To millions of people around the world,John Wayneis, was, and always will be The Duke, but to my friend Dave and I, that distinction went toCharles Grodin, who played Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukis in one of our favorite ’80s movies,Midnight Run. The Duke can finally stop running now, as Grodin died Tuesday of bone marrow cancer at his home in Wilton, Connecticut. He was 86 years old.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Grodin was the president and valedictorian of his high school class before he attended the University of Miami, which he left before graduating in order to pursue acting back in Pittsburgh, and later New York City. He studied under greats such asLee StrasbergandUta Hagenand wasn’t even 20 years old when he landed a small, uncredited part in Disney’s 1954 film20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which led to several roles on Broadway and appearances on TV shows such asThe Virginian, The F.B.I.andHave Gun — Will Travel.
Grodin reportedly turned down the role of Benjamin Braddock inThe Graduatedue to the low salary, and though the proved to be a bad decision, he did find his way into another classic the following year, as he played a supporting role as a rather cold obstetrician in the 1968 horror movieRosemary’s Baby. Following another supporting turn inMike Nichols' adaptation ofCatch-22, Grodin finally landed what would become his breakout role – the lead inElaine May’s romantic comedyThe Heartbreak KidoppositeCybill Shepherd. He’d work again with May years later on the ill-fatedIshtar.
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Grodin went on to play a couple of sleazy characters in 1976’sKing KongandWarren Beatty’s 1978 comedyHeaven Can Waitas well as 1981’sThe Great Muppet Caper, in which he played a jewel thief who was in love with Miss Piggy. But it wasn’t untilMidnight Runin 1988 that Grodin cemented a place in my heart. He’s terrific oppositeRobert De Niroas a shady accountant who’s arrested for embezzling millions from a Chicago mob boss, only to jump bail and flee. De Niro plays the no-nonsense bounty hunter hired to track him down and bring him back to Los Angeles. Despite their antagonistic relationship, Grodin and De Niro have great comic chemistry together, and the movie still holds up to this day.
Of course, I couldn’t fully appreciate the genius ofMidnight Rununtil I was a teenager, and by that time, I’d come to know Grodin as the exasperated dad from theBeethovenmovies, which I was a big fan of as a kid. What can I say, I just love dogs, especially when they’re driving their owners crazy. I was also a fan ofClifford, which paired him withMartin Short, but we don’t need to talk about that one.
In recent years, Grodin played a doctor on FX’sLouieand co-starred in theBernie Madoffminiseries starringRichard Dreyfuss. He also worked with veteran filmmakers such asBarry Levinson(The Humbling),Taylor Hackford(The Comedian) andNoah Baumbach(While We’re Young). Though many actors have tried to imitate Grodin’s style, none can match his dry, droll delivery, and I’ll miss his curmudgeonly sense of humor on the big screen. He was an incredibly likable performer, and I may just have to track down his 1977 episode ofSaturday Night Live, because I bet it’s hilarious, especially given Grodin’s own knack for political satire, which he also honed as a commentator on60 Minutes II. Additionally, he wrote a column for the New York Daily News for nearly 10 years and authored several books. Grodin’s list of accomplishments is clearly long, but to Dave and I, he’ll always be The Duke, and sadly, The Duke is dead.
“See you in the next life, Jack.”
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