M. Emmet Walsh, a celebrated character actor known for roles in Blade Runner, Blood Simple, and Harry and the Hendersons, has passed away.
Walsh died of cardiac arrest on Tuesday at a St. Albans, Vermont hospital, confirmed by his longtime manager, Sandy Joseph. He was 88 years old.
In Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner, Walsh portrayed Harrison Ford’s LAPD boss. He also took on the role of the ruthless private detective Loren Visser in the Coen brothers’ first film, Blood Simple.
Walsh is known to many as Dermot Mulroney’s father in My Best Friend’s Wedding. He also portrayed the corrupt sheriff in the 1986 creature feature Critters and a deranged sniper in the 1979 Steve Martin comedy The Jerk.
Of course, he was a familiar face on TV. Walsh appeared in Sneaky Pete and guest roles on numerous iconic series like Frasier, The X-Files, NYPD Blue, and Tales from the Crypt.
He was also highly sought after as a voice actor, lending his voice to narrate Ken Burns’ documentaries The Civil War and Baseball, as well as providing voices in The Iron Giant and Pound Puppies.
M. Emmet Walsh Often Portrayed Southerners, But Was From as Far Up North as Possible
Born as Michael Emmet Walsh, his roles often conveyed a Southern American background, yet his roots lay in Swanton, Vermont, near the U.S.-Canadian border. His family legacy intertwined with customs service, as his grandfather, father, and brother all served as customs officers.
He attended a small local high school with only 13 students in the graduating class, then went on to Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, and later the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. He focused solely on stage acting for ten years, working in summer stock and repertory companies.
Walsh began appearing in films in 1969 with a small role in Alice’s Restaurant. However, it wasn’t until nearly a decade later, in his 40s, that he landed significant roles. His breakthrough came in 1978 with Straight Time, where he portrayed Dustin Hoffman’s arrogant parole officer.
M. Emmet Walsh Was Acting Well Into His 80s
Walsh appeared in director Rian Johnson’s 2019 family murder mystery Knives Out. Johnson was among those taking to social media to pay tribute to the veteran character actor.
“Emmet came to set with 2 things: a copy of his credits, which was a small-type single spaced double column list of modern classics that filled a whole page, & two-dollar bills which he passed out to the entire crew,” Johnson wrote on X. “‘Don’t spend it and you’ll never be broke.’ Absolute legend.”
Chicago Sun-Times film critic Richard Roeper also paid tribute to M. Emmet Walsh, writing that the term “character actor” was invented for artists like Walsh. Roeper posted images of the veteran actor in roles from Blade Runner, Blood Simple, Straight Time, and Knives Out.
Walsh was still acting well into his 80s. He recently appeared as John Goodman’s father in the HBO comedy The Righteous Gemstones. With more than 150 film credits, he starred in Mario Van Peebles’ Western Outlaw Posse, released this year.