The great actor and comic genius Alan Arkin has left us. I loved him ever since I saw 1979’s The In-Laws, which is surely one of the best comedies of the 20th Century. Arkin plays Sheldon Kornpett, a straight-laced Manhattan dentist who finds himself caught up in an adventure with his soon to be in-law, a rogue CIA agent. At one point when Sheldon faces imminent death, he laments that he has only ever made love to four women, “two of them my wife.” Classic.
Having loved his work in my youth, I was thrilled to see a new generation of film viewers introduced to Arkin through his movies like Little Miss Sunshine and Argo. The latter film, in particular, seems to encapsulate the essence of Arkin’s on-screen persona. Playing world-weary film producer Lester Siegel, he exudes an aura of what I think of as Sardonic Unflappability, a comical spirit of defiance that I emulated as a kid and which helped me keep my sanity.
Like many of my heroes, Arkin’s life had a great second act. I hope his blessings continue into the next life, too.
Ash Clifton, Writer 