Photo:Fox Searchlight/Everett
Fox Searchlight/Everett
Breslin, 27, is mourning the loss of her on-screen grandfather,Alan Arkin, whodied at the age of 89on Thursday. The actress starred alongside Arkin in the 2006 comedy-dramaLittle Miss Sunshineand he has always held a place in her heart.
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Arkin hadonly 14 minutes of screen timein the hit film with Breslin, but both received Oscar nominations for their roles. The screenwriter and director won his first and only Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film, proving that he didn’t need long to leave an impression with his acting skills.
Most recently, Arkin costarred inThe Kominsky Methodfor Netflix alongsideMichael Douglas, earning Emmy nominations in 2019 and 2020, and Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations in 2020 and 2021. InLittle Miss Sunshine, Arkin played Edwin Hoover, the grandfather of the dysfunctional family.
Arkin’s memorable turn in the 2012Ben Affleck-directed political dramaArgoearned him his fourth Oscar nomination. He played veteran film producer Lester Siegel, whose sharp sense of humor and biting line delivery won over audiences. “He was an incredible human being and a friend and mentor whom we will always love, miss, and remember,” Affleck shared on theInstagram page for his Artists Equity studio.
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Born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 26, 1934, Arkin’s family moved to Los Angeles during his childhood. That “is why I don’t live there now,” Arkin told PEOPLE in 1979 from his home in Chappaqua, New York.
After finishing high school, Arkin attended several different colleges and dropped out of at least three, including Bennington College in Vermont, whichlists him as an alumnusof the class of 1955.
“They might have thrown me out,” Arkin told PEOPLE of his experience in college in a 1979 story about him and his second wife, actress Barbara Dana. “I don’t remember.”
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After leaving college, Arkinembarked on a brief career in music with a folk groupcalled the Tarriers, where he sang and played guitar. The short-lived group produced the hit top-5 single “The Banana Boat Song” in 1957.
But Arkin, who began taking acting lessons in childhood, quit the band and set about trying to establish himself as an actor. By 1960, Arkin arrived in Chicago and became an early member of the Second City improvisational comedy troupe, according to ahistory on the organization’s website.
“Second City saved my life. It literally saved my life,” Arkin said. “I have a feeling it’s true for a lot of other people, too.”
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Follwing his time in Chicago, Arkinmade his Broadway debutin 1961 inFrom the Second City.He followed it up with a Tony-winning performance in 1963’sEnter Laughing,propelling him into stardom.
Over the next 50-plus years, Arkin went on to appear in more than 100 movies and films, notably starring in movies likeThe Heart is a Lonely Hunter(1968), which earned him his second Oscar nomination;Catch-22(1970);Edward Scissorhands(1990) andGlengarry Glen Ross(1992).
source: people.com
