Arleen Sorkin

Not to be confused with Aaron Sorkin.
Arleen Sorkin
Born (1956-10-14) October 14, 1956
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Occupation Actress, screenwriter, comedian, presenter
Years active 1983–2012
Spouse(s) Christopher Lloyd (m. 1995)
Children 2

Arleen Sorkin (born October 14, 1956)[1] is an American actress, screenwriter, presenter, and comedian. Sorkin is known for portraying Calliope Jones on the NBC daytime serial Days of Our Lives and for inspiring and voicing the DC Comics villain Harley Quinn in Batman: The Animated Series and the many animated series and video games that followed it.

Life and career

Born in Washington, D.C.,[1] Sorkin began her career in cabaret in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a member of the comedy group The High-Heeled Women, alongside Mary Fulham, Tracey Berg, and Cassandra Danz. Later, she went on to be the original female co-host on America's Funniest People. She also wrote for Tiny Toon Adventures.

In 1992, Sorkin was dismissed from America's Funniest People by Vin Di Bona. In response, Sorkin filed a lawsuit against Di Bona, claiming she was dismissed from the show due to her race, after ABC Chairman Dan Burke had suggested to Di Bona that Sorkin be replaced by an African-American or a person of another ethnic minority. Sorkin sought $450,000 for lost earnings, and an additional unspecified amount for harm to her professional reputation and emotional injury. She additionally claimed that after she denounced the move as being racially motivated, Di Bona changed plans and hired new cohost Tawny Kitaen, who is also white.[2]

One of her more prominent roles was the wacky but lovable Calliope Jones, as seen on Days of Our Lives. She played this part from 1984 to 1990 and made return visits in 1992 and 2001. She reprised her role on the soap for the fourth time on February 24, 2006. She returned to Days for a limited run beginning on May 5, 2010.

She provided inspiration and does the voice of the animated character Harley Quinn, the Joker's ditzy sidekick and lover, created by Paul Dini, a college friend of Sorkin's who created Harley for the DC Comics TV series Batman: The Animated Series.[3][4] Harley went on to appear in DC comic books and in further animated TV series including The New Batman Adventures, Static Shock, and Justice League, as well as Gotham Girls, an internet cartoon series. Sorkin has also voiced Harley in feature films and video games. Sorkin did not reprise her role in 2011's Batman: Arkham City and was succeeded by Tara Strong, one of her fellow DCAU voice actors.

For the series Frasier, produced by her husband Christopher Lloyd, Sorkin would perform as a caller to Frasier Crane's radio show; the lines would later be dubbed over by a celebrity caller.[5] In the final episode of Frasier, Sorkin had an onscreen part as the owner of a monkey.

Personal life

Since 1995, Sorkin (who is unrelated to writer-producer Aaron Sorkin), is married to television writer-producer Christopher Lloyd (with whom she has two sons,[6] Eli and Owen).[7]

Television appearances

Filmography

Writer

Video games

References

  1. 1 2 "Arleen Sorkin". BehindTheVoiceActors.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Former TV Co-Host Suing Producer". Buffalo News. 1993-04-18. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  3. ↑ Riesman, Abraham (February 17, 2015). "The Hidden Story of Harley Quinn and How She Became the Superhero World's Most Successful Woman". Vulture.com (New York). Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  4. ↑ Jankiewicz, Pat (n.d.). "Quinn-tessentials: Interview with Arleen Sorkin". Starlog via Harley-Quinn.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008.
  5. ↑ Sorkin in Kevin Smith podcast "Fatman on Batman", July 7, 2012.
  6. ↑ Whipp, Glenn (August 22, 2014). "Christopher Lloyd's award-winning funny bones". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 22, 2014.
  7. ↑ "The art of writing and making films: Flushed Away". "About the Filmmakers", Flushed Away press kit, via The Writing Studio. Archived from the original on February 25, 2007.
  8. ↑ Family Feud (1989): Funny Men vs Funny Women on YouTube
  9. ↑ The character also appears in Batman: Arkham City but is instead voiced by Tara Strong, who played Batgirl in the animated series

External links

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