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He won an Oscar for “Little Miss Sunshine” in 2007 – now actor Alan Arkin has died at the age of 89.
“Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and as a person.” So write his three sons in their statement confirming the death of their father Alan Arkin this Friday. The American actor died in California at the age of 89.
Oscar for whimsical grandfather
Born in New York in 1934, Arkin actually wanted to be a musician after school and had his first successes, but then turned to acting and got roles in theaters and films. He demonstrated his versatility in comedy and drama alike.
With his role in the parody “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming” (1966) he was able to achieve success early on – including an Oscar nomination in the category Best Supporting Actor. Three more Oscar nominations followed, including one for Ben Affleck’s film Argo.
Legend:
Nominated four times, won once: Alan Arkin received the 2007 Oscar in the category Best Supporting Actor for “Little Miss Sunshine”.
Keystone / PAUL BUCK
In 2007 he also won the golden statue: He convinced as a bizarre grandfather in the comedy “Little Miss Sunshine”.
Neither sex symbol nor superstar
Arkin once joked to The Associated Press that the beauty of being a character actor is that you don’t have to strip for a role. Alan Arkin was neither a sex symbol nor a superstar – but he was rarely unemployed and acted in over 100 films.