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Arleen Sorkin, who is best known for voicing the original Harley Quinn in Batman: The Animated Series and starring in Days of Our Lives, has died. She was 67.
The actress passed away following a long battle with multiple sclerosis, a representative for her husband — television producer and screenwriter Christopher Lloyd — confirmed to Entertainment Weekly.
“We will always remember our dear Arleen for her immense generosity of spirit,” her family said in a statement to the outlet. “Talented, yes, and dogged, too, as evidenced by her tenacious, decades-long fight with a terrible disease.”
They continued, “But more than that, she was a loving presence in the lives of her two boys, Eli and Owen; her mother, Joyce; her brothers, Robert and Arthur; and the countless other children, old and young, whom she took under her beautiful wing over the years.”
While it’s a “sad” day for her family, they said it’s also a “joyous one” knowing “how many people today are summoning her memory and smiling.”
Sorkin had her breakout role as the beloved Calliope Jones on Days of Our Lives in 1984, where she remained as a full-time cast member until 1990. The star — who reprised her role in 1992, 2006 and 2010 — was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her work on the long-running soap opera.
Shortly after leaving Days, Sorkin was cast in Batman: The Animated Series — where she originated the voice of the Joker’s right-hand-woman Harley Quinn in 1992. While she was only supposed to appear in one episode, she was eventually asked to return for eight more — before reprising the iconic role in several spinoffs and video games, according to EW.
Moreover, the villain’s creator Paul Dini previously confirmed that Sorkin, who was his old college friend, served as inspiration for the character.
“She is a very funny talent, kind of a live wire,” Dini told EW in 2017. “She can do that snappy blonde Judy Holliday persona very easily, and that was part of her performance style when I came up with the character.”
He added, “With Harley, thinking about that character, I was like, ‘Gosh, she sounds like Arleen.’ Around that time [Sorkin] had appeared as a wacky jester on Days of Our Lives in a costume series. She was wearing this Pied Piper outfit, and I was like, ‘Well, there she is. She should run around with the Joker dressed like that.’”
Following news of her death, James Gunn, the co-CEO of DCEU, paid tribute to the actress on social media.
“Rest in Peace, Arleen Sorkin, the incredibly talented original voice of Harley Quinn, who helped to create the character so many of us love,” he wrote. “Love to her family and friends. ❤️”
Actor Mark Hamill, who starred opposite Sorkin in Batman: The Animated Series as the Joker, also posted a message.
“Devastated to learn we’ve lost the brilliant Arleen Sorkin,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “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. 💔”
Sorkin is survived by her husband, Christopher Lloyd, and their two sons, Eli and Owen Lloyd.
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