Arleen Sorkin, the original voice of Harley Quinn who was also widely-known for her role in Days of Our Lives, has died aged 67.
Tributes have been coming in from far and wide for the late performer from individuals including Mark Hamill and James Gunn, with Sorkin remembered from being both a ‘wonderful talent’ and a ‘wonderful person’.
Star Wars legend Hamill, who performed The Voice #TheVoice of Joker opposite her Harley Quinn in Batman: The Animated Series, expressed his sadness over the loss on Twitter.
‘Devastated to learn we’ve lost the brilliant Arleen Sorkin. Not just a wonderful talent, but a truly wonderful person. I’m grateful not only to have worked with her, but to have been her friend. 🙏,’ he wrote.
‘Sending my heartfelt condolences to her family & love d ones. 💔.’
Sorkin served as real-life inspiration for the DC Comics character Harley Quinn after her college friend Paul Dini – who co-wrote the animated show – saw her play a jester in Days of Our Lives.
Co-CEO of DC Studios Gunn penned: ‘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. ❤️.’
Sorkin first took on the role of Calliope Jones in Days of Our Lives in 1984, a character she last played in 2010.
Her other performances included appearing in films such as Ted & Venus, I Don’t Buy Kisses Anymore, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker and Comic Book: The Movie, as well as TV shows Duet, Open House, Superman: The Animated Series and Frasier.
Sorkin was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards for her performance in Days of Our Lives, and won four Soap Opera Digest Awards for her role in the soap.
When she made her voice performance debut as Harley Quinn, the character was originally only supposed to appear in one episode titled Joker’s Favor of Batman: The Animated Series.
However, the fan response proved to the newly-introduced character and Sorkin’s performance proved so positive that she was written into the series as a regular, going on to appear in more TV shows and the animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.
In recent years, Harley has been voiced by The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco in the animated series named after the character, while Margot Robbie has played on her film, with Lady Gaga set to appear as Harley in the Joker sequel.
A source told The Hollywood Reporter that Sorkin died on Thursday August 24, with health issues reportedly holding her back from acting in the final years of her life.
Sorkin married TV writer-producer Christopher Lloyd in 1995, with whom she shared two sons: Eli and Owen.
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First appear at Harley Quinn and Days of Our Lives star Arleen Sorkin dies aged 67 as Mark Hamill leads tributes
