Alan Arkin: Oscar-winning 'Little Miss Sunshine' actor dies aged 89, 5 things to know about him

Actor Alan Arkin has passed away. His sons Adam, Matthew, and Anthony Arkin confirmed his death, according to CNN. "Both as an artist and a person, our father was a force of nature with a singularly gifted. He was adored and will be greatly missed as a devoted husband, father, grandpa, and great-grandfather, the boys said. At the age of 89, Alan Arkin lost his battle with cancer. "Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man," they said. "A loving husband, father, grand and great-grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed." In the Netflix animated series BoJack Horseman from 2015 to 2016, Arkin also provided the voice of JD Salinger. Paul Reiser, who co-starred with him in the Netflix series 'The Kominsky Method', tweeted in response to the news of his passing, saying, "A world without Alan Arkin is... not so great."

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Here are 5 important facts about his life:

• The actor, director, and screenwriter who was born in New York and reared in Los Angeles and is renowned for his deadpan comic timing had acting training as a child, but his career truly began when he joined a folk band named The Tarriers and sang and played guitar. 
• The Banana Boat Song, which Harry Belafonte later made famous, was one of their top five hits in 1956. He moved to Chicago in 1960 as a college dropout and soon joined the Second City improv group, which he has said "literally saved my life." 
• His Broadway performance in the comedy Enter Laughing in 1963, which earned him a Tony Award for outstanding actor, marked the successful start of his dramatic career.
• Most recently, Arkin's comic performance in the Netflix series "The Kominsky Method" earned him nominations for Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG awards. As soon as they heard the tragic news, fans and celebrities sent their sincere respects on social media. His roles in films like 1966's 'The Russians Are Coming', and 'The Heart is a Lonely Hunter'—both of which earned him Oscar nominations for best actor—helped him become well-known.
• The former, a comedy set during the Cold War, earned him a Golden Globe. Early on, he began directing, and in 1973, for his off-stage work on the play The Sunshine Boys, he received another Tony nomination.

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