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
- The Immaculate Room as Kate's Father
- American Gigolo as Coleman
2021
- The Mimic as The Director
2019
- Knives Out as Mr. Proofroc
- The Righteous Gemstones as Roy Gemstone
- Raising Buchanan as Larry Kiesling
- Faith, Hope & Love as Fr. John
- South of Bix as Grandpa
- Sorry, Not Sorry as Harry's Father
2018
- Shifting Gears as Hank
- Change in the Air as Walter Lemke
- 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
2014
- Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories as Detective
- Calvary as The Writer
2012
- Arthur Newman as Zazek
- The Odd Life of Timothy Green as Uncle Bub
- Love Sick Love as Ed
2011
- Sam Steele and the Junior Detective Agency as Chief Van Owen
2010
- Adventure Time as Cosmic Owl
- 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
- Baggage as Sandy Westphall
- Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales as Wally Westland
- Charlie Lawrence as Cubby
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")
- Christmas in the Clouds as Stu O'Malley
- Eyeball Eddie as Coach Cook
2000
- Ed as Mayor Wally Kendricks
- On the Edge of 'Blade Runner' as Self
- Poor White Trash as Judge Pike
- Jack of Hearts as Comissioner Menlo Boyce
1999
- The Iron Giant as Earl Stutz (voice)
- Random Hearts as Billy (uncredited)
- Monster! as Lloyd Reeves
- Wild Wild West as Coleman
- The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot as Mack (voice)
- Me and Will as Dean
1998
- The Wild Thornberrys as Gemsbok #1 (voice)
- Twilight as Lester Ivar
- Erasable You as Ralph Worth
- Men in White as Stanley
- Chairman of the Board as Freemont
- Nightmare in Big Sky Country as Marshal Jim Phillips
1997
- Retroactive as Sam
- My Best Friend's Wedding as Joe O'Neal
- The Killing Jar as Sheriff Foley
- Albino Alligator as Dino
1996
- Early Edition as Santa
- A Time to Kill as Willard Tyrell Bass (uncredited)
- Romeo + Juliet as Apothecary
- Tracey Takes On...
- Criminal Hearts as Martin
- The West as Self (voice)
- The Lottery as Chief Davis
- Portraits of a Killer as Raymond Garrison
1995
- The Outer Limits as Sanford Vallé
- Panther as Dorsett
- Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home as Bill Wilcox
- From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler as Morris
- Relative Fear as Earl Ladelle
- Dead Badge as Sergeant Miller Hoskins
1994
- Cops & Robbersons as Captain Ted Corbett (uncredited)
- Probable Cause as Sadler
- The Glass Shield as Det. Jesse Hall
- Baseball as (voice)
- Camp Nowhere as T.R. Polk
- Madness of Method as Rudolph Thorndyke
1993
- The X-Files as Arthur Dales
- Frasier as Rich Koechner
- NYPD Blue as Joe Kroft
- Wilder Napalm as Fire Chief
- Bitter Harvest as Sheriff Bob
- The Music of Chance as Calvin Murks
1992
- Equinox as Pete Petosa
- Killer Image as John Kane
- Wild Card as Mose
- Four Eyes and Six-Guns as Mayor Thornbush
- The Naked Truth as Garcia / Gesundheim
- White Sands as Bert Gibson
1991
- Home Improvement as Colonel
- Fourth Story as Harry
- Silverfox as Charles Blankenship
1990
- The Flash as Henry Allen
- Narrow Margin as Sergeant Dominick Benti
- The Civil War as Various
- Chattahoochee as Morris
- The Flash: The Ultimate Avenger as Henry Allen
- Love and Lies as Clyde Wilson
- The Flash as Henry Allen
1989
- Tales from the Crypt as Jonas
- Thunderground as Wedge
- The Mighty Quinn as Fred Miller
- Catch Me... If You Can as Johnny Phatmun
- Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat as Mort
- Unsub as Ned Platt
- Brotherhood of the Rose as Hardy
1988
- Red Scorpion as Dewey Ferguson
- War Party as Colin Ditweiler
- The Milagro Beanfield War as Governor
- Clean and Sober as Richard Dirks
- Sunset as Chief Marvin Dibner
1987
- Raising Arizona as Machine Shop Ear-Bender
- Abduction as Don Nichols
- No Man's Land as Captain Haun
- Harry and the Hendersons as George Henderson Sr.
- Murder Ordained as Vern Humphrey
- Murder Ordained as Vern Humphrey
- Broken Vows as Detective Mulligan
1986
- Critters as Harv
- Wildcats as Walt Coes
- The Best of Times as Charlie
- Back to School as Coach Turnbull
- Resting Place as Sarge
- Hero in the Family as General Presser
- The Deliberate Stranger as Det. Sam Davies
- The Deliberate Stranger as Det. Sam Davies
- The Right of the People as Sindaco
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
- Courage as Colonel Crouse
- The Pope of Greenwich Village as Burns
- Grandview, U.S.A. as Mr. Clark
- Scandalous as Simon Reynolds
- The Outlaws as Warden MacDonald
1983
- The Hitchhiker as Detective Underhill
- Silkwood as Walt Yarborough
- Night Partners as Joe Kirby
- AfterMASH as Reverend Horn
- The Woman Who Willed a Miracle as Joe Lemke
1982
- Blade Runner as Bryant
- Fast-Walking as Sergeant Sanger
- Cannery Row as Mack
- The Escape Artist as Fritz
1981
- Back Roads as Arthur
- Hellinger's Law as Mr. Graebner
- East of Eden as Sheriff Horace Quinn
- Reds as Speaker at Liberal Club
1980
- Ordinary People as Swim Coach
- Brubaker as C.P. Woodward
- Raise the Titanic as Master Chief Vinnie Walker
- High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane as Harold Patton
- Skag as Moran
- City in Fear as Sheldon Lewis
1979
- The Jerk as Madman
- Dear Detective as Capt. Gorcey
- The Gift as Legion Commander
- The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh as Wally Cantrell
- The French Atlantic Affair as Harry
- No Other Love as DeFranco
1978
- Straight Time as Earl Frank
- A Question of Guilt as Inspector McCartney
- Superdome as Whitley
1977
- Slap Shot as Dickie Dunn
- Airport '77 as Dr. Williams
- Red Alert as Sheriff Sweeney
1976
- Bound for Glory as Husband
- The Invasion of Johnson County as Irvine
- Nickelodeon as "Father" Logan
- Mikey and Nicky as Bus Driver
- Gibbsville as Yostie
1975
- Baretta
- Starsky & Hutch as Freddie
- The Prisoner of Second Avenue as Doorman
- At Long Last Love as Harold
- Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic as Mr. Peterson
- Crime Club as Jack Doyle
1974
- Little House on the Prairie as Callahan
- The Rockford Files as Edgar Burch
- The Gambler as Las Vegas Gambler
1972
- The Waltons as David Fletcher
- The Bob Newhart Show as Jack Hoover
- Get to Know Your Rabbit as Mr. Wendel
- What's Up, Doc? as Arresting Officer
- The Sandy Duncan Show
1971
- All in the Family as Billy Hartfield
- McMillan & Wife as Officer Ames
- Escape from the Planet of the Apes as Aide
- Nichols as Gabe McCutcheon
- They Might Be Giants as 1st Sanitation Man
- Cold Turkey as Art
1970
- Little Big Man as Shotgun Guard
- End of the Road as Crab Man / Tutu Man
- The Traveling Executioner as Warden Brodski
- Arnie
1969
- Stiletto as Racing Partner (uncredited)
- Alice's Restaurant as Group W Sergeant
- Midnight Cowboy as Bus Passenger (uncredited)
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