It is the end for the beginning of the most badass female character in the DC world! Arleen Sorkin, who became the original voice of Harley Quinn, the love interest of the Joker, has died at the age of 67. Arleen popularly voiced the character in the animated series. After Margot Robbie played the character in Zack Synder’s ‘Suicide Squad,’ the character gained global prominence.
Harley Quinn, aka Harleen Quinzel, is the psychiatrist at the Arkham Asylum in Gotham City for the Joker. Paul Dini was the man to be credited with creating the jester-eque Quinn character. Though DC Comics originated the character in 1994, Arleen Sorkin popularized it with her famous voiceover. Celebrities like James Gunn paid tribute to the late actress and voiceover artist.
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Arleen Sorkin Dies At The Age Of 67 After Health Issues For Several Years
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Arleen Sorkin passed away on August 24, 2023. She was famously known for her portrayal of Calliope Jones on ‘Days of Our Lives.’ However, the actress’ performance impressed Paul Dini, who wrote the Harley Quinn character inspired by one of the characters on her soap opera. In 1992, Dini brought Harley Quinn’s character to life in ‘Batman: The Animated Series.’
Arleen Sorkin stepped away from acting due to her constant battle with health issues. She was nominated for Emmys in 1988 and 1989 for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series.’ Later, she became a permanent actress in the series. After the voiceover project for ‘Batman: The Animated Series,’ Arleen also voiced the iconic character for ‘The New Batman Adventures,’ ‘Gotham Girls,’ ‘Static Shock,’ ‘Justice League,’ and other projects.
James Gunn took to Instagram to pay tribute to the actress with a picture of hers and the first iteration of Harley Quinn, captioning, “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.”
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Netizens React To The Demise Of The Actress
In 2022, Kevin Conroy, the beloved actor who voiced Batman‘s character in many animated series, including the 1992 ‘Batman: The Animated Series,’ passed away. Now, in 2023, DC fans will lose Arleen Sorkin, who voiced Harley Quinn in the same series.
Netizens are devastated by the demise of Arleen after they lost Kevin in 2022. One of the fans expressed that there is a lingering fear about losing Mark Richard Hamill, the actor who voiced the Joker in several animated series.
RIP Arleen Sorkin here’s the best Harley Quinn scene pic.twitter.com/jJBz2VjKca
— Mari 💖 (@ComicLoverMari) August 27, 2023
RIP Arleen Sorkin
Her voice performance as Harley Quinn was one of a kind. She managed to be hilarious, but still captured that tragic side of her character flawlessly.
Her time as Harley is nothing short of iconic, and she will be missed dearly by everyone. pic.twitter.com/WtrCxWtzwU
— Toon Brains (🔜LVLUP 2024) (@Cartoonbrains) August 27, 2023
First, we lost Batman, and now Harley Quinn. 😭
— Eric Lacasse (@ericlacasse) August 27, 2023
This one hurts… Rest in Peace ARLEEN SORKIN, famed Calliope Jones. pic.twitter.com/9nzSz4QjEI
— Classic 80's DOOL (@Classic80sDOOL) August 27, 2023
First Kevin Conroy, and now Arleen Sorkin…. god damn it 2023! We now have to be extra careful about Mark now, if the clown prince of crime passes then this year would be the worst year, bar none!
— Dave Miller Jr. (@DaveMil38718412) August 27, 2023
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