J1 fans, it is with a heavy heart to inform you that we have recently lost another actor in the Batman universe. Arleen Sorkin, original voice actor for Harley Quinn, has passed away at age 67.
Arleen Sorkin made her debut as Harley Quinn in the Batman: The Animated Series episode “Joker’s Favor.” The character was well received and has remained a presence in DC Universe ever since.
Sorkin was born October 14, 1955, and is of Jewish descent. Her career began in cabaret in the 1970s and later, she would become part of the comedy group “The High Heeled Women.” She would make her television debut on the soap opera Day of Our Lives as Calliope Jones, a role she would hold from 1984 to 1990 with subsequent appearances in 1992, 2001, 2006 and 2010, which would be the character’s final appearance. Arleen was friends with Paul Dini, screenwriter and producer for several DC animated projects, most notably, Batman: The Animated Series. While Dini was creating new characters for the series, he had seen Sorkin’s performance as a jester in a dream sequence on Day of Our Lives which inspired him to create Harley Quinn. Sorkin was then hired to voice the character. In recording Harley Quinn’s voice, Sorkin spoke in her normal Brooklyn accent while putting in a “little Yiddish sound”, since Dini made the character Jewish, another aspect of the character borrowed from Sorkin. Harley Quinn’s full name is Harleen Frances Quinzel, which was derived from Sorkin’s first and middle name “Arleen Frances” and Quinzel was the surname “Quenzel” of someone Dini knew in college. Harley Quinn made her debut in the Batman: The Animated Series episode “Joker’s Favor.” She was originally intended to be a one-shot character; luckily, Harley Quinn and Sorkin’s performance were well received by fans and critics and the character was written in a series regular. Sorkin would continue the role, voicing her in other DC Animated Universe series including “The New Batman Adventures,” “Static Shock,” “Justice League,” “Gotham Girls,” and the animated film “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.” After the 2011 video game DC Universe Online, Sorkin retired from voicing Harley Quinn and therefore did not reprise her role in any subsequent DC projects.
Writer-producer Paul Dini saw Arleen Sorkin play a jester in a dream sequence on Day of Our Lives, which inspired him to create Harley Quinn.
Since her debut, Harley Quinn quickly rose in popularity which earned her several appearances in other DC projects including as a DC comic regular, her own comic book series, the Birds of Prey series, and video games. She has been portrayed by other actors such as Tara Strong, Hynden Walch, Laura Bailey, Jenny Slate, Melissa Rauch, Laura Post, and Kaley Cuoco; the latter provided the character’s voice in the 2019 animated series Harley Quinn. Mia Sara portrayed the character in the 2002 television series Birds of Prey. Harley Quinn makes her live-action cinematic debut in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film Suicide Squad (2016), where she is portrayed by Margot Robbie. Robbie reprises her role in Birds of Prey (2020) and The Suicide Squad (2021), with elements of her portrayal’s design consequentially incorporated into comics, while Lady Gaga will portray the character in Joker: Folie à Deux (2024). DC Comics Publisher Jim Lee considers Harley Quinn the fourth pillar of DC Comics’ publishing line, behind Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
Arleen Sorkin passed away on August 24 from multiple sclerosis. She was married to writer-producer Chirstopher Lloyd with whom she had two sons, Eli and Owen. Like Kevin Conroy did for Batman, Arleen Sorkin gave fans an iconic character who will be cherished and adored for many years and leaves behind a legacy that will not be forgotten. Thank you, Arleen, for the laughs and cheers that you have brought into our childhoods. Thank you for Harley Quinn.
Batman: TAS – Harley Quinn All Scenes
Arleen Sorkin as a jester on “Days of Our Lives”
