Close your eyes, and you can hear Alan Arkin’s unforgettable voice in your ears, grumbling through the great dialogue he got to say over his decades on screen. What’s remarkable is how the career of the actor and director, who passed away on June 29th, 2023, could encompass so much — great comedy, great drama, and some iconic villain roles mixed in with his semi-frequent appearances with the Muppets.
Arkin worked consistently over the years, almost like clockwork: Since his breakout role in The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming in 1966, it was very rare for a year to pass without a new appearance from him on film or television. The times it did happen? It was usually because the following year, he’d have three or four roles stacked up. His career highlights include three Oscar nominations and one win, six Emmy nominations, and a Tony; more importantly, that voice, gravelly and wise and wry, will stick with us forever.
— Liz Shannon Miller
Roat, Wait Until Dark (1967)
Wait Until Dark (Warner Bros.)
While the early years of Arkin’s career included numerous well-regarded films, it was his villainous turn as a criminal intent on stealing back his drugs from a blind and unaware Audrey Hepburn that made him a name to remember. What’s essential to his performance is Roat’s capacity for charm; something that makes him all the more dangerous in the moment. — L.S. Miller
Capt. John Yossarian, Catch-22 (1970)
Catch-22 (Paramount)
Mike Nichols’ Catch 22 features a large ensemble cast, but Arkin is its lynchpin as Yossarian, a burned-out World War II bombardier who just wants to rotate out of his extremely dangerous assignment — only to find that thanks to the particulars of army bureaucracy, there is no escape. Playing with the line between sanity and madness is a common theme in Arkin’s work, and it all began here. — L.S. Miller
Lt. Miles Practice, Little Murders (1971)
Little Murders (20th Century Fox)
Arkin only plays a small role in this adaptation of Jules Feiffer’s acclaimed play, because he also directed the haunting black comedy about a world descending into chaos. There’s almost something apocalyptic about the way Arkin depicts the film’s New York City, consumed with rampant violence that only escalates as the film progresses — something also embodied in his time on screen, as an unhinged detective who can’t stop the flood of unsolved murders that represent the crumbling of society. — L.S. Miller
Sheldon Kornpett, The In-Laws (1979)
The In-Laws (Warner Bros.)
Arkin teamed up with another lovable curmudgeon, Peter Falk, for this classic spy comedy about a dentist (Arkin) who gets caught up in an international caper thanks to his son’s future father-in-law, a CIA agent (Falk). It’s a film that holds up remarkably well thanks to its core cast, the sharp dialogue, and occasionally goofy moments of comedy — to which Arkin commits fully. “Serpentine!” — L.S. Miller
A. “Peevy” Peabody, The Rocketeer (1991)
The Rocketeer (Disney)
“Lovable curmudgeon” was a persona that Arkin knew how to play like a fiddle, and Joe Johnston’s beloved cult favorite The Rocketeer showcased that talent to perfection. As the brilliant mechanic who figures out how to use the jetpack his young protege Cliff (Billy Campbell) discovers, Arkin’s dry delivery adds essential humor to Cliff’s early experiments in Rocketeer-ing, and the film gives the character a final beat that makes you yearn for a sequel. — L.S. Miller
George Aaronow, Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Glengarry Glen Ross (New Line Cinema)
In a film packed to the brim with iconic performances from powerhouse actors, it’d be astonishing enough to hold your own. So, to not only hold your own but arguably put forth one of the best damn performances in the entire motion picture is damn near a miracle. Ironically, Arkin’s George Aaronow is one of the meekest men in Glengarry Glen Ross — though, perhaps that’s why his performance stands out in the way it does. In contrast to the angry, “Put that coffee down!” energy of the rest of the cast, he comes through with a quiet, complex, and truly unforgettable character. — Jonah Krueger
The Chief, So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)
So I Married an Ax Murderer (TriStar)
Arkin’s appearances in the Mike Myers romantic comedy are barely more than a cameo, but he anchors the film’s increasingly funny running gag about how police work is depicted on screen: While police detective Tony (Anthony LaPaglia) yearns to be a hotshot Dirty Harry type, it’s Arkin’s police chief who has to bring him back to reality. First, he explains to Tony that he doesn’t report to a commissioner: “I report to a committee. Some of whom are appointed, some elected, and the rest co-opted on a bi-annual basis. It’s a quorum, so to speak.” And then he offers Tony a hug. — L.S. Miller
Murray Abromowitz, Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)
Slums of Beverly Hills (Fox Searchlight)
The history of film is packed with stories about dads — good dads, bad dads, and a rich spectrum of dads in between. “In between” is probably the best way to describe Arkin’s patriarch in Tamara Jenkins’s acclaimed film about growing up on the poverty line so close to the high life — a man who loves his family, wants to give them a great life, but is maybe a little too reliant on unreliable schemes to make that dream come true. — L.S. Miller
Edwin Hoover, Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Little Miss Sunshine (Fox Searchlight)
The role that earned Arkin his Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Edwin in Little Miss Sunshine is far and away one of Arkin’s most memorable characters. In a film that pivots back and forth between tones, Arkin is a grounding beacon — even for a character with a particularly vulgar vocabulary, there’s so much warmth in his scenes with Abigail Breslin’s Olive. — Mary Siroky
J. D. Salinger, BoJack Horseman (2015–2016)
Bojack Horseman (Netflix)
There are so many surreal bits within the Bojack Horseman universe, but daring to ask what would have become of JD Salinger, author of Catcher in the Rye, if he had actually faked his death and moved to the middle of nowhere to run a tandem bicycle shop is one of the boldest. Arkin provided the voice performance for the role, offering us a look into an alternate reality where Salinger becomes the host of Hollywoo Stars and Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things?? Let’s Find Out! No notes. — M. Siroky
Norman Newlander, The Kominsky Method (2018–2019)
The Kominsky Method (Netflix)
Sure, the show was most appealing to the people it depicted (those who have worked in and around Hollywood for a long time), but Netflix’s The Kominsky Method was, if nothing else, a great vehicle for Arkin and Michael Douglas to pal around and have fun acting. The show flew somewhat under the radar but cleaned up when awards season rolled around — Arkin is just great as agent Norman Newlander. — M. Siroky
