Robert De Niro has payed tribute to Charles Grodin, the Midnight Run actor who passed away yesterday (May 18).
De Niro starred opposite Grodin in the 1988 comedy, and has called the actor “as good a person as he was an actor.”
“Chuck was as good a person as he was an actor. Midnight Run was a great project to work on, and Chuck made it an even better one,” De Niro said in a statement obtained by the Independent.
He added: “He will be missed. I am very, very sad to hear of his passing.”
Grodin starred in films including Beethoven (1992) and The Heartbreak Kid (1972), and his family confirmed that he died yesterday (May 18) at his home in Wilton, Connecticut from bone marrow cancer.
He is remembered for his role as George Newton in classic ’90s film Beethoven in which he portrayed a workaholic father whose family convinces him to adopt an escaped St. Bernard puppy.
Grodin won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special in 1978 for the Paul Simon Special and an American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his performance in 1993’s Dave.
The actor also wrote plays and book, as well as co-starred in Warren Beatty’s Heaven Can Wait (1978). He acted opposite Robert De Niro in the 1988 action comedy Midnight Run.
The New York Times wrote in a report preceding a full obituary: “With a great sense of deadpan comedy and the kind of Everyman good looks that lend themselves to playing businessmen or curmudgeonly fathers, Mr Grodin found plenty of work as a supporting player and the occasional lead.
“He also had his own talk show for a time in the 1990s and was a frequent guest on the talk shows of others, making 36 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and 17 on Late Night With David Letterman.”
Tributes began to pour in for the late actor on Tuesday evening. The Father Of The Bride star Steve Martin wrote on Twitter: “So said to hear. One of the funniest people I ever met.”
So said to hear. One of the funniest people I ever met: Charles Grodin, Star of ‘Beethoven’ and ‘Heartbreak Kid,’ Dies at 86 – https://t.co/OwDYFLIgae
— Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) May 18, 2021
The King Of Queens actor Patton Oswalt wrote: “RIP Charles Grodin. Ordering a plate of chorizo and eggs in his beloved memory.”
Elsehwere, Parks And Recreation and The Lion King (2019) actor Billy Eichner said: “God I loved him,” while sharing a link to a news story on Grobin’s passing.
This is a developing story – check back for updates
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