M. Emmet Walsh obit

M. Emmet Walsh, 'Blade Runner' and 'Knives Out' Actor, Dead at 88

 

He was not on the list.

The actor also played Dermot Mulroney's dad in 'My Best Friend's Wedding.'

M. Emmet Walsh, a character actor whose career spanned six decades, died on Tuesday of cardiac arrest, ET can confirm. He was 88.

According to his long-time manager, Sandy Joseph, Walsh died at Kerbs Memorial Hospital in St. Albans, Vermont.

The actor -- born on March 22, 1935 in Ogdensburg, New York, and raised in rural Swanton, Vermont -- is known for his work in theater, TV and film. He first made his onscreen debut in Alice’s Restaurant in 1969.

Of his other credits, Walsh portrayed Harrison Ford's Los Angeles Police Department boss in Ridley Scott's 1982 futuristic thriller, Blade Runner, and had a role in the Coen Brothers' 1984 movie, Blood Simple. He also played a corrupt local sheriff in the 1986 sci-fi horror film Critters, and was Dermot Mulroney's dad in the beloved 1997 rom-com My Best Friend's Wedding, starring Julia Roberts.

He also appeared in 1970's Little Big Man with Dustin Hoffman, 1971's They Might Be Giants with Joanne Woodward and George C. Scott, 1972's What’s Up, Doc? with Ryan O'Neal and Barbra Streisand, 1977's Slap Shot with Paul Newman, 1978's Straight Time with Hoffman and 1979's The Jerk with Steve Martin.

As for TV, Walsh was a series regular on Sneaky Pete and The Mind of the Married Man and also had guest roles on Frasier, Home Improvement, The X-Files, NYPD Blue, Army Wives, Damages, McMillan & Wife, The Twilight Zone, The Bob Newhart Show, The Rockford Files and The Waltons. His voice was also used by Ken Burns in his PBS docuseries, The Civil War and Baseball. Walsh's other voice work included The Iron Giant and Pound Puppies.

His work on Broadway began in 1969 when he starred alongside Al Pacino and Hal Holbrook in Does the Tiger Wear a Necktie?.

More recently, Walsh played an elderly security guard in Rian Johnson's 2019 murder-mystery comedy, Knives Out, and also had parts in Brothers, God Loves the Green Bay Packers and The Righteous Gemstones.

Overall, he was in 119 films and 250 television productions, according to his manager.

Walsh's achievements don't stop there. In 2018, he was honored with the Carney Life Achievement Award, which was presented to him by Ford at the Carney Awards, known as the Character Actors Hall of Fame. He was also honored by the Breckenridge Festival of Film in 1998. That same year, Walsh also received The Golden Knight, Clarkson University’s highest alumni award.

Additionally, Walsh established the Blarney Fund Education Trust in 1979, which provides scholarships to Vermont students.

Walsh is survived by his niece, Meagan Walsh, nephew, Kevin Walsh (Renee), and grandnephews, Emmet and Elliot. He was preceded in death by his father, Harry Maurice Walsh Sr., his mother, Agnes, and his brother, Harry Maurice Walsh, Jr.

 

Filmography

Film

Film appearances by M. Emmet Walsh

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1969    Alice's Restaurant            Group W Sergeant     

Midnight Cowboy            Bus Passenger            Uncredited

Stiletto  Racing Partner

1970    End of the Road            Crab Man / Tutu Man    

The Traveling Executioner            Warden Brodski        

Little Big Man            Shotgun Guard           

1971    Cold Turkey Art      

Escape from the Planet of the Apes            Aide to General Winthrop         

They Might Be Giants   1st Sanitation Man

1972    What's Up, Doc?            Arresting Officer          

Get to Know Your Rabbit            Mr. Wendel           

1973    Kid Blue     Barber 

Serpico            Chief Gallagher         

1974    The Gambler            Las Vegas Gambler

1975    At Long Last Love            Harold 

Crime Club            Harold 

The Prisoner of Second Avenue            Joe      

1976    Bound for Glory            Husband         

Nickelodeon            Father Logan  

The Invasion of Johnson County Irvine   

Mikey and Nicky   Bus Driver  

1977    Slap Shot     Dickie Dunn   

Airport '77            Dr. Williams          

1978    Straight Time     Earl Frank  

1979    The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh            Wally Cantrell           

The Jerk            Madman         

1980            Brubaker         C.P. "Woody" Woodward      

Raise the Titanic  Master Chief Walker   

Ordinary People  Coach Salan   

1981    Back Roads  Arthur 

Reds            Speaker At Liberal Club    

1982            Cannery Row  Mack  

The Escape Artist    Fritz    

Blade Runner            Captain Bryant 

Fast-Walking            Sergeant Sanger         

1983            Silkwood        Walt Yarborough     

1984            Courage          Colonel Crouse

Missing in Action  Jack "Tuck" Tucker 

Grandview, U.S.A. Mr. Clark   

Blood Simple            Loren Visser  

The Pope of Greenwich Village  Burns  

Scandalous            Simon Reynolds         

1985    Fletch            Dr. Joseph Dolan   

1986            Wildcats           Walt Coes   

Critters Harvey "Harv" 

The Best of Times   Charlie

Vanishing America            Earl Crockett          

Back to School            Coach Turnbull           

1987    Harry and the Hendersons            George Henderson Sr. 

No Man's Land            Captain Haun   

Raising Arizona            Machine Shop Ear-Bender

1988    The Milagro Beanfield War            Governor        

Clean and Sober   Richard Dirk    

Sunset  Chief Dibner 

War Party            Colin Ditwelier          

Red Scorpion            Dewey Ferguson         

1989    The Mighty Quinn            CIA Agent Fred Miller  

Catch Me If You Can            Johnny Phatmun          

Chattahoochee            Morris 

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat Mort Bisby   

Thunderground            Wedge

1990    Narrow Margin            Sergeant Dominick Benti   

1992    The Naked Truth            Garcia 

Killer Image            Senator John Kane       

White Sands            Bert Gibson

Equinox            Pete Petosa 

Four Eyes and Six Guns            Mayor Thornbush       

1993    Bitter Harvest            Sheriff Bob     

The Music of Chance Calvin Murks 

Wilder Napalm            Fire Chief   

1994    Dead Badge            Sergeant Miller Hoskins           

Relative Fear            Earl Ladelle

Camp Nowhere            T.R. Polk    

The Glass Shield            Detective Jessie Hall   

Cops & Robbersons            Captain Ted Corbett            Uncredited

1995            Criminal Hearts            Martin 

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home   Bill Wilcox

Panther Dorsett

1996            Portraits of a Killer            Raymond Garrison     

Albino Alligator            Dino    

A Time to Kill            Dr. Bass            Uncredited

William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet            Apothecary     

1997    The Killing Jar            Sheriff Foley   

Retroactive            Sam    

My Best Friend's Wedding            Joe O'Neal

1998            Chairman of the Board            Freemont        

Twilight            Lester Ivar     

Erasable You            Ralph Worth 

Nightmare in Big Sky Country            US Marshal Phillips           

1999    Wild Wild West            US Marshal Coleman          

The Iron Giant            Earl Stutz            Voice

Random Hearts            Billy            Uncredited

Me and Will            Dean   

Jack of Hearts            Commissioner Menlo Boyce 

2000    Poor White Trash            Judge Pike    

2001    Eyeball Eddie   Coach Cook   Short film

Christmas in the Clouds Stu O'Malley         

2002    Snow Dogs    George Murphy           

2003            Baggage          Sandy Westphall        

2004            Christmas with the Kranks Walt Scheel 

2005            Greener Mountain            Muggs 

Racing Stripes            Woodzie         

2007    Man in the Chair            Mickey Hopkins          

Big Stan            Lew Popper

2008            Sherman's Way            Hoyt    

Your Name Here     Kroger / Maurice Stanz           

Haunted Echoes Neil     

2009    Don McKay            Samuel

Sam Steele and the Jr. Detective Agency Chief Van Owen       

Youth in Revolt            Mr. Saunders         

2010    Chasing 3000    Chuck Ireland 

2012    The Odd Life of Timothy Green            Bub     

Arthur Newman            Zazek  

Love Sick Love    Ed       

2013    Cigar Man     Cigar Man     Short film

2014    Calvary            The Writer 

2015    Boiling Pot       Dean Marison           

The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power            Gorak 

2018    Shifting Gears   Hank   

Change in the Air       Walter Lemke 

Toto     Toto            Short film

2019    Raising Buchanan            Larry Kiesling           

Sorry, Not Sorry    Harry's Father  Short film

Faith, Hope & Love    Mr. John    

Knives Out            Mr. Proofroc          

South of Bix            Grandpa          Short film

2020    The Mimic   The Director           

2022    A Little White Lie            Professor Arthur Baldwin           

Dotty & Soul            Harold Eichelbaum      

The Immaculate Room   Harry Frith    

2024    Outlaw Posse   Catfish 

Television

Television appearances by M. Emmet Walsh

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1968    The Doctors            Jason Randall            Multiple episodes

1969            N.Y.P.D.            Freibisch            Episode: "Who's Got the Bundle?"

1970    Arnie            Cliff            Episode: "To Buy or Not to Buy?"

1971    Julia            Gus Anderson            2 episodes

All in the Family  Billy Hartfield            Episode: "The Saga of Cousin Oscar"

The Jimmy Stewart Show            Lionel Atkins            Episode: "Another Day, Another Scholar"

Ironside            Telegraph Clerk            Episode: "Dear Fran..."

Bonanza            Mattheson            Episode: "Warbonnet"

1971–1972            Nichols            Gabe McCutcheon            6 episodes

1972    The Don Rickles Show            Kingston            Episode: "The Moo Cow Child"

The Bob Newhart Show            Jack Hoover            Episode: "P-I-L-O-T"

The Sandy Duncan Show            Alex Lembeck            11 episodes

1974    Doctor Fran     Mr. Wallace            Television film

McMillan & Wife     Officer Ames            Episode: "Buried Alive"

Amy Prentiss            Tom            Episode: "Baptism of Fire"

1975    The Rockford Files            Edgar Burch            Episode: "Counter Gambit"

Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic            Mr. Wallace            Television film

The Waltons            David Fletcher            Episode: "The Venture"

1975–1976            Baretta            McDade / Potter            2 episodes

1976            Gibbsville         Yostie            Episode: "Afternoon Waltz"

1976–1978            Starsky and Hutch            Freddie / Lloyd Herman Eckworth            2 episodes

1977    Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman            Officer Malloy

Red Alert            Sheriff Sweeney            Television film

1978            Superdome      Whitley

James at 15            Coach Federson            Episode: "Queen of the Silver Dollar"

1979    The French Atlantic Affair    Harry            3 episodes

Dear Detective            Captain Gorcey            Episode: "Pilot"

No Other Love            DeFranco            Television film

The Gift            Legion Commander

1980    City in Fear            Sheldon Lewis

Skag    Moran            Episode: "Pilot"

High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane    Harold Patton            Television film

1981    East of Eden    Sheriff Horace Quinn            3 episodes

Little House on the Prairie            Callahan            Episode: "Chicago"

1983    ABC Afterschool Special Joe Lempke            Episode: "The Woman Who Willed a Miracle"

Night Partners            Joe Kirby            Television film

1984            AfterMASH    Samuel Lynn            Episode: "The Case of the People of Florida vs. Joseph Landrum"

The Outlaws            Warden MacDonald            Television film

1985    ABC Weekend Special Rocco            Episode: "The Adventures of Con Sawyer and Hucklemary Finn"

The Twilight Zone    Peter            Episode: "Dealer's Choice"

1986    The Hitchhiker            Detective Underhill            Episode: "Ghostwriter"

The Right of the People  Mayor            Television film

Resting Place            Sergeant

The Disney Sunday Movie            General Presser            Episode: "Hero in the Family"

The Deliberate Stranger            Detective Sam Davies            Television film

Amazing Stories            Grandpa            Episode: "Magic Saturday"

1987    Broken Vows            Detective Mulligan            Television film

The Abduction of Kari Swenson            Don Nichols

Murder Ordained            Vern Humphrey            Miniseries

1989            Brotherhood of the Rose    Hardy            2 episodes

Unsub  Ned Platt     8 episodes

Tales from the Crypt   Jonas            Episode: "Collection Completed"

1990    True Betrayal            Clyde Wilson            Television film

The Civil War            Various            Voice, 9 episodes

The Flash            Henry Allen    2 episodes

1991    Deadly Identity Harry            Television film

Silverfox            Charles Blankenship

1992    Wild Card    Mose

1993    The Jackie Thomas Show   Arlen Thomas            Episode: "Aloha, Io-wahu"

1994    Home Improvement            Colonel Fred Patterson            2 episodes

Probable Cause   Sadler            Television film

1995    From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler            Morris

1996    The Outer Limits            Sanford Vallé            Episode: "The Refuge"

Early Edition            Santa Claus            Episode: "Christmas"

Madness of Method            Rudolph Thorndyke            Television short film

1998    Tracey Takes On...            Jimmy Duff            Episode: "Sports"

Men in White            Junior Assistant Dispatch Trainee Stanley Snyder            Television film

1999    The X-Files     Arthur Dales            Episode: "The Unnatural"

The Wild Thornberrys            Gemsbok #1   Voice, episode: "Rain Dance"

Monster!            Lloyd Reeves            Television film

1999–2001            Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot            Mack            Voice, 26 episodes

2000    NYPD Blue     Joe Kroft            Episode: "Roll Out the Barrel"

Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family            Aubrey Lang            Episode: "The Book of Danny"

Ed        Mayor Wally Kendricks            Episode: "Home Is Where the Ducks Are"

2001            Gideon's Crossing            Dr. George Matthews            Episode: "A Routine Case"

Night Visions            Gus            Episode: "Reunion"

The Mind of the Married Man     Randall Evans   5 episodes

Frasier  Rich Koechner            Episode: "Bully for Martin"

2002    What's New, Scooby-Doo?    Jeb            Voice, episode: "Scooby-Doo Christmas"

2003    Charlie Lawrence            Cubby            Episode: "New Kid in School"

Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales    Wally Westland            Television special

The Guardian            Ezra Pence            Episode: "Big Coal"

2010    'Til Death   Uncle Rudolph            Episode: "Let's Go"

2010–2013            Pound Puppies            Olaf            Voice, 46 episodes

2012    Army Wives   Bernie Wolzoczak            Episode: "Battle Scars"

Damages            Lyle Hewes  3 episodes

2012–2015            Adventure Time            Cosmic Owl      Voice, 4 episodes

2014    Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories            Detective            Episode: "Toes"

2015    Empire            Harold Blakeley            Episode: "The Lyon's Roar"

2019    Sneaky Pete     "Tex" Hopkins            7 episodes

2019–2022            The Righteous Gemstones            Grandaddy Roy Gemstone            2 episodes

2022            American Gigolo            Coleman            Episode: "Sunday Girl"