Arleen Sorkin dead, American actress, screenwriter, presenter and comedian death

A multitalented American celebrity, Arleen Sorkin was an actress, screenwriter, presenter, and comedian. She received recognition for her portrayal of Calliope Jones on the NBC daytime serial opera Days of Our Lives. Moreover, she is credited as the inspiration for the DC Comics character Harley Quinn, which was conceived by her college friend Paul Dini. Sorkin also lent her voice to portray the character in Batman: The Animated Series, as well as a number of subsequent animated series and video games.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Sorkin began her performing arts career through cabaret. She was a member of the comedy troupe The High-Heeled Women, alongside Mary Fulham, Tracey Berg, and Cassandra Danz, among others.

The original voice of Harley Quinn, Arleen Sorkin has sadly passed away at the age of 67.

Calliope Jones, depicted by the aforementioned actress, was one of her most notable roles. From 1984 to 1990, she portrayed the fanciful and endearing Calliope Jones on the television series Days of Our Lives. In 1992 and 2001, she also made cameo appearances on the program. On February 24, 2006, the actress reprised her role as Calliope Jones for the fourth time. She returned for a fleeting appearance on Days beginning on May 5, 2010.

Marcia Sorkin portrayed Geneva, a seductive housekeeper who worked for Richard and Linda Phillips, a yuppie couple, on the Fox drama Duet from 1987 to 1989. In a subsequent episode of Open House, a sequel to Duet, she reprised the same role. In 1990, Sorkin became America’s Funniest People’s first female co-host. However, she was dismissed from the program in 1992 by producer Vin Di Bona.

Sorkin then filed a lawsuit against Di Bona, alleging that her termination was motivated by racism. She asserted that ABC Chairman Dan Burke suggested to Di Bona that she be substituted with an African-American or a member of another ethnic minority. Sorkin demanded $450,000 in lost earnings compensation in addition to an undisclosed sum for damage to her professional reputation and emotional distress. She also claimed that Di Bona recruited a white co-host, Tawny Kitaen, after Sorkin criticized the alleged racial motivations for her dismissal.