People Are Mourning The Loss Of Arleen Sorkin, The Original Voice Of (And The Inspiration For) Harley Quinn

Arleen Sorkin, actress and performer, has died, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She was 67. Sorkin was one of those talents with a broad and diverse body of work. She began in cabaret, did comedies and soap opera, co-hosted comedy shows, and did voice work. Perhaps her most famous work Being not only the original voice of the Batman villain Harley Quinn but also the person who inspired her creation.

Unlike most Caped Crusader characters, Harley Quinn didn’t originate on the page. She made her debut in a 1992 episode of Batman: The Animated Series. The chaotic Joker gal pal was supposed to be a one-off, but she was such a hit that she returned eight more times, and then went on to become a DC staple.

The character was co-created by Paul Dini, a college pal of Sorkin’s who, during a sick day, caught her on an episode of Days of Our Lives, in which she appeared from 1984 through 2010. In the episode, she played a harlequin in a dream sequence. And that’s how you get one of the DC’s most popular and enduring characters.

News of Sorkin’s passing was mourned by many, including Mark Hamill, who voiced Joker during her Harley Quinn tenure.