[RichardLess]

A major loss to the acting world tonight. Arleen Sorkin who helped inspire and create the iconic Harley Quinn in Batman The Animated Series has sadly passed away at the age of 67.

That’s two legends we’ve lost from this amazing show within a year. First Kevin Conroy and now Arleen Sorkin.

There’s a bit of Ghostbusters connection here. Tara Strong, voice of Kyle in Extreme Ghostbusters, took over the role of Harley after Arleen retired from the role in 2009.

But for many, including me, Arleen is the GOAT and nobody comes close to her perfect performance that launched one of DC’s and comics most iconic characters, whose popularity endures to this day. Arleen wasn’t just cast has Harley Quinn, she helped inspire the part. She was a friend of Batman writer and Harley co creator Paul Dini & when Dini saw his friend on a soap opera in a court jester outfit he knew he had stumbled upon the female sidekick he wanted for The Joker in the episode “Jokers Favor”. What was originally suppose to be a single appearance turned into a reoccurring character fans and audiences loved. All from the soul, humour and hutzpah Arleen gave the character.

RIP

[timeware]

That's a shame. Batman, Superman, Justice League, Batman Beyond, JLU, Arleen had a long list of roles under her belt. RIP. Like Mark Hamill voice actors can never truly be replaced.

[Kingpin]

With us having lost Kevin so recently, Arleen's death hit a little harder... She was so iconic as Harley, and I'm glad that we'll be able to revisit her performance through the DVD release of the series.

It's a wonderful legacy for Arleen that she turned an intended one-off appearance into a franchise staple.

[Peter Venkman Jr.]

Longtime Batman fan here, Harley Quinn is but one of the many reasons that Batman: The Animated Series is one of my favorite media incarnations of the character and one of my favorite cartoon series. Very sad that Arleen Sorkin is no longer with us. I really enjoyed all of the episodes focused on Harley Quinn, since it had such great balance of humor mixed in with the serious stuff. It was always fun to hear Arleen Sorkin voice the character in any form of media. Plus, having read BTAS writer Paul Dini's graphic novel Dark Night: A True Batman Story, she sounds like a real class act. For those of you that have not read this story, Dini details how her friendship helped him through a difficult time in his life.