Arleen Sorkin, an actress best known for her work on “Days of Our Lives” and “Batman: The Animated Series,” has passed away. She was 67 years old.
The death was verified to The Hollywood Reporter by an unknown source.
“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,” James Gunn, co-CEO of DC Studios, wrote on Instagram.
According to THR, Sorkin passed away on Thursday; her cause of death was not given.
The voice of Poison Ivy on the well-known ’90s series, Diane Pershing, who collaborated with Sorkin on the project, posted on Facebook that Sorkin had a chronic condition.
“I used to visit her when she was bedridden with her long term illness and I would read to her, and I loved her very very much,” she said. “I hadn’t seen her since I moved to Washington in January 2022, but I sent her messages and pictures of cosplayers at various Cons dressed as her, the original Harley Quinn.”
It was impossible to reach a representative for Sorkin’s husband and co-creator of “Modern Family,” Christopher Lloyd, right away.
Between 1984 and 2010, Sorkin played Calliope Jones on a regular basis on the popular “Days of Our Lives” soap opera.
As a voice actress, Sorkin gained notoriety for bringing Harley Quinn, the Joker’s sidekick and on-and-off spouse, to life in “Batman: The Animated Series” beginning in 1992.
Over the years, she would play that part once more, most notably in the Batman video games.
“Devastated to learn we’ve lost the brilliant Arleen Sorkin. Not just a wonderful talent, but a truly wonderful person,” former costar Mark Hamill, who played the Joker in the series, wrote on X.
The Joker henchwoman, who eventually got her own starring series, was made more well-known because to Sorkin.
After making her animated series debut in 1992, the character didn’t first appear in DC Comics until 1993.
In “Birds of Prey,” a short-lived television series largely based on the comic book series of the same name, performer Mia Sara made her debut as Harley Quinn in 2002.
In David Ayer’s “Suicide Squad” from 2016, released more than a decade later, Margot Robbie would assume the role of the harlequin antagonist.
Four years later, in “Birds of Prey” and “The Suicide Squad,” a follow-up to the 2016 film, she returned to the role.
Since Sorkin, about 17 females have portrayed Harley Quinn in live-action or animated television shows, video games, or other media.
The character was voiced 33 times by voice actress Tara Strong, who has performed some of the most well-known animated characters of her generation.
“Without this gorgeous, talented goddess, #HarleyQuinn would have never existed,” Strong wrote on X. “She was the inspiration & the heart & soul of this iconic character.”
