Arleen Sorkin, The Original Voice Of Harley Quinn, Has Died At 67
We're sorry to report Arleen Sorkin has died at the age of 67. The news was first reported by voice actor Neil Kaplan and later confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter. She is survived by her husband and their two sons. DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn shared a tribute to Sorkin on Instagram, and her old friend and co-star Mark Hamill wrote: "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."
Mrs. Sorkin is most remembered for being the original voice of the DC Comics character Harley Quinn. She played the part across 17 years, beginning in "Batman: The Animated Series" in 1992 and for the last time in the 2009 video game, "Batman: Arkham Asylum." We'll talk about this part of her legacy soon, but first, let's be clear — Sorkin was not a one-trick pony.
Her first part on television was in the soap opera "Days Of Our Lives" as the comic relief character Calliope Jones. After her original run from 1984 to 1990, she returned several times up until 2010. Her other on-camera roles include a recurring part on the sitcom "Duet" from 1987 to 1989 and co-hosting "America's Funniest People" from 1990 to 1992.
Sorkin likewise dabbled in screenwriting. In the early 1990s, she wrote episodes of "Tiny Toon Adventures" (alongside her friend and future "Batman" writer Paul Dini) and later co-penned the 1997 Jennifer Aniston romcom "Picture Perfect."
It was a combination of these connections that landed Sorkin the part of Harley Quinn. In one "Days of Our Lives" episode, she dressed up as a court jester for a fantasy sequence. Dini saw this, decided to use the jester look for the Joker's henchwoman in one of his "Batman" scripts (eventually made as "Joker's Favor"), and naturally brought on Sorkin to voice the part.
The voice of an icon
For my generation especially, Arleen Sorkin is Harley Quinn. She's as synonymous with Harley as her co-stars, the late Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker, are with their characters. The difference is that Harley was an original character with no roots in the comics, so Sorkin's performance is integral to the very conception of Harley Quinn. Harley's real name — Harleen — is only a letter away from Sorkin's own.
Bruce Timm designed Harley's jester costume, but Sorkin brought the character to life off the page with a high-pitched, Yiddish-Brooklyn accented voice. With such a memorable design and voice, Harley oozed personality from the beginning — so much so that she unexpectedly became a recurring character.
Harley's defining trait was her perkiness but she could be smooth, sinister, or sexy if a scene called for it. Sorkin, somewhat self-deprecatingly, recounted to Vulture in 2017:
"I could give you an impressive answer about how I did the voice, but I don't have one. I read it and I just thought [that] was the best voice for her in the moment. I don't want to pretend that I am this woman with great range, so I picked the one that I could do easily, and it worked."
If you need a pick-me-up, some of my favorite of Sorkin's performances as Harley Quinn include "Mad Love" (detailing Harley's backstory and her heartrending, unreciprocated love for the Joker), "Harley's Holiday" (Harley's first starring role in a Joker-free episode), and "Harlequinade" (where Sorkin got to show off her singing skills, in-character as Harley).
The enduring success of Harley Quinn lies at the feet of Arleen Sorkin, but that endurance meant the character lived on after Sorkin retired. Other actors filled in, from Tara Strong to Hynden Walch, but as talented as they all are, no one can replace the original.
May her memory be a blessing.