# Arleen Sorkin

Arleen Frances Sorkin (October 14, 1955 – August 24, 2023) was an American actress, screenwriter, television presenter and comedian. Sorkin is known for portraying Calliope Jones on the NBC daytime serial Days of Our Lives and for serving as the real-life inspiration and voice for DC Comics character Harley Quinn, co-created by her friend Paul Dini on Batman: The Animated Series.

## Early life and education

Arleen Frances Sorkin was born on October 14, 1955 in Washington, D.C. to Irving and Joyce Sorkin. Her father was a dentist who was a producer on the 2004 film Something the Lord Made. Sorkin had two brothers, Arthur and Robert. Her family is Jewish.

## Career

Sorkin began her career in cabaret in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a member of the comedy group The High-Heeled Women, alongside Mary Fulham, Tracey Berg, and Cassandra Danz.
One of her more prominent roles was the wacky but lovable Calliope Jones, as seen on Days of Our Lives. She played this part from 1984 to 1990 and made return visits in 1992 and 2001. She reprised her role on the soap for the fourth time on February 24, 2006. She returned to Days for a limited run beginning on May 5, 2010.
From 1987 to 1989, Sorkin played Geneva, a sexy maid to yuppie couple Richard and Linda Phillips, on the Fox dramedy series Duet. She would reprise this role on one episode of Open House, the sequel series to Duet.
She was the original female co-host on America's Funniest People in 1990. In 1992, Sorkin was dismissed from America's Funniest People by producer Vin Di Bona. In response, Sorkin filed a lawsuit against Di Bona, claiming she was dismissed from the show due to her race, after ABC Chairman Dan Burke had suggested to Di Bona that Sorkin be replaced by an African-American or a person of another ethnic minority. Sorkin sought $450,000 for lost earnings, and an additional unspecified amount for harm to her professional reputation and emotional injury. She additionally claimed that after she denounced the move as being racially motivated, Di Bona changed plans and hired new cohost Tawny Kitaen, who was also white.
Sorkin's writing included for the Tiny Toon Adventures 1990–1992 television series, and co-writer of the story and screenplay of the 1997 Jennifer Aniston film, Picture Perfect.
Alongside providing the voice, the character of Harley Quinn was based on her, after Paul Dini (her friend since college), saw her play a jester from a dream sequence in the soap opera Days of Our Lives. Dini then patterned Harley Quinn on Sorkin, incorporating aspects such as her mannerisms and "very snappy, wisecracking, bubbly blonde" personality. In recording Harley Quinn's voice, Sorkin spoke in her normal Brooklyn accent while putting in a "little Yiddish sound", since Dini made the character Jewish, another aspect of the character borrowed from Sorkin. Harley Quinn made her first appearance in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Joker's Favor" originally intended to appear in a single episode, but reaction to the character and Sorkin's voice performance was positive, so Quinn was written into the show regularly, and appeared in further DC Animated Universe series, including The New Batman Adventures, Static Shock, Justice League, Gotham Girls, and the animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Her last performances as Harley Quinn were the video games Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009) and DC Universe Online (2011). The character was also written into the comics themselves, beginning with the one-shot Batman: Harley Quinn #1 in 1999.
For the series Frasier (1993–2004), produced by her husband Christopher Lloyd, Sorkin would perform as a caller to Frasier Crane's radio show; the lines would later be dubbed over by a celebrity caller. In the final episode of Frasier, Sorkin made an onscreen appearance as the owner of a monkey.

## Personal life

Sorkin married television writer-producer Christopher Lloyd in 1995, with whom she had two sons, Eli and Owen.

## Death

Arleen Sorkin died in Los Angeles on August 24, 2023, at the age of 67, of complications from pneumonia and multiple sclerosis. The Season 4 finale of the Harley Quinn TV series, "Killer's Block" was dedicated to Sorkin. A dedication plaque to her and castmate Kevin Conroy were featured as easter egg in the 2024 video game, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1983 | Trading Places | Woman at Party | Uncredited |
| 1985 | From Here to Maternity | Judy | Television film |
| 1986 | Odd Jobs | Diner Waitress | |
| 1987 | Paul Reiser Out on a Whim | | |
| 1991 | Oscar | Vendetti's Manicurist | |
| 1991 | Ted & Venus | Marcia | |
| 1991 | I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore | Monica | |
| 1993 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Killer Kiss | Peg Ferman | Television film |
| 1993 | Batman: Mask of the Phantasm | Ms. Bambi (voice) | Uncredited |
| 1994 | It's Pat | Herself | |
| 2000 | Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel (voice) | Direct-to-video |
| 2004 | Comic Book: The Movie | Ms. Q (Studio Secretary) | Direct-to-video |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1984–1990,1992,2006,2010 | Days of Our Lives | Calliope Jones | 427 episodes |
| 1986–1989 | The New Hollywood Squares | Panelist | |
| 1987 | The New Mike Hammer | Traci Baskin | Episode: "The Last Laugh" |
| 1987–1989 | Duet | Geneva | 50 episodes |
| 1989 | Open House | Geneva | Episode: "Parade of Homes" |
| 1989 | Family Feud | Herself | |
| 1990 | Dream On | Donna di Angelo | Episode: "Angst for the Memories" |
| 1990 | Room for Romance | | Episode: "Fool's Good" |
| 1990–1992 | America's Funniest People | Co-host | |
| 1991 | Taz-Mania | Veronica (voice) | Episode: "Bewitched Bob" |
| 1992–1994 | Batman: The Animated Series | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel (voice) | 9 episodes |
| 1997–1999 | The New Batman Adventures | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel (voice) | 6 episodes |
| 1997 | Superman: The Animated Series | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel (voice) | Episode: "World's Finest" (Three-Parter) |
| 2000–2002 | Gotham Girls | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel (voice) | 25 episodes |
| 2003 | Static Shock | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel (voice) | Episode: "Hard as Nails" |
| 2003 | Justice League | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel (voice) | Episode: "Wild Cards" (Two-Parter) |
| 2004 | Frasier | Rachel | Episode: "Goodnight, Seattle: Part 2" |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
| 1994 | The Adventures of Batman & Robin | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel | Sega CD version |
| 2001 | Batman: Vengeance | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel | |
| 2009 | Batman: Arkham Asylum | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel | |
| 2011-12 | DC Universe Online | Harley Quinn / Harleen Quinzel | Final role |

### Writer

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1997 | Picture Perfect | Screenplay, story |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2009 | Spike Video Game Awards | Best Voice | Batman: Arkham Asylum (as "Harley Quinn") | Nominated |
| 1988 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Days of Our Lives | Nominated |
| 1989 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Days of Our Lives | Nominated |
| 1985 | Soap Opera Digest Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Serial | Days of Our Lives | Won |
| 1985 | Soap Opera Digest Awards | Outstanding New Actress in a Daytime Serial | Days of Our Lives | Won |
| 1986 | Soap Opera Digest Awards | Outstanding Comic Relief Role on a Daytime Serial | Days of Our Lives | Won |
| 1988 | Soap Opera Digest Awards | Outstanding Comic Performance by an Actress: Daytime | Days of Our Lives | Won |
| 2011 | Peabody Awards | Shared with Jessica Hernández (editor) | Bhutto | Won |
| 2011 | International Documentary Association | Video Source Award Shared with Duane Baughman (director/producer) Johnny O'Hara (director/writer) Mark Siegel (producer) Glenn Aveni (executive producer) | Bhutto | Won |