M. Emmet Walsh, a celebrated character actor known for his roles in movies such as “Blade Runner,” “Blood Simple,” and “Knives Out,” has passed away at the age of 88.
According to Walsh’s manager Sandra L. Joseph, the actor died on Tuesday at a hospital in Vermont after suffering cardiac arrest.
With a career spanning six decades, Walsh left his mark on both the big and small screens, accumulating over 230 credits on IMDb. He also made appearances in theater productions.
One of his most memorable film roles was as the father to the groom in the late-90s Julia Roberts caper “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” and as the local sheriff in the 1980s B-movie horror comedy “Critters.” Walsh’s portrayal of the stern LAPD boss in Ridley Scott’s classic sci-fi film “Blade Runner” helped give the movie its distinctive noir edge.
On television, Walsh appeared in numerous beloved sitcoms and dramas, including “Frasier,” “The X-Files,” “NYPD Blue,” “Damages,” “The Twilight Zone,” and “The Bob Newhart Show.”
Born in March 1935 in Ogdensburg, New York, and raised in Vermont, Walsh graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York in 1961, according to information provided by his manager.
He later moved to Los Angeles in 1970 and established himself as a working actor in Hollywood, appearing in films such as “Little Big Man,” “What’s Up, Doc?,” and “Airport 77.”
Walsh quickly gained a reputation for his talent as a character actor, appearing in movies like “The Jerk” opposite Steve Martin, the 1981 Best Picture Oscar-winner “Ordinary People,” “Reds,” and “Fletch.”
In 1985, Walsh won the first-ever Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead for his performance in the Coen Brothers movie “Blood Simple,” and he went on to appear in their 1987 caper “Raising Arizona.”
More recently, Walsh’s credits included roles in “The Righteous Gemstones” and “American Gigolo.”
In 2018, Walsh received the Carney Life Achievement Award from his “Blade Runner” co-star Harrison Ford at the annual Carney Awards, also known as the Character Actors Hall of Fame.
“I approach each job thinking it might be my last, so it better be the best work possible,” Walsh once said when asked about his career, according to his manager. “I want to be remembered as a working actor. I’m being paid for what I’d do for nothing.”
This story has been updated with additional information.