Acting
Charles Grodin
Charles Sidney Grodin (April 21, 1935 – May 18, 2021) was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. Grodin began his acting career in the 1960s appearing in TV serials including The Virginian. After a small part in Rosemary's Baby in 1968, he played the lead in Elaine May's The Heartbreak Kid (1972) and supporting roles in Mike Nichols's Catch-22 (1970), the 1976 remake of King Kong, and Warren Beatty's Heaven Can Wait (1978). Known for his deadpan delivery and often cast as a put-upon straight man, Grodin became familiar as a supporting actor in many Hollywood comedies of the era, including Real Life (1979), Seems Like Old Times (1980), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), Ishtar (1987), Dave (1993), and Clifford (1994). Grodin co-starred in the action comedy Midnight Run (1988) and in the family film Beethoven (1992). He made frequent appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman. In the mid-1990s, Grodin retired from acting and wrote autobiographies; he became a talk show host on CNBC and in 2000 a political commentator for 60 Minutes II. He returned to acting with a handful of roles in the mid-2010s, including in Louis C.K.'s FX show Louie and Noah Baumbach's film While We're Young (2014). Grodin won several awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special in 1978 for the Paul Simon Special alongside Chevy Chase, Lorne Michaels, Paul Simon, and Lily Tomlin. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for The Heartbreak Kid in 1972. He won Best Actor at the 1988 Valladolid International Film Festival for Midnight Run, and the American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his performance in Dave in 1993.
Filmography
Marty, Life Is Short
Film · 2026
Charles Grodin: Rebel With a Cause
Film · 2025
Waiting for Ishtar
Film · 2017
An Imperfect Murder
Film · 2017
The Comedian
Film · 2016
Madoff
Series · 2016
While We're Young
Film · 2015
The Humbling
Film · 2014
Brazzaville Teen-Ager
Film · 2013
The Michael J. Fox Show
Series · 2013
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
Film · 2012
Char·ac·ter
Film · 2012
The Harmony Game
Film · 2011
Paul Simon and Friends | The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
Film · 2007
The Ex
Film · 2006
The Ultimate Collection starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 70s and 80s
Film · 2002
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Series · 1999
The Daily Show
Series · 1996
Clifford
Film · 1994
It Runs in the Family
Film · 1994
The World of Jim Henson
Film · 1994
Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
Film · 1994
Beethoven's 2nd
Film · 1993
So I Married an Axe Murderer
Film · 1993
Dave
Film · 1993
Heart and Souls
Film · 1993
Late Show with David Letterman
Series · 1993
Beethoven
Film · 1992
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
Series · 1992
Taking Care of Business
Film · 1990
The Muppets at Walt Disney World
Film · 1990
Cranium Command
Film · 1989
You Can't Hurry Love
Film · 1988
The Couch Trip
Film · 1988
Midnight Run
Film · 1988
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Series · 1988
Ishtar
Film · 1987
Last Resort
Film · 1986
King Kong! The Living Legend
Film · 1986
Fresno
Series · 1986
Movers & Shakers
Film · 1985
The Woman in Red
Film · 1984
The Lonely Guy
Film · 1984
Charley's Aunt
Film · 1983
Night of 100 Stars
Film · 1982
Late Night with David Letterman
Series · 1982
American Playhouse
Series · 1982
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
Film · 1981
The Great Muppet Caper
Film · 1981
Seems Like Old Times
Film · 1980
It's My Turn
Film · 1980
Real Life
Film · 1979
Sunburn
Film · 1979
Heaven Can Wait
Film · 1978
The Meanest Men in the West
Film · 1978
The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank
Film · 1978
Just Me and You
Film · 1978
It Happened One Christmas
Film · 1977
Thieves
Film · 1977
The Paul Simon Special
Film · 1977
King Kong
Film · 1976
Laverne & Shirley
Series · 1976
Saturday Night Live
Series · 1975
11 Harrowhouse
Film · 1974
The Heartbreak Kid
Film · 1972
The Great American Dream Machine
Series · 1971
Great Performances
Series · 1971
Catch-22
Film · 1970
Simon and Garfunkel: Songs of America
Film · 1969
Rosemary's Baby
Film · 1968
Judd, for the Defense
Series · 1967
The Guns of Will Sonnett
Series · 1967
Captain Nice
Series · 1967
Felony Squad
Series · 1966
Shane
Series · 1966
The F.B.I.
Series · 1965
My Mother the Car
Series · 1965
The Big Valley
Series · 1965
Sex and the College Girl
Film · 1964
The Young Marrieds
Series · 1964
The Virginian
Series · 1962
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Series · 1962
The Defenders
Series · 1961
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Film · 1954