Arleen Sorkin, the Voice of Harley Quinn, Passed Away At Age 67

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Arleen Sorkin has reportedly passed away at the age of 67. The incredibly talented voice actor was best known as the original voice of the now hugely popular DC Comics character Harley Quinn on the hit show Batman: The Animated Series.

News of her death broke on X (formerly Twitter) from fellow voice actor Neil Kaplan, who said, “It broke my heart to hear… the original voice of Harley Quinn, Arleen Sorkin has passed away. I adored her work as HQ & as Calliope in “Days of Our Lives.””

It broke my heart to hear… the original voice of Harley Quinn, Arlene Sorkin has passed away.

I adored her work as HQ & as Calliope in “Days of Our Lives.” pic.twitter.com/QtypvmvNUX

— Neil Kaplan – Voice Actor (@NeKap) August 26, 2023

Tara Strong, who took over the role of Harley Quinn in most animated versions after Sorkin, also tweeted out, saying, “Without this gorgeous, talented goddess, #HarleyQuinn would have never existed. She was the inspiration & the heart & soul of this iconic character. I was in awe as #Batgirl watching her alongside @MarkHamill & Kevin. Sending love to her family #RipArleenSorkin”

Without this gorgeous, talented goddess, #HarleyQuinn would have never existed. She was the inspiration & the heart & soul of this iconic character. I was in awe as #Batgirl watching her alongside @MarkHamill & Kevin. Sending love to her family #RipArleenSorkin ❤️? ? pic.twitter.com/8zQdHsyOyM

— tara strong (@tarastrong) August 26, 2023

Arleen Sorkin voiced Harley Quinn in various pieces of media from 1992 until her last outing as the character in 2012 in the video game DC Universe Online: The Last Laugh. She also served as the inspiration for the creation of the character itself, as she was college friends with Batman: The Animated Series writer and producer Paul Dini.

Over her 20 year career as the Clown Princess of Crime, Sorkin could be heard on shows like The New Batman Adventures, Superman: The Animated Series, Gotham Girls, Static Shock, Justice League, and even the movie Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, as well as several video games, including Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Sorkin’s first big role was on the soap opera Days of Our Lives as Calliope Jones from 1984-1990, reprising the role several times throughout the years, even as recently as 2010. She also served as the co-host of America’s Funniest People alongside Dave Coulier from 1990-1992

Her passing comes less than a year after the death of the iconic voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, making this even harder to accept. Arleen Sorkin will be greatly missed by us all.