Charles Grodin, best known for his comedic roles in films like Midnight Run and Beethoven, has passed away at the age of 86.

His son told the New York Times that his father had died of bone marrow cancer.

Born in Pennsylvania, Grodin made his acting debut in an uncredited appearance as a drummer boy in the Disney adventure 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).

After appearing on television, he graduated to both leading and character roles in films in which he usually portrayed the exasperated urban neurotic.

Ironically, his first high-profile film gig came as the unsuspecting Dr. Hall in the cult Roman Polanski-directed horror Rosemary’s Baby (1968). That was soon followed by his role in thewar dramedy Catch-22 (1970).

Grodin soon rose to prominence in the 1970s starting with the hit comedy The Heartbreak Kid (1972). His performance as unfaithful newlywed Lenny Cantrow earned him a sole Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical.

More success came with his role as the cunning Fred Wilson in the 1976 remake of King Kong and was then followed by the likes of Heaven Can Wait (1978) and Sunburn (1979). During that period, he also won an Emmy in 1978 for writing on The Paul Simon Special.

In the 1980s, Grodin continued to make his presence felt in the likes of The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), The Lonely Guy (1984), The Woman in Red (1984) and Ishtar (1987).

The end of that decade marked one of his most memorable performances as Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukas, an old-fashioned accountant who found himself embarking on an unlikely road-trip with a tough bounty hunter (played by Robert De Niro) in the comedic thriller Midnight Run (1988).

Grodin also gained a following from younger audiences for his leading role as George Newton, the long-suffering owner of a mischievous St. Bernards dog in both the family comedy Beethoven (1992) and its lesser sequel Beethoven’s 2nd (1993).

After memorable appearances in the political comedy Dave (1993), So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993) and the family comedy It Runs in the Family (1994), he then made a comeback as Bob Kowalski in the rom-com The Ex (2006).

Towards the end of his life, Grodin starred in the likes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2012), The Michael J. Fox Show (2013), The Last Act (2014), While We’re Young (2014), Louie (2014-15), Madoff (2016) and The Comedian (2017).

He is survived by his second wife and two children.