Charles Grodin, star of ‘Beethoven’, dies age 86

American actor Charles Grodin, best known for his role in the Beethoven movies, has died of bone marrow cancer. He was 86.

Grodin’s son, Nicholas, confirmed the news to The New York Times, saying he passed away on Tuesday at his home in Wilton, Connecticut.

Throughout the course of his six-decade career, Grodin starred in a number of movies and broadway productions, but is probably best known for playing family patriarch George Newton in the hugely-successful Beethoven comedy film series in the 1990s.

Grodin was also known for films such as Midnight Run (1988) and The Heartbreak Kid (1972). He was a familiar face on television, appearing on a number of talk shows, such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Show With David Letterman.

American actor and comedian Steve Martin was one of the first to pay tribute to the star. “So said to hear,” he wrote on Twitter. “One of the funniest people I ever met.”

The Muppets also paid tribute to Grodin on social media. Grodin played the lead villain Nicky Holiday in the 1981 children’s film The Great Muppet Caper. “Few actors were as funny, talented, and hardworking as our friend Charles Grodin,” they wrote on Twitter. “As Nicky Holiday in The Great Muppet Caper, he stole our hearts as well as the fabulous Baseball Diamond. Rest in peace, Charles.”

Few actors were as funny, talented, and hardworking as our friend Charles Grodin. As Nicky Holiday in The Great Muppet Caper, he stole our hearts as well as the fabulous Baseball Diamond. Rest in peace, Charles. pic.twitter.com/OkWXfmN8Vz

— The Muppets (@TheMuppets) May 18, 2021

Fans also shared their respects, with Twitter user @tjdobbin writing, “There are facial expressions that Charles Grodin makes in Beethoven that have been imprinted into my brain for decades. The disdain this one man had for his dog was the funniest thing on the planet for a five-year-old Trevor. And it’s still funny. This man never phoned it in. RIP.”

And @willmenaker commented, “RIP Charles Grodin. One of the great deadpan comic actors I overwhelmingly associate with my childhood.”