M. Emmet Walsh was a character actor with over 200 film credits, including roles in “Blade Runner,” “The Jerk,” “Fletch,” “Raising Arizona,” and “Knives Out.”
- Died: March 19, 2024 (Who else died on March 19?)
- Details of death: Died in St. Albans, Vermont, of cardiac arrest at the age of 88.
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M. Emmet Walsh’s legacy
Born in Ogdensburg, New York, and raised in Vermont, Walsh tried his hand at acting while attending Clarkson University, where he earned a degree in marketing. This led him to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, and then to his Broadway debut in 1969 alongside Al Pacino in “Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?”
Walsh had small film roles throughout the 1970s, beginning with 1969’s “Midnight Cowboy” and including such pictures as “Serpico” and “The Gambler.” The 1977 hockey comedy, “Slap Shot,” in which he played the sportswriter Dickie Dunn, thrust him into prominence as a character actor. In the decades that followed, he appeared in a wide array of films in a variety of roles, including Captain Harry Bryant in “Blade Runner,” as well as appearances in “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “The Jerk,” “Fletch,” “Knives Out,” and many more. He also did voice work for film and television, including “The Iron Giant,” “Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot,” and others.
Walsh was inducted into the Character Actor Hall of Fame in 2018 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award that same year. He also won the first ever Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead for his work in the Coen Brothers’ debut, “Blood Simple.” He returned for their 1987 cult classic, “Raising Arizona.” He also won the Golden Knight Award from his alma mater, Clarkson University.
Notable quote
“I don’t want to play the same type of character 10 times. I want to be a garbage collector in one film and a governor in the next.”—from a January 2014 interview for the Gazette of Colorado Springs
Tributes to M. Emmet Walsh
Full obituary: The New York Times
