Arleen Sorkin
A comedian's whimsical soap opera daydream became the anarchic heart of a global pop-culture phenomenon: Harley Quinn.
1955–2023 (age 68)·American actress·Birthday: October 14·Baby Boomers
Biography
Arleen Sorkin was a spark of inventive chaos in the worlds of daytime television and animation. A writer and performer on 'America's Funniest People,' she brought a sharp, playful wit to everything she did. Her role as the flighty, scene-stealing Calliope Jones on 'Days of Our Lives' showcased her unique comic timing. But her most monumental impact was accidental. She once recounted a vivid dream to friend and writer Paul Dini about a jester romancing a clown at a charity ball, while dressed in a jester costume herself for a 'Days' episode. This story directly inspired Dini and Bruce Timm to create Harley Quinn for 'Batman: The Animated Series,' with Sorkin's distinctive, bubbly-yet-unhinged voice bringing the character to life. That performance laid the sonic and personality blueprint for a character who would explode beyond animation to become one of DC Comics' most popular figures, a testament to Sorkin's creative spirit.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Arleen was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Arleen Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Arleen's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2023Died at 68
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
Key Achievements
- Was the original voice and direct inspiration for the DC Comics character Harley Quinn, starting in 'Batman: The Animated Series.'
- Portrayed the popular character Calliope Jones on the NBC daytime drama 'Days of Our Lives' for several years.
- Co-wrote and performed on the television show 'America's Funniest People' in the early 1990s.
- Won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1992 as a writer for 'The Bold and the Beautiful.'
Did You Know?
She was a college roommate of future television writer and producer Julie Brown.
Her famous 'Days of Our Lives' episode where she dressed as a jester was titled 'The Masquerade.'
She made a cameo appearance in the film 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.'
She was married to television producer and writer Christopher Lloyd, co-creator of 'Frasier.'
“Life is a cartoon; you just have to color outside the lines.”
