Arleen Sorkin

Arleen Sorkin (October 14, 1956 - August 24, 2023) was an American actress, Screenwriter, Presenter and Comedienne. Sorkin is known for portraying Calliope Jones on the NBC daytime serial Days of our Lives and for voicing Batman DC comic supervillainess Harley Quinn in the Batman animated series.

Career
Sorkin began her career in cabaret in the late 1970s and early 80's as a member of the comedy group "The High-Heeled Women". (Her fellow members were Mary Fulham, Tracey Berg, and Cassandra Danz.) Later, she went on to be the original female co-host on America's Funniest People. She also wrote for Tiny Toon Adventures.

One of her more prominent roles was the wacky but lovable Calliope Jones, as seen on Days of our Lives. She played this part from 1984 to 1990 and made return visits in 1992 and 2001. She reprised her role on the soap for the fourth time on February 24, 2006. Most recently, she returned to Days for a limited run beginning on May 5, 2010.

Many comic book fans know her as Harley Quinn, the Joker's ditzy sidekick and lover. Paul Dini, a friend of Sorkin's who created Harley for the TV series Batman: The Animated Series, has said in several interviews that he based Harley on her personality and asked her to play the part. Harley later appeared in the 2002 one-shot comic book Batman: Harley Quinn. Her character also appeared in other animated television shows The New Batman Adventures, Static Shock, and Justice League, as well as Gotham Girls, an internet cartoon series. Sorkin's version of the character proved so popular that she was eventually added to the Batman comic book canon.

For the series Frasier (which her husband Christopher Lloyd produced). On the show, Sorkin would perform as a caller to Frasier Crane's radio show; the lines would later be dubbed over by a celebrity caller. In the final episode of Frasier, Sorkin had an onscreen part as the owner of a monkey.

On an episode of The Jim Rome Show dated September 13, 2010, Arleen was instrumental in setting up a call-in by Henry Winkler, when she made him aware of The Jungle's argument that Fonzie had indeed said "I told Potsie I'd do it," right before the Fonz jumped the shark in the famous episode.

Personal life and death
Sorkin married television writer-producer Christopher Lloyd in 1995, with whom she had two sons, Eli and Owen.

Arleen Sorkin died on August 24, 2023, at the age of 67 from multiple sclerosis.

Television appearances

 * Duet – Geneva
 * Dream On – Donna
 * Days of our Lives – Calliope Jones
 * ''America's Funniest People – Co-host
 * Batman: The Animated Series – Harley Quinn/Harleen Quinzel
 * Superman: The Animated Series - Harley Quinn
 * The New Batman Adventures - Harley Quinn
 * The New Hollywood Squares – Panelist
 * Static Shock - Harley Quinn
 * Justice League – Harley Quinn
 * Frasier – Rachel, various

Filmography

 * Trading Places
 * Odd Jobs
 * Ted & Venus – Marcia
 * Oscar – Vendetti's Manicurist (an early rendition of her Harley Quinn voice characterization)
 * I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore – Monica
 * Batman: Mask of the Phantasm – Bambi
 * Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker – Harley Quinn

Video games

 * The Adventures of Batman & Robin - Harley Quinn
 * Batman Vengeance - Harley Quinn
 * Batman: Arkham Asylum - Harley Quinn
 * Batman: Arkham City - Harley Quinn