Born Name:  Charles Sidney Grodin

Born Date:  April 21, 1935

Born Place:  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Died Date:  May 18, 2021

Died Place:  Wilton, Connecticut

Occupations:  Actor, author, comedian, talk show host

Brief Biography:  Charles Grodin known for his deadpan humor and versatile supporting roles in comedy classics like Midnight Run (1988), The Heartbreak Kid (1972), and Beethoven (1992). A Pittsburgh native, he began in theater before dominating 1970s–90s film and TV.

Early Life and Career:
Born to an Orthodox Jewish family.
Education: Attended the University of Miami and the Pittsburgh Playhouse School of Theatre.
Early Roles: Started in 1960s TV and had a small part in Rosemary's Baby (1968). He famously turned down the lead role in The Graduate.

Film and Television Career:
Breakthrough: Grodin gained critical attention in Elaine May’s The Heartbreak Kid (1972).
Key Roles: He starred in Heaven Can Wait (1978), Real Life (1979), Seems Like Old Times (1980), Ishtar (1987), Midnight Run (1988) with Robert De Niro, and Dave (1993).
Beethoven: He achieved commercial success as the frustrated father in the family comedy Beethoven (1992) and its sequel.
Later Career: He worked as a talk show host on CNBC (1995-1998) and a commentator on 60 Minutes II. He made a return to acting in later years with a recurring role on the FX show Louie and in While We're Young (2014).

Writing/Causes:
He was a published author and a staunch advocate for criminal justice reform, working to help wrongly convicted individuals.