Just a quick one this week to pay tribute to Arleen Sorkin, the actress who originated the role of Harley Quinn on a variety of DCAU shows. I didn't know much about Sorkin, but like a lot of fans I loved the Harley Quinn character and was excited to see her show up in the comics.
She also became a queer icon, thanks to her team-ups and implied (later confirmed) relationship with Poison Ivy. That episode, Harley and Ivy, had her breaking up briefly with the Joker to become a criminal mastermind in her own right, and is held up as one of the classics from the show. It would also form the basis for a spin-off that never materialized, and for the Harley Quinn TV show on Max (originally DC Universe).
The character also got a new lease on life when Margot Robbie played her in the first Suicide Squad film, and came back for Birds of Prey and the second Suicide Squad movie. There have also been a bunch of almost-versions and not-quite versions in other DC/Batman-related shows over the years, so it's fair to say that Sorkin's character was something of a hit. Not bad going at all, but par for the course of a show that also gave us Kevin Conroy, probably the best Batman of my generation.
Reading Sorkin's Wikipedia entry, it turns out she was a co-host of America's Funniest People with Dave Coulier, so I must have seen her on that, though admittedly my memories of that show are hazy at best.
In any case, while Sorkin may not have been a household name in her own right, it must have been nice to see the character she originated hit such a chord with viewers, to the point that she's probably one of the most recognizable DC characters outside the Big Three of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.
She may have retired from playing the character after 2011, but it's still sad to see her go so young, especially so soon after Conroy's passing. But we'll always have Harley... especially my particular favorite episode, Harley's Holiday.
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