Alan Arkin, who won an Oscar for his role in Little Miss Sunshine, has died aged 89, his agent has confirmed to the PA news agency. The American actor also received Academy Award nods for The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and Argo.
During his long career, he worked with directors such as Tim Burton in fantasy romance Edward Scissorhands, Ben Affleck in historical drama Argo and Mike Nichols in satirical black comedy Catch-22. Arkin recently starred in the Netflix comedy series The Kominsky Method, as the agent of a once successful actor, played by Wall Street star Michael Douglas.
His sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony, confirmed their father's death through the actor's publicist on Friday. "Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man," they said in a statement.
In the 2006 comedy Little Miss Sunshine, he played the cranky father of Greg Kinnear as he sets out with the family on a road trip so they can take his daughter to a beauty pageant. The film - also starring Steve Carell, Toni Collette and Bryan Cranston - would also take home a writing award at the Oscars following four nominations.
Born in New York City in 1934, Arkin moved to Los Angeles when he was 11. He studied acting at Los Angeles City College, California State University and Bennington College in Vermont, and married a fellow student, Jeremy Yaffe.
They had two sons, Adam and Matthew, before divorcing in 1961. Arkin then married actress-writer Barbara Dana, and they had a son, Anthony. All his children became actors, with Adam Arkin taking a starring role in Chicago Hope.
