New York [US]: M Emmet Walsh, a seasoned character actor who starred in over 150 films, including ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Blood Simple’, and ‘Knives Out’ has passed away at the age of 88. He also portrayed Dermot Mulroney’s father in My Best Friend’s Wedding’, reported Variety.
His manager Sandy Joseph confirmed that he died in Vermont.
Walsh portrayed Harrison Ford’s LAPD boss in Ridley Scott’s 1982 film ‘Blade Runner’ as well as the ruthless private detective Loren Visser in the Coen brothers’ directorial debut ‘Blood Simple’.
He also played the corrupt sheriff in the 1986 horror film ‘Critters’ and a minor appearance as a security guard in ‘Knives Out’.
Walsh featured in several noteworthy 1970s films, including ‘Little Big Man’ with Dustin Hoffman, ‘What’s Up, Doc?’ with Ryan O’Neal and Barbra Streisand, ‘Slap Shot’ with Paul Newman, and ‘The Jerk’ with Steve Martin.
According to Variety, the prolific actor with the hangdog face and trademark paunch went on to appear in “Fletch,” “Back to School,” “Raising Arizona” and “Twilight.”
Raised in Swanton, Vermont, Walsh made his debut in movies in “Alice’s Restaurant” in 1969. He was also active on TV, appearing in ‘Sneaky Pete’, ‘The Mind of the Married Man’ and guesting on dozens of series including ‘Frasier’, ‘The X-Files’, ‘NYPD Blue’ and ‘The Bob Newhart Show’. He was also in demand as a voice actor, narrating Ken Burns’ ‘The Civil War’ and ‘Baseball’ documentaries and lending his voice to ‘The Iron Giant’ and ‘Pound Puppies’, reported Variety.
