Alan Arkin
Born: March 26 1934
Where: Brooklyn, New York, USA
The Oscar-nominated actor has attracted critical acclaim for his subtle character studies in movies ranging from Catch-22 to Edward Scissorhands.
The son of Jewish migrants from Germany and Russia, Arkin started off as a folk singer while still at Los Angeles State College.
His group - The Tarriers - enjoyed some success and gained a degree of fame as composers of The Banana Boat Song, a hit for Harry Belafonte.
Arkin then became a founding member of the Chicago improvisational comedy troupe Second City, performing and directing sketches.
He subsequently worked both on and off Broadway, making his Broadway debut in Carl Reiner's Enter Laughing.
In 1964, he won widespread acclaim for his portrayal of Harry Berlin in a Broadway production of Luv, a success the caught the attention of director Norman Jewison.
He made his big screen debut as a Russian officer posing as a Norwegian sailor in New England in 1966's The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!.
The role landed him his first Oscar nomination (he was one of only a handful of actors to get a nomination with his first film).
The next year he completely switched styles to play a psychopath terrorising a blind Audrey Hepburn in Terence Young's Wait Until Dark.
He went on to land a second Oscar nomination in 1968 for his portrayal of a deaf mute in the The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.
The same year he played Inspector Clouseau in the third of the comedy trilogy after Peter Sellers bowed out of the role.
The 1970 adaptation of Joseph Heller's anti-war novel Catch-22 gave Arkin the chance to shine as Yossarian, the airman bemused at the insanity of war.
At the same time he became a series regular as Larry on the American childrens' favourite Sesame Street.
Subsequent outings included the caper Freebie and the Bean and Last of the Red Hot Lovers before Arkin struck gold in the comedy The In Laws - which he also directed - in 1979.
He went on to play a wide variety of supporting and character roles before his career took off again in the 1990s with Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands.
He played Winona Ryder's bored suburban father in the comedy fantasy starring Johnny Depp.
In 1992, he impressed as an estate agent in Glengarry Glen Ross and went on to play John Cusack's frustrated psychiatrist in Grosse Pointe Blank.
Next up was the sci-fi thriller Gattaca with Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman and he starred opposite Robin Williams in the 1999 Holocaust drama Jakob The Liar.
Recent small screen work has included a recurring role in St Elsewhere and guest appearances in Will & Grace.
In 2001, he had a cameo as a wellness guide in the comedy America's Sweethearts and played a ground-down insurance manager in Thirteen Conversations About One Thing.
Recent work includes the role of a heroin-addicted grandfather in the acclaimed comedy Little Miss Sunshine alongside Steve Carell and Toni Collette.
