Harley Quinn actress Arleen Sorkin, inspiration for DC character, dead at 67

Arleen SOrkin is the original voice of Batman: The Animated Series’ Harley Quinn, died last Saturday. She was best known as Calliope on the soap opera Drama. Days of Our Lives and her work as a writer on 1990’s Tiny Toon AdventuresThe sat at 67.

Sorkin’s influence over the Batman franchise is considerable not only for having voiced Harley Quinn, but directly inspiring the character. In a 2006 conversation with Batman: The Animated Series co-creator Paul Dini, the creation of Harley Quinn dates back to Dini’s desire to write a foil character to The Joker, intended as a single episode role. Upon seeing a performance by Sorkin, who was a college friend of Dini’s, acting as a court jester in a dream sequence on Days of Our LivesDini invited Dini to voice Harley Quinn after she modeled her on her mannerisms. After viewing the rough cut of Harley Quinn’s introduction, the series’ producers decided to make her a recurring character.

Harley Quinn became so popular that DC Comics included her in the Batman canon officially in 1993. Since then, Harley Quinn has quickly grown to be one of DC’s most prominent characters, thanks in part to numerous performances by Margot Robbie’s as Harley Quinn across the DC cinematic universe and an animated dark comedy series starring Kaley Cuoco. Sorkin would go on to voice multiple appearances of Harley Quinn across the DC Animated Universe, as well as video games such as 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum and 2011’s DC Universe Online.

News of Sorkin’s death elicited a swath of tributes online from past collaborators and admirers, including DC Studios CEO James Gunn, Mark Hamill, Tara Strong, and Rocksteady Games, who worked with Sorkin on Arkham Asylum.

Sorkin’s death comes just shy of a year following the death of Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman in Batman The Animated SeriesWho died in November last year after a battle against intestinal cancer. Legacy of Batman: The Animated Series is monumental, with Sorkin’s Harley Quinn standing as a particular highlight of its multifaceted reinvention of the character’s rogues gallery.