Arleen Sorkin, Original Voice of Harley Quinn and ‘Days of Our Lives’ Actress, Dies at 6

Oh, this really bums me out hard.

i rememer after the releaae of Arkham Asylum ahe retired from acting to be with her family

First Kevin Conroy and now her. It uits right to tue childhood.

Many good things always come to an end. It's difficult to believe that numerous voice actors from various American cartoons and anime I grew up watching are slowly passing away. Moreover, many of them are supposed to be young, as they're still in their 60s. So you know what? In the past, I used to complain that I am in my 30s, but for me, reaching this age is a blessing, given that many people don't make it to this age. We should all live our lives to the fullest and relish every single day, because we don't know when our time will come. I will certainly miss Arlene Sorkin, as without her, we wouldn't have Harley. She's not only the voice actress of Harley Quinn but also the inspiration behind the character's creation. Subsequently, the character's role was offered to her due to being the inspiration.

One of my all-time favorite episodes of Batman: The Animated Series is "Harley and Ivy." It's the first time I witnessed Harley in a healthy relationship, experiencing genuine happiness. Despite both she and Ivy being villains, I found myself rooting for them over Batman in that episode. I recall feeling quite melancholic when she retired following her involvement in Arkham Asylum within a DC Comics short animation. However, learning that she chose retirement to spend more time with her family filled me with nothing but support. Consequently, I'm pleased that she had decades with her family after retiring before her passing. Every moment in this world holds significance, and we should treasure each one, as time is a finite resource.

I did appreciate the portrayals of Harley by Tara Strong, Kaley Cuoco, and Margot Robbie. However, we all know that each of them drew inspiration from Arlene Sorkin. Arlene Sorkin serves as the prototype, the original, and the blueprint for depicting Harley. It's unfortunate that in the live-action adaptation of Harley as a villain in the Birds of Prey TV series, which was canceled after 1-2 seasons, they didn't cast Arlene Sorkin as Harley, even though she initially worked as an on-screen actress before becoming a voice actress.

She will always be the definitive Harley Quinn for me. The other actresses who portrayed Harley felt like distinct characters, not the Harley I grew up with. None of the other actresses who played Harley capture the essence of the original like Arlene Sorkin does. She is truly unique and irreplaceable.