Show Business (1989) and We’re Ready for You, Mr. Grodin: Behind the Scenes at Talk Shows, Movies and Elsewhere (1994).
On screen and in his many television appearances on such programs as The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman, he came off as that sarcastic, brilliant guy who looked down a bit on the rest of the world. Promoting a memoir on The Tonight Show, he stared, expressionless, as Carson spoke about how his career was taking off, then said, “You don’t care what your guests have to say,” prompting the late-night king to laugh and admit that he really did not. But this disdainful pose was something of a persona Grodin adopted, according to colleagues and friends, perhaps to help him navigate a career in which he didn’t become a major star but was always the best thing about any movie in which he appeared. He was particularly adept at playing self-satisfied guys who were often quite dishonest, roles for which actors tend not to win awards. 

He was best known for two leading roles: Elaine May’s The Heartbreak Kid (1972), in which he played the caddish but oddly sympathetic just-married Jewish husband who ditches his bride (Jeannie Berlin) for a blonde goddess (Cybill Sheperd) he meets on the beach on their honeymoon, and Midnight Run (1988), directed by Martin Brest, considered to be one of the best buddy comedies of all time, in which he portrayed an accountant who embezzled from the mafia, jumped bail and was pursued by a bounty hunter (Robert De Niro), with whom he bonded as they went cross country, chased by the mob and the FBI.

Roger Ebert wrote in his review of the Midnight Run, “[Grodin] has never received the recognition he deserves – maybe because he often plays a quiet, self-effacing everyman. In Midnight Run, where he is literally handcuffed to De Niro at times, he is every bit the master’s equal, and in the crucial final scene it is Grodin who finds the emotional truth that defines their relationship.”

Grodin’s biggest box-office hit was the comedy Beethoven, in which he played a cranky dad who did not like the beloved dog of the title, and he also appeared in the sequel. He was philosophical about playing second fiddle to a canine, telling the Kansas City Star, “I don’t complain when the editor chooses my worst take because it’s the dog’s best take.”

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, he started out playing roles on television, which led to supporting roles in major films including Mike Nichols’s Catch-22 and Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby, a rare completely dramatic role in which he played a doctor who betrayed the heroine.

He was best known for his comic roles and gave memorable performances in Buck Henry and Warren Beatty’s Heaven Can Wait, Albert Brooks’s Real Life, The Great Muppet Caper and May’s Ishtar, a notorious flop starring Beatty and Dustin Hoffman, for which only Grodin received positive reviews for his portrayal of CIA agent.

He also had a career on the stage, starring opposite Ellen Burstyn on Broadway in Bernard Slade’s Same Time, Next Year.

Grodin was highly regarded by his peers and was eulogized by many on Tuesday. “So sad to hear,” tweeted Steve Martin, who appeared with Grodin in the 1984 comedy The Lonely Guy. “One of the funniest people I ever met…”

“A brilliant comedy actor,” tweeted Albert Brooks. “I had the wonderful experience of working with him in my first feature Real Life and he was amazing. Rest In Peace, Chuck.”

Ben Stiller tweeted: “Charles Grodin in Heartbreak Kid, Real Life, Heaven Can Wait, alone. So incredibly funny. He knew how to do little so brilliantly. #RIPCharlesGrodin”

Comedian Josh Gad tweeted: “No not #CharlesGrodin. Rest In Peace Legend. Thank you for every gift you gave us, especially the masterpiece that is Midnight Run.”

An outspoken liberal, he hosted The Charles Grodin Show on the cable channel CNBC in the 90s, which he said was originally meant to be funny but turned more serious as he delved deeply into political issues. Among the causes he supported was the prison-justice organization, the Innocence Project and groups that helped the homeless. Promoting a memoir on FOX News’s Hannity & Colmes Show, he called Hannity a fascist and asked if he had co-hosted with Goebbels, a clip which was widely posted on social media following his death.

After his talk show ended in 1998, Grodin acted only sporadically for several years, but began to work again more often in the 2010s. He had a recurring role on Louie, the comedian Louis C.K.’s series, in which he played a doctor who is Louie’s mentor. He had a key role in Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young with Stiller and Naomi Watts, where he played a cold, very successful documentary filmmaker who is the hero’s father-in-law. He also appeared in the Madoff miniseries and Barry Levinson’s adaptation of a Philip Roth novel, starring Al Pacino, The Humbling.

Grodin could have audiences rolling in the aisles with just the twitch of an eyebrow and had a unique screen presence that will be missed.