The diversely talented Charles Grodin, who had success as an actor, a writer and as a talk show guest (and host) has passed away at the age of 86.

Grodin got his start in the New York City theater world of the 1960s, where he was a student of the legendary acting teachers Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen. Grodin started working behind the scenes, as well, writing and directing shows while making appearances in Broadway shows and small roles in films, like the obstetrician in 1968's Rosemary's Baby. He directed a Simon and Garfunkel TV special in 1969.

After a supporting role (along with Art Garfunkel) in 1970's Catch-22, Grodin's big break was as the lead in the Neil Simon and Elaine May film, The Heartbreak Kid, where he plays a New York man who becomes infatuated with a gorgeous Midwestern college student while on his honeymoon. He worked regularly in supporting roles throughout the 1970s, like 1976's King Kong and 1978's Heaven Can Wait.

Grodin continued to work behind the scenes, as well, winning an Emmy for writing for a 1977 Paul Simon TV special. That same year, he hosted Saturday Night Live and he performed the whole show as if he didn't know that it was live. For fans of late night television, that actively off-putting approach from Grodin was very familiar, as he was already known for his work as a recurring guest on The Tonight Show, where he stood out by arguing with Johnny Carson. Grodin used that same approach as a guest on Late Night With David Letterman. Grodin's antagonist "character" lasted on The Tonight Show right up until Carson's retirement in the early 1990s.

During the 1980s, Grodin had a number of movie hits, including playing a jewel thief enamored with Miss Piggy in The Great Muppet Caper and as a mob accountant on the run in 1988's buddy comedy, Midnight Run (with Robert De Niro as the bounty hunter trying to bring him back in alive). His biggest movie role in the 1990s was as the aggravated father in the Beethoven movies, although he also had an acclaimed turn as a supporting character in 1993's Dave, where he again plays an accountant, this time trying to help Kevin Kline's Dave (who is impersonating the President of the United States) balance the budget.

Grodin briefly retired from acting and took his success as a talk show guest to becoming a talk show host himself, hosting The Charles Grodin Show on CNBC from 1995-1998. He was a commentator on 60 Minutes II, as well. During this period, he wrote a number of autobiographical books, as well.

In the last decade, Grodin returned to acting, playing a recurring role as a doctor on Louie CK's Louie and as Bernie Madoff in an ABC miniseries about the ponzi scheme operator.