How a soap opera jester inspired the chaotic soul of DC's Harley Quinn
In short: Arleen Sorkin was a cabaret performer and daytime television staple whose unique personality became the blueprint for one of comic history's most iconic villains. By blending her natural Brooklyn cadence with a distinct Yiddish influence, she transformed a one-off character into a permanent fixture of the DC Animated Universe.
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1955, Arleen Sorkin began her career in the late 1970s as part of the comedy troupe The High-Heeled Women. She gained widespread recognition for her role as the eccentric Calliope Jones on the soap opera Days of Our Lives, a part she played intermittently from 1984 through 2010. Her transition from live-action comedy to animation history occurred when her college friend, Paul Dini, witnessed her performing as a jester during a dream sequence on the soap. Captivated by her performance, Dini modeled the character of Harley Quinn directly after Sorkin, incorporating her bubbly, wisecracking demeanor and specific mannerisms into the design.
The character of Harley Quinn was originally intended to appear in only a single episode of Batman: The Animated Series, debuting in the 1992 installment titled Joker's Favor. However, the audience response to the character and Sorkin's vocal performance was so overwhelmingly positive that she became a series regular. Sorkin provided the voice for Quinn across various animated projects, including The New Batman Adventures and Justice League, as well as video games like 2009's Batman: Arkham Asylum. Dini even infused the character with Sorkin's own Jewish heritage, which she highlighted by adding a subtle Yiddish inflection to her natural Brooklyn accent during recording sessions.
Beyond her work in animation, Sorkin was a multifaceted talent who worked as a screenwriter for Tiny Toon Adventures and co-wrote the 1997 film Picture Perfect. Her career was not without professional turbulence; in 1990, she became the original female co-host of America's Funniest People, only to be dismissed two years later. Sorkin subsequently filed a lawsuit claiming racial discrimination, alleging that network executives sought to replace her with a minority candidate, though the role was ultimately filled by another white actress. Sorkin passed away in 2023 at age 67, leaving a legacy honored by dedications in the Harley Quinn television series and the 2024 game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
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