Arleen Sorkin, the iconic voice of Harley Quinn from Batman: The Animated Series, has died. DC Studios co-head James Gunn and Sorkin’s Batman co-star Mark Hamill both confirmed the sad news on Sunday. She was 67.
“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 wrote in a statement on social media. Hamill shared similar sentiments with his comments.
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“Devastated to learn we’ve lost the brilliant Arleen Sorkin. Not just a wonderful talent, but a truly wonderful person,” Hamill wrote. “I’m grateful not only to have worked with her, but to have been her friend. Sending my heartfelt condolences to her family [and] loved ones.”
Sorkin got her start in front of the camera, actually appearing as a background player on SNL in 1982. From there, Deadline notes that she would be part of the cast for Duet, a 1987 sitcom, followed by Open House in ’89, Dream On in ’90, and Perry Mason: The Case of the Killer Kiss.
But in 1992, Sorkin joined the new Batman animated series, introducing the world to Harley Quinn. She’d later reprise the role on Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond Return of the Joker, Gotham Girls, Justice League and Static Shock. She also voiced Quinn in the video games Batman: Arkham Asylum and DC Universe Online, as well as almost anything featuring the character before her evolution in recent years.
It is fitting that Sorkin held the role for years, she is practically the inspiration of the character. As part of Days of Our Lives in her recurring role as Calliope Jones Bradford, she appeared in a dream sequence wearing a jester’s costume. When writer Paul Dini was working on the new Batman series, he went ahead and took some inspiration from Sorkin’s Day of Our Lives role to establish one of the more iconic characters in comics history that never started in the comic books. Rest in peace.
