ALAN ARKIN BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
 
Alan Arkin was born on March 26th, 1934 in New York City, New York with the birth name Alan Wolf Arkin, born to David and Beatrice Arkin.  When he was still a young boy his family relocated from New York to Los Angeles, California and from a young age, Arkin showed an interest in performing.
 
He began taking acting classes around the age of ten and continued learning the art while earning a high school diploma from Franklin High.  He then enrolled at Los Angeles City College and later transferred to Bennington College in Vermont.
 
Prior to earning a college degree, he chose to leave early and formed a folk music group called, The Tarriers.  He wrote the music for the group as well as working as the groups guitarist and lead singer.
 
Along with making music, he tried to pursue a career as an actor and supported himself by working odd jobs such as a repairman and even a babysitter.  He did later in life, make a impression in the music industry with the release of hits such as, "Banana Boat Song", "Cuddle Bug", "That's Me" and "Best Time of the Year". 
 
He was finally given his first break in 1957 when he was cast in the film, "Calypso Heat Wave" as a lead singer with his folk group.  Next he began to audition for stage roles and added such production credits as, "Heloise" (1958) and his Broadway debut on, "From the Second City" followed by, "Enter Laughing" (1963) and "Luv" (1964).
 
In addition to his singing career and acting career finally beginning to head in the right direction he was also a very talented director and was given the opportunity to share that talent with his directing of the off-Broadway play, "Eh?" (1966) and "Little Murders" (1969) for which he won a drama Desk Award.  Other productions he has directed include, "The White House Murder Case" (1970), "The Sunshine Boys" (1972) and two shorts early on in his career, "T.G.I.F." (1967) and "People Soup" (1969). 
 
By the mid 60's, Hollywood was slowly beginning to take notice of him and he was cast in the film, "The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming" (1966), a role for which he earned his first Academy Award nomination.
 
Other film credits he began to add to his resume included, "Wait Until Dark" (1967), "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" (1968) and "Catch--22" (1970).  For his role in, "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter", Arkin earned his second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading role. 
 
As his career in the industry has progressed he has now made quite a name for himself and proved that he is not only a talented musician but also a very talented actor and director.  Other directing credits include the television series, "Fay" (1975), "Trying Times" (1987-1989) and the films, "Samuel Beckett Is Coming Soon" (1993) and "Arigo" (2000).  
 
Other successful film roles include, "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" (1976), "The In-Laws" (1979), "Simon" (1980), "Bad Medicine" (1985), "Havana" (1990) and "North" (1994).
 
In addition to his many successful film roles he also appeared on a variety of television movies as well as television series such as, "American Playhouse", "A Year in the Life", "Picture Windows", "Chicago Hope", "100 Centre Street" and "Will & Grace".
 
More recently, his career was acknowledged in his 3rd Academy Award nomination for his role in the 2006 film, "Little Miss Sunshine" and has starred in such features as, "Marley & Me" (2008), "The Change-Up" (2011), "In Security" (2012), "Wild Oats" (2012) and soon to release in 2013, "Stand Up Guys" and "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone".
 
Arkin has proven that he holds various talents in music, acting, directing, producing and is also a published author for such books as, "The Clearing", "The Lemming Condition" and "Cassie Loves Beethoven".
 
He is currently married to his third wife, Suzanne Newlander whom he wed in 1999.  Previous to this union, he first married Jeremy Yaffe in 1955 and they had two children before the marriage came to an end in 1961.  He then married Barbara Dana in 1964 and they also had one child together before the marriage ended in divorce in 1999.
 
Alan Arkin resides in New Mexico with his family, however returns frequently to Los Angeles for filming and he also enjoys teaching workshops on improvisation when he is not working himself as an actor. 

Filmography

2012   The Locals

2012   Wild Oats

2013   Stand Up Guys

2013   The Incredible Burt Wonderstone 

2012   In Security 

2012   Argo 

2011   The Muppets 

2011   The Change-Up

2009   The Private Lives of Pippa Lee 

2009   City Island 

2008   Marley & Me

2008   Get Smart 

2008   Sunshine Cleaning 

2007   Rendition

2006   Raising Flagg 

2006   The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

2006   The Novice 

2006   Firewall

2006   Little Miss Sunshine

2005   Will & Grace

2004   Noel

2004   Eros

2004   Sesame Street: Cookie Monster's Best Bites

2003   And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself 

2003   The Pentagon Papers

2001-2002  100 Centre Street 

2001   Thirteen Conversations About One Thing

2001   America's Sweethearts

2001   Varian's War 

2000   Blood Money

2000   Magicians

2000   Arigo

1999   Jakob the Liar 

1998   Slums of Beverly Hills 

1997   Gattaca 

1997   Four Days in September 

1997   Grosse Pointe Blank 

1997   Chicago Hope 

1996   Mother Night 

1996   Heck's Way Home 

1995   Steal Big Steal Little 

1995   Picture Windows

1995   The Jerky Boys

1994   Doomsday Gun 

1994   North

1993   So I Married an Axe Murderer 

1993   Taking the Heat

1993   Indian Summer

1993   Cooperstown

1993   Samuel Beckett Is Coming Soon

1992   Glengarry Glen Ross

1991   The Rocketeer

1990   Havana 

1990   Edward Scissorhands

1990   Coupe de Ville

1988   Necessary Parties

1987   A Year in the Life 

1987   Escape from Sobibor

1987   Harry 

1986   Big Trouble 

1986   A Deadly Business 

1985   Bad Medicine

1985   Faerie Tale Theatre 

1985   Joshua Then and Now

1985   The Fourth Wise Man

1984   American Playhouse

1983   St. Elsewhere 

1983   The Return of Captain Invincible 

1982   The Last Unicorn 

1981   Chu Chu and the Philly Flash

1981   Improper Channels 

1981   Full Moon High

1980   Simon 

1979   The Magician of Lublin

1979   Carol Burnett & Company 

1979   The In-Laws

1978   The Defection of Simas Kudirka 

1978   The Other Side of Hell 

1977   Fire Sale

1976   The Seven-Per-Cent Solution 

1975   Hearts of the West

1975   Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins

1974   It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy

1974   Freebie and the Bean 

1972   Last of the Red Hot Lovers 

1972   Deadhead Miles 

1970-1972  Sesame Street

1971   Little Murders 

1970   Catch-22

1969   The Monitors 

1969   Popi

1968   The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

1968   Inspector Clouseau 

1967   Wait Until Dark 

1967   Woman Times Seven 

1966   ABC Stage 67 

1966   The Last Mohican 

1966   The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming 

1964   East Side/West Side 

1963   That's Me

1957   Calypso Heat Wave