The death has been announced of the Oscar-winning American actor Alan Arkin at the age of 89.
Arkin's death was confirmed to People magazine by his sons Adam, Matthew, and Anthony in a statement that read: "Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man.
"A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed."
New York-born Arkin's stage and screen career spanned over 60 years, with his Best Supporting Actor Oscar win for the comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine coming at the age of 72 in 2007.
Arkin received Best Actor Oscar nominations for the comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming in 1967 and the poignant character study The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter in 1969.
He received another Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for the true-story thriller Argo in 2013.
Among Arkin's many other film credits were Wait Until Dark, Catch-22, Freebie and the Bean, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Grosse Pointe Blank.
Arkin was Emmy-nominated in 2019 and 2020 for his role opposite Michael Douglas in the hit comedy series The Kominsky Method, with other Emmy nominations coming for the series Chicago Hope, the anthology series ABC Stage 67, and the miniseries The Pentagon Papers and Escape from Sobibor.
He was a Tony Award winner for his performance in the play Enter Laughing in 1963, with other honours including a BAFTA for Little Miss Sunshine, Screen Actors Guild Awards as part of the casts of Little Miss Sunshine and Argo, and a Golden Globe for The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming.
Born in Brooklyn on 26 March, 1934 to Russian-German Jewish immigrant parents, Arkin began taking acting classes from a young age.
His family relocated to Los Angeles in the 1950s, and Arkin won scholarships to various Los Angeles drama colleges before dropping out to form a folk music band, The Tarriers, in 1955.
The group had a hit with 1956's The Banana Boat Song, and he continued to pursue a music career as well as acting for the next decade.
He was a member of Chicago's storied Second City improvisational troupe, and appeared on the big screen for the first time with The Tarriers in 1957's Calypso Heat Wave.
Arkin credited his early days as an improv performer with teaching him many lessons - but one of the key ones, he said, was failure.
"The audience came in knowing a lot of what they saw was going to fail, and it was okay," he told the Los Angeles Times in 2008.
"Now if you fail, it's a moral issue, bad for the numbers crunchers.
"But one of the things I learned from improvising is that all of life is an improvisation, whether you like it or not.
"Some of the greatest scientific discoveries of the 20th century came out of people dropping things."
Along with his three sons - who all followed their father into the entertainment industry - Arkin is survived by his wife Suzanne as well as four grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Paying tribute on Instagram, Arkin's The Kominsky Method co-star Michael Douglas wrote: "Today we lost a wonderful actor whose intelligence, sense of comedy and consummate professionalism over the past 70 years has left an indelible mark on our industry.
"My experience of working with Alan were some of my most memorable. He will be deeply missed. Sincere condolences to his wife, Suzanne, and his family."
Additional Reporting: AFP
