M. Emmet Walsh

Born: 1935-03-22 in Ogdensburg, New York, USA

Died: 2024-03-19

Known For: Acting

Biography

Michael Emmet Walsh (March 22, 1935 – March 19, 2024) was an American character actor who has appeared in over 200 films and television series, including supporting roles in dozens of major studio features of the 1970s and 1980s. He starred in Blood Simple (1984), the Coen Brothers' first film for which he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He also appeared in The Jerk (1979), Ordinary People (1980), Blade Runner (1982), Wild Wild West (1999), and The Iron Giant (1999). His final films included Knives Out (2019) and Brothers (2024).

Filmography

2025

Green and Gold as Scotty

2024

Brothers as Judge Farful
Outlaw Posse as Catfish

2023

A Little White Lie as Arthur Baldwin
Dotty and Soul as Harold Eichelbaum

2022

American Gigolo as Coleman
The Immaculate Room as Kate's Father

2021

The Mimic as The Director

2019

The Righteous Gemstones as Roy Gemstone
Knives Out as Mr. Proofroc
Faith, Hope & Love as Fr. John
South of Bix as Grandpa
Raising Buchanan as Larry Kiesling
Sorry, Not Sorry as Harry's Father

2018

Change in the Air as Walter Lemke
Shifting Gears as Hank
Toto as Toto

2015

Empire as Harold Blakeley
Sneaky Pete as Tex Hopkins
The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power as Gorak
Boiling Pot as Dean Marison

2010

Adventure Time as Cosmic Owl (voice)
Pound Puppies as Olaf (voice)
Chasing 3000 as Chuck Ireland
The Assignment as Mr. Beudreaux

2009

Youth in Revolt as Mr. Saunders
Don McKay as Samuel

2008

Your Name Here as Kroger
Haunted Echoes as Neil
A True Character as Self

2007

Damages as Lyle Hewes
Army Wives as Bernie Wallacheck
Big Stan as Lew Popper
Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner as Self
Man in the Chair as Mickey Hopkins

2006

'Til Death as Uncle Rudolph

2005

Racing Stripes as Woodzie
Greener Mountains as Muggs

2004

Christmas with the Kranks as Walt Scheel

2003

Charlie Lawrence as Cubby
Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales as Wally Westland
Baggage as Sandy Westphall

2002

What's New, Scooby-Doo? as Jeb (voice)
Snow Dogs as George

2001

The Guardian as Ezra Pence
Night Visions as Gus (segment "Reunion")
Eyeball Eddie as Coach Cook
Christmas in the Clouds as Stu O'Malley

2000

Ed as Mayor Wally Kendricks
Jack of Hearts as Comissioner Menlo Boyce
Poor White Trash as Judge Pike
On the Edge of 'Blade Runner' as Self

1999

The Iron Giant as Earl Stutz (voice)
Wild Wild West as Coleman
The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot as Mack (voice)
Random Hearts as Billy (uncredited)
Me and Will as Dean
Monster! as Lloyd Reeves

1998

The Wild Thornberrys as Gemsbok #1 (voice)
Twilight as Lester Ivar
Men in White as Stanley
Chairman of the Board as Freemont
Erasable You as Ralph Worth
Nightmare in Big Sky Country as Marshal Jim Phillips

1997

My Best Friend's Wedding as Joe O'Neal
Albino Alligator as Dino
Retroactive as Sam
The Killing Jar as Sheriff Foley

1996

Early Edition as Santa
A Time to Kill as Willard Tyrell Bass (uncredited)
Romeo + Juliet as Apothecary
Tracey Takes On...
The West as Self (voice)
The Lottery as Chief Davis
Criminal Hearts as Martin
Portraits of a Killer as Raymond Garrison

1995

The Outer Limits as Sanford Vallé
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home as Bill Wilcox
Dead Badge as Sergeant Miller Hoskins
Panther as Dorsett
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler as Morris

1994

Baseball as (voice)
Camp Nowhere as T.R. Polk
Relative Fear as Earl Ladelle
The Glass Shield as Det. Jesse Hall
Cops & Robbersons as Captain Ted Corbett (uncredited)
Probable Cause as Sadler
Madness of Method as Rudolph Thorndyke

1993

The X-Files as Arthur Dales
NYPD Blue as Joe Kroft
Frasier as Rich Koechner
Wilder Napalm as Fire Chief
The Music of Chance as Calvin Murks
Bitter Harvest as Sheriff Bob

1992

White Sands as Bert Gibson
Wild Card as Mose
Killer Image as John Kane
Equinox as Pete Petosa
Four Eyes and Six-Guns as Mayor Thornbush
The Naked Truth as Garcia / Gesundheim

1991

Home Improvement as Colonel
Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat as Mort
Fourth Story as Harry
Silverfox as Charles Blankenship

1990

The Flash as Henry Allen
The Civil War as Various (voice)
The Flash as Henry Allen
Narrow Margin as Sergeant Dominick Benti
Chattahoochee as Morris
Love and Lies as Clyde Wilson

1989

Tales from the Crypt as Jonas
Brotherhood of the Rose as Hardy
The Mighty Quinn as Fred Miller
Unsub as Ned Platt
Catch Me... If You Can as Johnny Phatmun
Thunderground as Wedge

1988

Red Scorpion as Dewey Ferguson
The Milagro Beanfield War as Governor
War Party as Colin Ditweiler
Sunset as Chief Marvin Dibner
Clean and Sober as Richard Dirks

1987

Harry and the Hendersons as George Henderson Sr.
Raising Arizona as Machine Shop Ear-Bender
No Man's Land as Captain Haun
Murder Ordained as Vern Humphrey
Broken Vows as Detective Mulligan
Murder Ordained as Vern Humphrey
The Abduction of Kari Swenson as Don Nichols

1986

Critters as Harv
Back to School as Coach Turnbull
Resting Place as Sarge
Wildcats as Walt Coes
The Deliberate Stranger as Det. Sam Davies
The Best of Times as Charlie
The Deliberate Stranger as Det. Sam Davies
The Right of the People as Sindaco
Hero in the Family as General Presser

1985

The Twilight Zone as Peter (segment "Dealer's Choice")
Amazing Stories as Grandpa
Blood Simple as Private Detective
Fletch as Dr. Joseph Dolan
The Adventures of Con Sawyer and Hucklemary Finn as Rocco

1984

Missing in Action as Tuck
The Pope of Greenwich Village as Burns
Grandview, U.S.A. as Mr. Clark
The Outlaws as Warden MacDonald
Courage as Colonel Crouse
Scandalous as Simon Reynolds

1983

The Hitchhiker as Detective Underhill
AfterMASH as Reverend Horn
Silkwood as Walt Yarborough
Night Partners as Joe Kirby
The Woman Who Willed a Miracle as Joe Lemke

1982

Blade Runner as Bryant
Cannery Row as Mack
The Escape Artist as Fritz
Fast-Walking as Sergeant Sanger

1981

East of Eden as Sheriff Horace Quinn
Reds as Speaker at Liberal Club
Back Roads as Arthur
Hellinger's Law as Mr. Graebner

1980

Ordinary People as Swim Coach
Brubaker as C.P. Woodward
Raise the Titanic as Master Chief Vinnie Walker
City in Fear as Sheldon Lewis
Skag as Moran
High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane as Harold Patton

1979

The French Atlantic Affair as Harry
The Jerk as Madman
The Gift as Legion Commander
No Other Love as DeFranco
The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh as Wally Cantrell
Dear Detective as Capt. Gorcey

1978

Straight Time as Earl Frank
Superdome as Whitley
A Question of Guilt as Inspector McCartney

1977

Airport '77 as Dr. Williams
Slap Shot as Dickie Dunn
Red Alert as Sheriff Sweeney

1976

Gibbsville as Yostie
Mikey and Nicky as Bus Driver
Nickelodeon as "Father" Logan
Bound for Glory as Husband
The Invasion of Johnson County as Irvine

1975

Starsky & Hutch as Freddie
Baretta
The Prisoner of Second Avenue as Doorman
At Long Last Love as Harold
Crime Club as Jack Doyle
Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic as Mr. Peterson

1974

Little House on the Prairie as Callahan
The Rockford Files as Edgar Burch
The Gambler as Las Vegas Gambler

1973

Serpico as Gallagher
Kid Blue as Barber

1972

The Waltons as David Fletcher
The Bob Newhart Show as Jack Hoover
What's Up, Doc? as Arresting Officer
The Sandy Duncan Show
Get to Know Your Rabbit as Mr. Wendel

1971

All in the Family as Billy Hartfield
McMillan & Wife as Officer Ames
Nichols as Gabe McCutcheon
Escape from the Planet of the Apes as Aide
Cold Turkey as Art
They Might Be Giants as 1st Sanitation Man

1970

Arnie
Little Big Man as Shotgun Guard
End of the Road as Crab Man / Tutu Man
The Traveling Executioner as Warden Brodski

1969

Midnight Cowboy as Bus Passenger (uncredited)
Stiletto as Racing Partner (uncredited)
Alice's Restaurant as Group W Sergeant

1967

Ironside as Telegraph Clerk

1959

Bonanza as Mattheson

1954

The Wonderful World of Disney as General Presser

1951

Hallmark Hall of Fame as Sarge