Alan Arkin was an American actor and filmmaker.

Arkin began his career performing sketch comedy at The Second City before acting on Broadway. He later rose to stardom with his roles in the films The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966), Wait Until Dark (1967), The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968), Popi (1969), Catch-22 (1970), Freebie and the Bean (1974) and The In-Laws (1979).

Arkin won Best Supporting Actor for his role as the foul-mouthed grandfather in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). He also directed three films, including the black comedy Little Murders (1971).

His television roles included Leon Felhendler in Escape from Sobibor (1987) and Harry Rowen in The Pentagon Papers (2003) for which he earned Emmy nominations respectively for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. He also voiced J. D. Salinger in the Netflix animated series BoJack Horseman and starred as a talent agent in the Netflix comedy series The Kominsky Method, earning two consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.