Alan Arkin passed away on June 29, 2023 of heart failure at the age of 89.
Mr. Arkin's career in acting spanned over 7 decades where he acted in 111, directer in 9 and wrote 6 productions.
While he eventually (2007) won an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for the movie Little Miss Sunshine, in my opinion, Alan Arkin's acting was always under-rated. He truly was an exceptional actor.
Most folks today will best remember him as Tim Allen's Scott Calvin/Santa Claus father-in-law in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. I'll always remember him in his role as Simas Kudirka in the made for TV movie The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1974). In either the 5th or 6th grade, my teacher had us watch this show in school. Not knowing anything about world politics up until that point, I had a quick lesson in the harsh realities of the Soviet Union and how they treated their people when I watched this movie.
Farewell Mr. Arkin, you entertained and educated us well.