Charles Grodin, star of Midnight Run and Beethoven, dies at 86

The actor Charles Grodin has died at the age of 86.

Grodin, best known for films such as Midnight Run, The Heartbreak Kid and Beethoven, died of bone marrow cancer, his son, Nicholas, told the New York Times.

His career saw him on big and small screens as well as on the stage while also writing books. His first film was an uncredited role in Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in 1954 just before he made his Broadway debut in Tchin-Tchin opposite Anthony Quinn.

In the 1960s, Grodin starred in Rosemary’s Baby and wrote and directed plays for Broadway. That decade also saw him turn down the lead role of The Graduate because of the low pay offered. He rose in prominence in the 70s with films such as Catch-22, The Heartbreak Kid and Heaven Can Wait. He also won an Emmy in 1978 for writing on The Paul Simon Special.

He went on to star in Midnight Run opposite Robert De Niro, Beethoven and Dave. He also became known for his appearances on Saturday Night Live and other late-night talkshows but was also briefly banned from The Johnny Carson Show for offending the host.

In more recent years, he starred in Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young and Law & Order: SVU. In 2009, he released his last memoir How I Got to Be Whoever It Is I Am. His final big-screen role saw him starring alongside Sienna Miller and Alec Baldwin in An Imperfect Murder.

“I never complain about anything, because I’m aware of what’s going on around me, and I’m also aware that there are a lot of very gifted people that never even get a job in show business,” he said to The AV Club in 2009. “It’s just because they can’t handle the rejection, and I can handle it, and I’m used to it.”

Grodin died at his home in Connecticut, having spent his career refusing to move to Los Angeles and choosing to stay with his family. “What I did not do in 30 years in the movies was form relationships with people who could help me,” he said to the New York Times in 1995. “I could have scored heavily if I’d moved to Hollywood and entered into the social scene.”

Tributes have arrived on Twitter from colleagues and those who respected his work. The comedian Kathy Griffin tweeted: “I loved Charles Grodin so much. He would bust my balls and give me so much shit in a way that left me no choice but to giggle with glee. Never mean spirited, just quick and brilliant.” The actor and comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted: “RIP Charles Grodin. Ordering a plate of chorizo and eggs in his beloved memory.”

Grodin is survived by his two children.