The American actor Alan Arkin, winner of an Oscar for his role as a heroin addict grandfather in Little Miss Sunshine, has died this week in California at the age of 89, as his children, also actors Adam, Anthony and Matthew Arkin, have announced this Friday.
"Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and as a man. A loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he was adored and will be sorely missed," says the text published by NBC News and picked up by Efe agency.
Born in New York, Arkin got his start in show business with a Broadway play and made his first film debut in 1966 with a role in The Russians Are Coming!, for which he was nominated for an Oscar. for best actor and also for the Golden Globe.
His role in 1968's The Lonely Hunter at Heart earned him another nomination. But it was not until 2006 when she raised the statuette. He won the Best Supporting Performance Oscar for the role of Edwin, a World War II veteran kicked out of a nursing home for using and selling heroin.
Beyond his role as a film actor, Arkin has published six books, written and directed two short films, and starred in the series 100 Center Street. On television he has also appeared in series such as Betrayal at the Pentagon, The Escape from Sobibor or Chicago Hope.
