27-08-23 | The one and only Harley Quinn of Batman the Animated Series, Arleen Sorkin, has passed on. She died several days ago at the relatively young age of 67. In 1992 she voiced Harley for the first time, when the character was a mere background stooge for Mark Hamill’s Joker. Partly due to Sorkin’s talent, Harley Quinn’s role grew with each subsequent appearance.
Sorkin rose to prominence after appearing in the soap opera Days of Our Lives, but it was Harley Quinn that brought her pop culture immortality. Sorkin imbued Harley with plenty of off the wall personality which resonated with fans. Her seminal voice work helped establish the character, which would go on to appear in comics, video games and feature films. Arleen Sorkin was a college friend of Paul Dini, one of the head writers for Batman the Animated Series, who created Harley specifically for her.
After Batman she contributed to Superman the Animated Series, became one of the leads in Gotham Girls and reprised the role in 2009 for the blockbuster video game Batman Arkham Asylum, which also starred Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker. She had been married to iconic actor Christopher Lloyd since 1995. In tribute to Sorkin, Mark Hamill wrote: ‘Not just a wonderful talent, but a truly wonderful person. I’m grateful not only to have worked with her, but to have been her friend.’