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Grodin, who has owned a home in Wilton, turns 81 on Thursday. The actor, author and comedian was born April 21, 1935, in Pittsburgh.
He began his acting career in the 1960s, appearing in TV serials such as "The Virginian." He had a small part as an obstetrician in Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby" in 1968.
In the 1970s, he had the lead role in "The Heartbreak Kid" and a supporting role in "Catch-22."
He became a familiar face as a supporting actor in many 1980s Hollywood comedies, including "Midnight Run," "Heaven Can Wait," "Taking Care of Business," "Seems Like Old Times," "The Great Muppet Caper," "The Woman in Red," "The Lonely Guy," "Ishtar" and "The Couch Trip."
He is best known for his role as George Newton in the 1990s John Hughes comedy franchise "Beethoven."
Grodin has won several acting awards, including American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for 1993's "Dave," and Best Actor at the 1988 Valladolid International Film Festival for "Midnight Run." He was nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for "The Heartbreak Kid" in 1972. He also shared a 1978 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program for his work on "The Paul Simon Special."
In the mid-1990s, he became a talk show host on CNBC and in 2000 a political commentator for "60 Minutes II."
He has written several autobiographical and acting related works, including 1990s "It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here: My Journey Through Show Business"" and 1994's "We're Ready for You, Mr. Grodin."
His book, "If I Only Knew Then...Learning from Our Mistakes," was released in November 2007 and "How I Got To Be Whoever It Is I Am" came out in April 2009.
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