Alan Arkin received an outpouring of testimonials from his old co-stars on Friday after news broke of his death at 89.
Michael Douglas, who acted with him on the Netflix sitcom The Kominsky Method, led a choir of touching tributes on social media.
The Kominsky Method starred Michael as a top-flight Hollywood acting coach, with Alan playing his agent on the first two seasons in 2018 and 2019.
In a heartwarming Instagram post, Michael hailed Alan as ‘a wonderful actor whose intelligence, sense of comedy and consummate professionalism over the past 70 years has left an indelible mark on our industry.’
He added: ‘My experience of working with Alan were some of my most memorable. He will be deeply missed. Sincere condolences to his wife, Suzanne, and his family.’
Dearly departed: Alan Arkin received an outpouring of testimonials from his old co-stars including Michael Douglas on Friday after news broke of his death at 89
Side by side: Michael Douglas, who acted with him on the Netflix sitcom The Kominsky Method, led a choir of touching tributes on social media
Who’s who: The Kominsky Method starred Michael as a top-flight Hollywood acting coach, with Alan playing his agent on the first two seasons in 2018 and 2019
Actors ranging from Natasha Lyonne to Michael Rapaport added their voices to the choir, and Mad About You star Paul Reiser joked: ‘I revered #AlanArkin so much I even shaved my head to look more like him.’
Mike Binder, who worked with Alan on the films Coup De Ville, Indian Summer and The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee, called him ‘one of the all time greats.’
He added: ‘We loved, then hated, then loved each other again. What a story. I learned so much from that guy. He was deeper than anybody really needs to be. So funny and so real. Love you Alan!’
Alan’s sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony confirmed his death in a People statement that read: ‘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.’
John Cusack, who acted with Alan in the 1997 movie Grosse Pointe Blank, shared an anecdote about the older actor’s famed comic ability.
Apparently, when Alan asked for a quick rewrite of a scene, the studio brass balked but John said: ‘Don’t worry. That’s Alan Arkin. Anything he’s gonna do is gonna make this thing even better.’
John recalled that when ‘a few people got their worried fear faces on’ at the prospect of the rewrite, John ‘looked at them kindly but as if they’d gone insane.’
He told the worried executives: ‘[Y]you have Alan Arkin wanting to personalize and deepen this comedy we’re making – I wrote it – he can say whatever the f*** he wants – sit back watch and feel lucky – please .’
‘What a story’: Mike Binder, who worked with Alan on the films Coup De Ville, Indian Summer and The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee, called him ‘one of the all time greats’
‘He made acting look EASY’: Actors ranging from Natasha Lyonne to Michael Rapaport to Ellen Barkin added their voices to the choir
Charming: Mad About You star Paul Reiser joked: ‘I revered #AlanArkin so much I even shaved my head to look more like him’
‘What a story’: Mike Binder, who worked with Alan on the films Coup De Ville, Indian Summer and The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee, called him ‘one of the all time greats’
‘Watch and feel lucky’: John Cusack, who acted with Alan in the 1997 movie Grosse Pointe Blank, shared an anecdote about the older actor’s famed comic ability
Heartbroken: ‘The only thing better than enjoying this legend/comedy giant on stage/screen was enjoying him as a friend,’ wrote Michael Keaton amid a flurry of in memoriam posts
Icon: Alan, who won an Oscar for the 2006 dramedy Little Miss Sunshine, reportedly died at his home in Carlsbad, California after a glittering six-decade acting career
Ensemble: Arkin is pictured (left) in Little Miss Sunshine alongside (left to right) Steve Carrell, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, Toni Collette and Greg Kinnear
‘The only thing better than enjoying this legend/comedy giant on stage/screen was enjoying him as a friend,’ wrote Batman heartthrob Michael Keaton.
‘I loved(love!) this guy. Man, I’m (we) will miss this guy. I’ve been lousy about saving things from my years in the industry, thanks God I have some of his texts/emails. Tough day for a LOT of us’.
Alan, who won an Oscar for the 2006 dramedy Little Miss Sunshine, reportedly died at his home in Carlsbad, California after a glittering six-decade acting career.
He was born in Brooklyn in 1934 but moved to Los Angeles 11 years later when his father David, a painter, began working in Los Angeles as a set designer.
David Arkin’s Hollywood career was, however, torpedoed first by a months-long strike and then by the Red Scare, in which his leftist politics got him accused of communism and rendered un-hirable.
His father’s troubles did not extinguish Alan’s enthusiasm for showbiz, which initially propelled him into a music career.
Alan was part of a folk group called the Tarriers, which in 1957 managed to produce a hit single in the form of The Banana Boat Song.
Eventually he decided to branch out solo as an actor, and in the early 1960s he landed a job with the now legendary Chicago comedy troupe Second City.
Alan was initially apprehensive about joining Second City, thinking: ‘I’m going to bury myself at a hole in the wall in Chicago? It would be the end of my career.’
Upon joining Second City, though, he ‘was happier than I’d ever been. The minute I got there I realized I’d found a home,’ he told NPR.
By 1963 he was making his Broadway debut in Enter Laughing, a backstage farce based on a roman à clef by Carl Reiner.
Throwback: Alan is pictured posing for a portrait in 1969, after he had established himself firmly in showbiz with a Tony Award and more than one Oscar nod under his belt
Topical: By 1967 he had scored his first Oscar nomination for the Cold War satire The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (pictured)
Fearsome: In 1967 gave a dramatic turn as a predatory criminal in the psychological thriller Wait Until Dark, starring Audrey Hepburn as his blind victim
Acclaim: He is pictured with Sondra Locke in the 1968 film of Carson McCullers’ classic novel The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, which garnered him a second Oscar nod
All in the family: Then in 1969 he directed a short film called People Soup, resulting in yet another nomination at the Academy Awards
A swing and a miss: His long and varied career also included some missteps, such as a flop Pink Panther movie from 1968 called Inspector Clouseau
Remember when: In 1970 he led the movie based on Joseph Heller’s searing novel Catch-22, heading up a cast that included Paula Prentiss (right)
Through the years: Alan is pictured with Peter Falk (left) in the 1979 comedy The In-Laws, a crime comedy largely set in Central America
Alan’s first gig on Broadway was a triumph, earning him critical acclaim as well as a Tony Award for best featured actor in a play.
However his stage work in his early career was ‘torture,’ he said, as actors are ‘not encouraged to experiment or play very much.’
He reflected: ‘The play gets set the minute opening night is there and…you’re supposed to do exactly that for the next year. And I just am constitutionally unable to just find any kind of excitement or creativity in that kind of experience.’
Alan struck out to Hollywood, and by 1967 he had scored his first Oscar nomination for the Cold War satire The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming.
That year he also gave a dramatic turn as a predatory criminal in the psychological thriller Wait Until Dark, starring Audrey Hepburn as his blind victim.
One year later he appeared in the film adaptation of Carson McCullers’ classic novel The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, garnering a second Oscar nod.
Then in 1969 he directed a short film called People Soup led by his sons Adam and Matthew Arkin, resulting in yet another nomination at the Academy Awards.
In 1970 he led the movie based on Joseph Heller’s searing novel Catch-22, heading up a cast that included Paula Prentiss, Richard Benjamin, Art Garfunkel, Charles Grodin, Bob Newhart, Anthony Perkins, Jon Voight and even Orson Welles.
Drama: During the 1990s his films included the blistering David Mamet adaptation Glengarry Glen Ross, which netted an Oscar nomination for his co-star Al Pacino
Character actor: In 1990 he appeared in Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, which he is pictured in with its leading man Johnny Depp
Cheers: His final Oscar nomination came for his scenery-chewing turn in Argo, the 2012 caper in which he is pictured with John Goodman (left) and Ben Affleck (right)
Icons: He regularly appeared in movies throughout the 2010s, including in the old-age heist comedy Going In Style alongside Morgan Freeman (right) and Michael Caine (left)
Rubbing shoulders with the big shots: In 2013, a decade before his death, he appeared in the sports satire Grudge Match with Sylvester Stallone (left) and Robert De Niro (not pictured)
Despite his galloping success, however, he ‘was miserable pretty much all of the time,’ he told the Guardian decades later.
In his quest for emotional fulfillment, he fell under the influence of a guru he referred to in his memoirs solely as ‘John.’
It emerged that he was talking about John Battista, who went from acting on Broadway to opening an ashram in upstate New York.
John’s career as a guru came crashing down in a blizzard of sexual abuse allegations, including a claim that he molested a teenage girl after placing her in a trance.
Denounced in the press as the ‘Creep Guru,’ John eventually committed suicide – but Alan found himself unable to break away from his teachings.
‘Some miraculous things were going on as a direct result of meditation,’ he reflected in 2020. ‘It saved my life. I couldn’t throw it out. If I threw it out, then suicide would have been the only viable alternative.’
As his five-decade Hollywood career rolled along and he himself grew older, he established himself as a beloved character actor.
During the 1990s his films included the blistering David Mamet adaptation Glengarry Glen Ross and the beloved Tim Burton feature Edward Scissorhands.
Love at last: His third and final marriage was to psychotherapist Suzanne Newlander, whom he tied the knot with in 1996 and remained with for the rest of his life; pictured in 2019
Family business: Alan is pictured in 2008 attending a red carpet event with his son Adam Arkin, who followed his footsteps into acting
Honored: Alan is pictured in 2019 unveiling his star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame with his son Matthew (right) and Little Miss Sunshine co-star Steve Carrell (left)
His final Oscar nomination came for his scenery-chewing turn in Argo, Ben Affleck’s 2012 caper about the Iran hostage crisis.
He regularly appeared in movies throughout the 2010s, including in the old-age heist comedy Going In Style alongside Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, as well as the sports satire Grudge Match with Sylvester Stallone.
Alan continued jobbing as an actor well into his 80s, appearing on the Netflix sitcom The Kominsky Method from 2018 to 2021 and garnering two Emmy nods.
‘I gotta keep busy,’ he had told Roger Ebert at the dawn of his movie career. ‘I’m not happy unless I’m working on two, three things.’
As a result, he worked to the end, performing a voice role in last year’s animated children’s movie Minions: The Rise Of Gru.
At the time of his death his IMDb featured a film currently in pre-production called The Smack, with a cast that includes Kathy Bates and Marisa Tomei.
On the personal front, Alan had two failed marriages, first to Adam and Matthew’s mother Jeremy Yaffe, then to actress and screenwriter Barbara Dana, with whom he had another son called Tony.
His final marriage was to psychotherapist Suzanne Newlander, whom he tied the knot with in 1996 and remained with for the rest of his life.
When the news of his death broke on Friday, testimonials poured in including from his Kominsky Method co-star Michael Douglas, who hailed Alan as ‘a wonderful actor whose intelligence, sense of comedy and consummate professionalism over the past 70 years has left an indelible mark on our industry.’
