Charles Grodlin

Charles Grodlin was married to Julie Ferguson and is father to a daughter with her. He has a son from his second wife, Elissa Durwood.

For a long time in 2000s, Charles stayed away from acting in order to devote more time to his family and children.

Charles Grodlin was born Charles Grodinsky in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 21, 1935, into an orthodox middle class Jewish American family as the second son. His father, Theodore, worked as a wholesale supplier while his mother, Lena, worked in the family business. Charles grew up watching movies and the acting bug bit him in his teen years.

His family was highly conservative, so he wasn’t allowed to pursue acting. As much as he loved acting in the high school productions, his parents didn’t allow him to take it further. He enrolled at the University of Miami but dropped out midway due to his love for acting. Thereafter, he started learning acting from Uta Hagen and Lee Strasberg. He arrived in New York to further study drama and enrolled into HB Studio, Greenwich Village, New York City.

He started his career with theatre appearances at a time when the New York theatrical circle was flourishing. He eventually landed a very tiny part in the 1954 Disney film ’20,000 Leagues under the Sea.’ He further made his big Broadway debut in ‘Tchin-Tchin’ opposite the well-known actor Anthony Quinn. Tired of not getting enough acting parts, he joined director Gene Saks as his assistant, and this turned out to be the big turning point in his career.

Throughout the early 60s, he appeared in very small parts in series’ such as ‘Armstrong Circle Theatre’ and ‘Have Gun-Will Travel.’ In 1964, he appeared in the film ‘Sex and the College Girls’ and carried on with TV series’ such as ‘Shane,’ ‘The Iron Horse,’ ‘The F.B.I.,’ and ‘The Virginian.’ Ace director Roman Polanski signed him for a small but crucial role in his 1968 cult horror film ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ where, for the first time, his acting skills were praised.

By the late 60s, he got involved with Broadway as a director. He directed ‘Hooray! It’s a Glorious Day.. and all That!,’ and ‘Lovers and Other Strangers.’ His comic brilliance was appreciated by the critics and the audiences alike. Famous singers Simon and Garfunkel signed him to direct their 1969 television special ‘Songs of America.’

Despite his limited success in the industry, he wanted to do only the meatier parts by the early 70s. This proved very bad for his career and haunted him for years. He rejected the film ‘The Graduate,’ by the producer Lawrence Truman, saying that the pay was too low. Lawrence promised him that the part would take his career to new heights, but Charles wasn’t convinced. The role eventually went to Dustin Hoffman and the rest is history.

By the onset of the 70s, he was already being hailed as one of the most promising comedy stars and he proved this with his stellar performances in many successful comedy films. In 1970, he appeared in the film ‘Catch-22’ and followed it up with the first leading role of his career in ‘The Heartbreak Kid,’ a comedy film. He was nominated for a ‘Golden Globe Award’ for his role in ‘The Heartbreak Kid.’

In the coming years, he further proved his talent with films, such as ’11 Harrowhouse,’ ‘King Kong,’ and ‘Heaven can Wait.’ In all these movies, he proved his mettle as a brilliant actor. Despite his established movie career, he remained loyal to his stage and Broadway productions.