Arleen Frances Sorkin(October 14, 1955 – August 24, 2023) was an American actress, screenwriter, television presenter and comedian. Sorkin is known for portrayingCalliope Joneson theNBCdaytime serialDays of Our Livesand for serving as the real-life inspiration and voice forDC ComicscharacterHarley Quinn,co-created by her friendPaul DinionBatman: The Animated Series.
Arleen Sorkin | |
|---|---|
 Sorkin in 2011 | |
| Born | Arleen Frances Sorkin October 14, 1955 Washington, D.C.,U.S. |
| Died | August 24, 2023(aged 67) Los Angeles,California,U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1983–2011 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | David Lloyd(father-in-law) |
Early life and education
editArleen Frances Sorkin was born on October 14, 1955 inWashington, D.C.to Irving and Joyce Sorkin.[1]Her father was a dentist who was a producer on the 2004 filmSomething the Lord Made.[2]Sorkin had two brothers, Arthur and Robert.[1]Her family isJewish.[3]
Career
editSorkin began her career incabaretin the late 1970s and early 1980s as a member of the comedy group The High-Heeled Women, alongside Mary Fulham, Tracey Berg, and Cassandra Danz.[4]
One of her more prominent roles was the wacky but lovableCalliope Jones,as seen onDays of Our Lives.She played this part from 1984 to 1990 and made return visits in 1992 and 2001. She reprised her role on the soap for the fourth time on February 24, 2006. She returned toDaysfor a limited run beginning on May 5, 2010.[5]
From 1987 to 1989, Sorkin played Geneva, a sexy maid to yuppie couple Richard and Linda Phillips, on theFoxdramedyseriesDuet.She would reprise this role on one episode ofOpen House,the sequel series toDuet.[citation needed]
She was the original female co-host onAmerica's Funniest Peoplein 1990. In 1992, Sorkin was dismissed fromAmerica's Funniest Peopleby producerVin Di Bona.In response, Sorkin filed alawsuitagainst Di Bona, claiming she was dismissed from the show due to her race, afterABCChairman Dan Burke had suggested to Di Bona that Sorkin be replaced by anAfrican-Americanor a person of another ethnic minority. Sorkin sought$450,000 for lost earnings, and an additional unspecified amount for harm to her professional reputation and emotional injury. She additionally claimed that after she denounced the move as being racially motivated, Di Bona changed plans and hired new cohostTawny Kitaen,who was alsowhite.[6]
Sorkin's writing included for theTiny Toon Adventures1990–1992 television series, and co-writer of the story and screenplay of the 1997Jennifer Anistonfilm,Picture Perfect.[citation needed]
Alongside providing the voice, the character ofHarley Quinnwas based on her,[7][8]after Paul Dini (her friend since college), saw her play ajesterfrom adream sequencein thesoap operaDays of Our Lives.[9][10]Dini then patterned Harley Quinn on Sorkin, incorporating aspects such as her mannerisms and "very snappy, wisecracking, bubbly blonde" personality.[11][12][9]In recording Harley Quinn's voice, Sorkin spoke in her normalBrooklyn accentwhile putting in a "littleYiddishsound ", since Dini made the characterJewish,another aspect of the character borrowed from Sorkin.[10][13][14][15][16][17]Harley Quinn made her first appearance in theBatman: The Animated Seriesepisode "Joker's Favor"originally intended to appear in a single episode, but reaction to the character and Sorkin's voice performance was positive, so Quinn was written into the show regularly, and appeared in furtherDC Animated Universeseries, includingThe New Batman Adventures,Static Shock,Justice League,Gotham Girls,and the animated filmBatman Beyond: Return of the Joker.Her last performances as Harley Quinn were the video gamesBatman: Arkham Asylum(2009) andDC Universe Online(2011).
For the seriesFrasier(1993–2004), produced by her husbandChristopher Lloyd,Sorkin would perform as a caller toFrasier Crane's radio show; the lines would later bedubbedover by a celebrity caller.[18]In thefinal episode ofFrasier,Sorkin made an onscreen appearance as the owner of amonkey.[citation needed]
Personal life
editSorkin married television writer-producerChristopher Lloydin 1995, with whom she had two sons,[19]Eli and Owen.[20]
Death
editArleen Sorkin died in Los Angeles on August 24, 2023, at the age of 67, of complications frompneumoniaandmultiple sclerosis.[1]
Filmography
editThis sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(September 2022) |
Film
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Trading Places | Woman at Party | Uncredited |
| 1985 | From Here to Maternity | Judy | Television film |
| 1986 | Odd Jobs | Diner Waitress | |
| 1987 | Paul Reiser Out on a Whim | ||
| 1991 | Oscar | Vendetti's Manicurist | |
| Ted & Venus | Marcia | ||
| I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore | Monica | ||
| 1993 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Killer Kiss | Peg Ferman | Television film |
| Batman: Mask of the Phantasm | Ms. Bambi (voice) | Uncredited | |
| 1994 | It's Pat | Herself | |
| 2000 | Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel(voice) | Direct-to-video |
| 2004 | Comic Book: The Movie | Ms. Q (Studio Secretary) |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Days of Our Lives | Calliope Jones | 427 episodes |
| 1986–1989 | The New Hollywood Squares | Panelist | |
| 1987 | The New Mike Hammer | Traci Baskin | Episode: "The Last Laugh" |
| 1987–1989 | Duet | Geneva | 50 episodes |
| 1989 | Open House | Episode: "Parade of Homes" | |
| Family Feud | Herself | [21] | |
| 1990 | Dream On | Donna di Angelo | Episode: "Angst for the Memories" |
| Room for Romance | Episode: "Fool's Good" | ||
| 1990–1992 | America's Funniest People | Co-host | |
| 1991 | Taz-Mania | Veronica (voice) | Episode: "Bewitched Bob" |
| 1992–1994 | Batman: The Animated Series | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel(voice) | 9 episodes |
| 1997–1999 | The New Batman Adventures | 6 episodes | |
| 1997 | Superman: The Animated Series | Episode: "World's Finest" (Three-Parter) | |
| 2000–2002 | Gotham Girls | 25 episodes | |
| 2003 | Static Shock | Episode: "Hard as Nails" | |
| Justice League | Episode: "Wild Cards" (Two-Parter) | ||
| 2004 | Frasier | Rachel | Episode: "Goodnight, Seattle: Part 2" |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Adventures of Batman & Robin | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel | Sega CDversion |
| 2001 | Batman: Vengeance | ||
| 2009 | Batman: Arkham Asylum | ||
| 2011 | DC Universe Online | Final role |
Writer
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Picture Perfect | Screenplay, story |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Spike Video Game Awards | Best Voice | Batman: Arkham Asylum(as "Harley Quinn" ) | Nominated |
| 1988 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Days of Our Lives | Nominated |
| 1989 | Nominated | |||
| 1985 | Soap Opera Digest Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Serial | Won | |
| Outstanding New Actress in a Daytime Serial | Won | |||
| 1986 | Outstanding Comic Relief Role on a Daytime Serial | Won | ||
| 1988 | Outstanding Comic Performance by an Actress: Daytime | Won | ||
| 2011 | Peabody Awards | Shared with Jessica Hernández (editor) | Bhutto | Won |
| 2011 | International Documentary Association | Video Source Award Shared with Duane Baughman (director/producer) Johnny O'Hara (director/writer) Mark Siegel (producer) Glenn Aveni (executive producer) |
Won |
References
edit- ^abcGenzlinger, Neil (September 7, 2023)."Arleen Sorkin, Soap Opera Star With a Claim to Batman Fame, Dies at 67".The New York Times.RetrievedSeptember 7,2023.
- ^McLellan, Dennis (October 25, 2007)."Irving Sorkin, 88; dentist saw Hollywood dream come true as award-winning producer".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 7,2023.
- ^Jaffe, Alex (October 4, 2021)."The Jewish Roots of Harley Quinn".DCComics.com.RetrievedNovember 23,2021.
- ^"Arleen Sorkin Dead".The New York Times.September 7, 2023.RetrievedFebruary 7,2024.
- ^Kroll, Dan J. (April 4, 2010)."Sorkin to return as the zany Calliope Jones".Soap Central.RetrievedNovember 23,2021.
- ^"Former TV Co-Host Suing Producer".Buffalo News.April 18, 1993. Archived fromthe originalon November 5, 2012.RetrievedOctober 31,2010.
- ^Jirak, Jamie (October 15, 2020)."Mark Hamill Pays Tribute to Original Harley Quinn Arleen Sorkin".Comicbook.com.
- ^@TheAnimatedBat (October 14, 2020)."Happy Birthday to the Legendary Arleen Sorkin! The original voice of & real life inspiration for Harley Quinn!"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
- ^ab"One on One with Paul Dini – HoboTrashcan".Hobo Trashcan.January 3, 2006.RetrievedAugust 21,2021.
- ^abRiesman, Abraham (February 5, 2020)."The Strange, Hidden Story of Harley Quinn".Vulture.RetrievedMarch 3,2021.
- ^Errico, Marcus (September 23, 2017)."#BatmanDay: The strange but true history of Harley Quinn revealed!".Yahoo!.RetrievedAugust 21,2021.
- ^Dini, Paul;Chip, Kidd (1998).Batman Animated.New York City:HarperCollins Publishers.ISBN978-0-06-107327-4.
- ^Riesman, Abraham (October 6, 2017)."An Oral History of 'Batman: The Animated Series'".Vulture.RetrievedMarch 16,2021.
- ^Ito, Robert (August 2, 2016)."Harley Quinn, Just the Nice, Fun-Loving Psycho Next Door".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 14,2021.
- ^Jaffe, Alex (November 21, 2019)."Harley Quinnesday: The Jewish Roots of Harley Quinn".DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.RetrievedAugust 13,2021.
- ^Riesman, Abraham (February 17, 2015)."The Hidden Story of Harley Quinn and How She Became the Superhero World's Most Successful Woman".Vulture.com (New York).Archivedfrom the original on February 18, 2015.RetrievedJune 22,2016.
- ^Jankiewicz, Pat (n.d.)."Quinn-tessentials: Interview with Arleen Sorkin".Starlog.Archivedfrom the original on May 16, 2008 – via Harley-Quinn.com.
- ^Sorkin, Andrea (July 7, 2012).Fatman on Batman.Interviewed byKevin Smith.Podcast.
- ^Whipp, Glenn (August 22, 2014)."Christopher Lloyd's award-winning funny bones".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on August 22, 2014.
- ^"The art of writing and making films:Flushed Away"."About the Filmmakers",Flushed Awaypress kit, via The Writing Studio. Archived fromthe originalon February 25, 2007.
- ^Family Feud (1989): Funny Men vs Funny WomenonYouTube