Charles Grodin, 'Midnight Run,' 'Heartbreak Kid,' star, dies

Charles Grodin, the offbeat actor and writer who scored as a newlywed cad in "The Heartbreak Kid" and the father in the "Beethoven" comedies, has died. He was 86. Grodin's son Nicholas says the actor died Tuesday (18 MAY 2021) at his home in Wilton, Connecticut, from bone marrow cancer.

He first gained wide notice in the 1972 Elaine May comedy "The Heartbreak Kid," as a newlywed who abandons his bride on their honeymoon for beautiful Cybill Shepherd. In the 1990s, he made his mark as a liberal commentator on radio and TV. He also wrote plays and television scripts, winning an Emmy for his work on a 1997 Paul Simon special, and wrote several books humorously ruminating on his ups and downs in show business.