{{About||the songwriter of the same name|David I. Arkin|the athlete|David Arkin (American football)}} {{short description|American actor}} {{more citations needed|date=November 2010}} {{infobox person | name = David Arkin | image = File:David Arkin 1970.JPG | caption = Arkin in 1970. | alt = | birth_name = David George Arkin | birth_date = {{birth date|1941|12|24}} | birth_place = Los Angeles, California, United States | death_date = {{death date and age|1991|01|14|1941|12|24}} | death_place = Los Angeles, California, United States | alma_mater = | occupation = Actor | spouse = Anne E. Curry }}
'''David George Arkin''' (December 24, 1941 – January 14, 1991) was an American actor, known for his numerous supporting appearances in the films of Robert Altman. These roles were part of Altman's frequent ensemble and included Staff Sergeant Vollmer in ''M*A*S*H'' (where he also wrote and voiced the PA announcements), Harry in ''The Long Goodbye'' (1973), Norman in ''Nashville'' (1975), and The Mailman/The Police Officer in ''Popeye'' (1980).
==Early life and education== {{expand section|parentage and education|date=October 2013}} Arkin was born in Los Angeles, California to George Morris Arkin & Mary Eileen Collins. He graduated from University High School and later UCLA with a major in Theater Arts.
==Career== Arkin had an "introducing" credit in ''I Love You, Alice B. Toklas'' (1968) and brief appearances in ''Valley of the Dolls'' (1967), ''All the President's Men'' (1976), and ''Cannonball'' (1976).
His television credits include ''Hawaii Five-O'', ''Whitney and the Robot'', and a season-long appearance as the character Gabriel Kaye in the CBS television series ''Storefront Lawyers'', co-starring Robert Foxworth and Sheila Larken. He also appeared on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' and on the ''Joey Bishop'' and the ''Steve Allen'' late night shows with the Hollywood Sunset Strip improvisational comedy troupe The Session (which included Richard Dreyfuss, Rob Reiner, Larry Bishop, Bobbie Shaw-Chance, Marj Dusay, and Phil Mishkin); he later performed with The Second City touring troupe. Arkin wrote ''Human Cargo: Great Escapes'',{{clarify|date=October 2013|reason=book? no writing credit (screenplay or based on) at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0143236/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm}} which his wife Anne E. Curry later produced with their company Old Dime Box Productions for the Showtime television network as ''Escape: Human Cargo''; it starred Treat Williams and was filmed in Israel. She also produced and directed ''One Man's Opinion'', a politically incorrect take on newly released films; it starred Arkin and Professor Tyrone Shaw, now on the faculty of journalism at Johnson State College in Vermont.
==Personal life and death== Arkin was married three times, the last time to actress Anne E. Curry at the time of his death in 1991.
David Arkin was not related either to the actor Alan Arkin or Alan's son Adam Arkin (also an actor). Alan's father was David I. Arkin.
Arkin was known among his friends and colleagues for having introduced his friend Arnold Schwarzenegger (then Arnold Strong) to Altman, at the time ''The Long Goodbye'' was being cast. This began Schwarzenegger's career in film.<ref>Zuckoff, Mitchell. ''Robert Altman: An Oral Biography'', Random House, 2009, p.254.</ref>
On January 14, 1991, he died by suicide in Los Angeles, California at the age of 49.
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Film |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1965|| ''Summer Children'' || Cord || |- |1967|| ''Valley of the Dolls'' || Western Union Boy || Uncredited |- |1968|| ''I Love You, Alice B. Toklas'' || Herbie Fine || |- |1970|| ''M*A*S*H'' || Staff Sergeant Vollmer / PA Announcer || |- |1970|| ''Up in the Cellar'' || Hugo Caine || |- |1973|| ''The Long Goodbye'' || Harry || |- |1975|| ''Nashville'' || Norman || |- |1976|| ''All the President's Men'' || Eugene Bachinski || |- |1976|| ''Cannonball!'' || TV Producer / Anchorman || |- |1980|| ''Popeye'' || The Mailman / Police Officer || (final film role) |- |- ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Television |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1970|| ''Hawaii Five-O'' || George Loomis || 1 episode |- |1970|| ''Storefront Lawyers'' || Gabriel Kaye || 3 episodes |- |1975|| ''Medical Story'' || || 1 episode |- |1979|| ''Whitney and the Robot'' || David || |}
==Notes== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} *{{IMDb name|35069}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arkin, David}} Category:1941 births Category:20th-century American Jews Category:20th-century American male actors Category:American male film actors Category:American male television actors Category:Jewish American male actors Category:Male actors from Los Angeles Category:People from Silver Lake, Los Angeles Category:Suicides in California Category:1991 suicides Category:1991 deaths