Arleen Sorkin dies at 67
08-26-23, 07:16 PM
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Arleen Sorkin dies at 67
Arleen Sorkin, 'Days of Our Lives' Actress & Harley Quinn Voice, Dies at 67
Arleen Sorkin, known for her performance as Calliope on "Days of Our Lives" and as the original voice of Harley Quinn, has died at 67.
Her passing was confirmed on Twitter by Neil Kaplan, a fellow voice actor, who wrote, "It broke my heart to hear… the original voice of Harley Quinn, Arlene Sorkin has passed away. I adored her work as HQ & as Calliope in “Days of Our Lives.”
Sorkin was born October 14, 1955, in Washington, D.C. She was a cabaret performer and worked in a comedy troupe in the '70s and '80s, and found fame as Calliope Jones on "Days of Our Lives" (1984-1990; 1992; 2001; 2006; 2010).
She was also a regular on the series "Duet" (1987-1989), was a co-host on "America's Funniest People" (1990), and as a writer worked on "Tiny Toon Adventures" (1990-1992) and the Jennifer Aniston vehicle "Picture Perfect" (1997).
It was Sorkin who inspired the character of Harley Quinn, the Joker's girlfriend — her college roommate, Paul Dini, created the character, which first appeared on "Batman: The Animated Series" (1992). The character was directly influenced by a series of out-there dream sequences Sorkin performed in on "Days," and Sorkin was the first voice actor to breathe life into Harley Quinn, doing so in several TV series and other projects.
Lady Gaga will be seen as Harley Quinn in the feature film "Joker: Folie ŕ Deux," coming in 2024.
She won four Soap Opera Digest Awards and shared a Peabody Award with Jessica Hernández.
Sorkin is survived by her husband of 26 years, TV producer and writer Christopher Lloyd; and their sons Eli and Owen.
Arleen Sorkin, known for her performance as Calliope on "Days of Our Lives" and as the original voice of Harley Quinn, has died at 67.
Her passing was confirmed on Twitter by Neil Kaplan, a fellow voice actor, who wrote, "It broke my heart to hear… the original voice of Harley Quinn, Arlene Sorkin has passed away. I adored her work as HQ & as Calliope in “Days of Our Lives.”
Sorkin was born October 14, 1955, in Washington, D.C. She was a cabaret performer and worked in a comedy troupe in the '70s and '80s, and found fame as Calliope Jones on "Days of Our Lives" (1984-1990; 1992; 2001; 2006; 2010).
She was also a regular on the series "Duet" (1987-1989), was a co-host on "America's Funniest People" (1990), and as a writer worked on "Tiny Toon Adventures" (1990-1992) and the Jennifer Aniston vehicle "Picture Perfect" (1997).
It was Sorkin who inspired the character of Harley Quinn, the Joker's girlfriend — her college roommate, Paul Dini, created the character, which first appeared on "Batman: The Animated Series" (1992). The character was directly influenced by a series of out-there dream sequences Sorkin performed in on "Days," and Sorkin was the first voice actor to breathe life into Harley Quinn, doing so in several TV series and other projects.
Lady Gaga will be seen as Harley Quinn in the feature film "Joker: Folie ŕ Deux," coming in 2024.
She won four Soap Opera Digest Awards and shared a Peabody Award with Jessica Hernández.
Sorkin is survived by her husband of 26 years, TV producer and writer Christopher Lloyd; and their sons Eli and Owen.
08-26-23, 07:38 PM
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Re: Arleen Sorkin dies at 67
Her contribution to the Batman series was tremendous.
She will be missed.
She will be missed.
08-26-23, 09:02 PM
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Re: Arleen Sorkin dies at 67
America's Funniest People was what I remember her most for, but what a legacy for being the very first as Harley. RIP
08-26-23, 09:33 PM
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Re: Arleen Sorkin dies at 67
It’s cool that Paul Dini and Bruce Timm get a credit on everything with Harley Quinn in it, but Sorkin is just as much a co-creator of the character. Over the years the character has moved away from her initial look and characterization, but one element that has rent consistent is the Brooklyn accent Sorkin gave her.
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candyrocket786 (08-27-23)
08-27-23, 01:14 AM
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Re: Arleen Sorkin dies at 67
Woow. RiP
08-27-23, 01:47 AM
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Re: Arleen Sorkin dies at 67
I knew Arleen Sorkin from America's Funniest People in the early 90s that she co-hosted with Dave Coulier. I recall she sued the show because she was let go and replaced with Tawny Kitaen and alleged age discrimination. She was by no means old. She was only 36 or 37 at the time. But, that was great that she found work as a voice over actor and had a very long career doing so.
08-27-23, 06:38 AM
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Re: Arleen Sorkin dies at 67
Definitely remember her and John De Lancie together on Days of our Lives. And she was of course great as Harley.
08-27-23, 08:29 AM
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DVD Talk Legend
Re: Arleen Sorkin dies at 67
I knew Arleen Sorkin from America's Funniest People in the early 90s that she co-hosted with Dave Coulier. I recall she sued the show because she was let go and replaced with Tawny Kitaen and alleged age discrimination. She was by no means old. She was only 36 or 37 at the time.
08-27-23, 10:49 AM
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Re: Arleen Sorkin dies at 67
It’s cool that Paul Dini and Bruce Timm get a credit on everything with Harley Quinn in it, but Sorkin is just as much a co-creator of the character. Over the years the character has moved away from her initial look and characterization, but one element that has rent consistent is the Brooklyn accent Sorkin gave her.
08-27-23, 11:18 PM
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Re: Arleen Sorkin dies at 67
It’s cool that Paul Dini and Bruce Timm get a credit on everything with Harley Quinn in it, but Sorkin is just as much a co-creator of the character. Over the years the character has moved away from her initial look and characterization, but one element that has rent consistent is the Brooklyn accent Sorkin gave her.
