Arleen Sorkin, the original voice of Harley Quinn, dies aged 67
Sorkin began voicing Harley Quinn in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992.
Arleen Sorkin, the original voice of the DC Comics character Harley Quinn, has died at the age of 67, it has been confirmed.
The news was first announced by voice actor Neil Kaplan on Twitter, which was recently re-branded as X, on Saturday (26th August) as he paid tribute to the star.
"It broke my heart to hear… the original voice of Harley Quinn, Arlene Sorkin has passed away. I adored her work as HQ & as Calliope in 'Days of Our Lives'", he wrote.
A cause of death is yet to be confirmed.
Sorkin’s career in television began in 1982 when she appeared on Saturday Night Live as a background actor.
In 1987 she portrayed the role of Geneva in the sitcom Duet, before going on to star in Open House (1989), Dream On (1990) and Perry Mason: The Case of the Killer Kiss.
In 1992, Sorkin began voicing Harley Quinn in Batman: The Animated Series.
The character was created by her college friend, Paul Dini, and was inspired by Sorkin herself.
Sorkin went on to portray the character on shows such as The New Batman Adventures from 1997 until 1999 and Justice League in 2003.
In recent years, Harley has been voiced by Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) in the animated series named after the character and by Margot Robbie in the Harley Quinn spinoff, Birds of Prey, while Lady Gaga is set to appear as Harley in Joker: Folie à Deux.
Outside of the DC universes, Sorkin starred in the NBC daytime soap Days of Our Lives between 1984 and 2010.
Her role in the show as Calliope Jones Bradford saw her receive four Soap Opera Digest Awards as well as two Daytime Emmy Award nominations.
DC co-head James Gunn paid tribute to the star on Instagram following the tragic news of her passing, describing her as “incredibly talented”.
“Rest in Peace, Arleen Sorkin, the incredibly talented original voice of Harley Quinn, who helped to create the character so many of us love. Love to her family and friends,” Gunn shared.
Mark Hamill also took to social media to share his condolences.
“Devastated to learn we’ve lost the brilliant Arleen Sorkin. Not just a wonderful talent, but a truly wonderful person. I’m grateful not only to have worked with her, but to have been her friend. Sending my heartfelt condolences to her family & loved ones.”
Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
