June 30, 2023 – CARLSBAD, CA (CelebrityAccess) – Actor Alan Arkin, who won an Oscar for his part in Little Miss Sunshine, passed away Thursday (June 29) at his home in Carlsbad, CA. The news of his death was confirmed via a spokeswoman for Arkin. The cause of death has not been revealed. He was 89.
Adam, Anthony and Matthew Arkin, the actor’s sons said in a joint statement: “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.”
A native New Yorker, born to Jewish immigrants from Germany and Russia in 1934. He made his first movie appearance as a singer (uncredited) in Calypso Heat Wave (Fred Sears). Broadway saw Arkin’s first performance in the musical From the Second City. He then starred with David Kolowitz in the Broadway comedy Enter Laughing, winning a Tony Award.
Arkin earned his first Oscar Award nod for Best Actor for his role in the 1966 comedy The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming – only to be nominated again for his non-speaking role (he played a mute) in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter in 1968. The Oscar win came for his performance in 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine, starring alongside Steve Carell, Paul Dano and Toni Collette.
Throughout his storied career, Arkin is credited with over 100 feature films, including Wait Until Dark with Audrey Hepburn, Freebie and the Bean, Slums of Beverly Hills, Edward Scissorhands and many more. Arkin’s turn in the 2012 Ben Affleck-directed movie Argo earned him his fourth Oscar nomination.
Additionally, Arkin was nominated for six Emmy Awards, most recently for the Netflix show The Kominsky Method alongside actor Michael Douglas in 2019 and 2020. He also scored Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations in 2020 and 2021.
Arkin is survived by his wife, Suzanne Newlander, whom he married in 1996, and three children: Adam Arkin and Matthew Arkin, whom he shared with his first wife, Jeremy Yaffe, and Anthony Arkin, whom he shared with his second wife, Dana.
RIP.
