More sad news from the entertainment world today. This one hits a little closer to home for me.
Arleen Sorkin, the original voice of Harley Quinn has died.
At the time of her casting at the then throwaway character of the Joker's female henchman...er...henchwoman...er...girlfriend, Sorkin was best known as a player in the soap opera Days of Our Lives. She and future Q actor John De Lancie played Caliope and Eugene, a couple of misfits whose antics were a sort of comedy sorbet in between all the scenes of infidelity and backstabbing on the show.
I remember being kinda jazzed when I first heard her voice as Harley because my Mom (and by extension I) watched Days a lot in those times. I only remember that I liked the Caliope and Eugene stuff a lot, at least as much as I could enjoy any part of a soap opera in my teenage years.
Paul Dini wrote the character of Harley Quinn specifically for his friend Arleen but with no inkling that the character would be anything but a one time gig. If you look at Sorkin's IMDB profile, from almost that first appearance as Quinn on, her work is almost entirely Harley Quinn related, excepting her continued role on Days of Our Lives until 2010.
Sorkin voiced Quinn on television, in movies and in videogames from 1993 until her last credit in 2012.
Many actresses have since taken the role, but there will only ever be one original.
Thank you so much, Ms. Sorkin. Your contribution to the genre I love will always be beloved by fans of all ages, myself included.
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