Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
March 22, 1935
Place of Birth:
Ogdensburg, New York, USA
Social Media
M. Emmet Walsh
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 Carl Reiner's comedy The Jerk (1979), Robert Redford's drama Ordinary People (1980), Ridley Scott's science fiction film Blade Runner (1982), Barry Sonnenfeld's steampunk western Wild Wild West (1999) and Brad Bird's animated film The Iron Giant (1999).
Known For
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Green and Gold | Scotty |
| 2024 | Outlaw Posse | Catfish |
| 2024 | Brothers | Judge Farful |
| 2023 | A Little White Lie | Arthur Baldwin |
| 2023 | Dotty and Soul | Harold Eichelbaum |
| 2022 | The Immaculate Room | Kate's Father |
| 2021 | The Mimic | The Director |
| 2019 | South of Bix | Grandpa |
| 2019 | Faith, Hope & Love | Fr. John |
| 2019 | Knives Out | Mr. Proofroc |
| 2019 | Raising Buchanan | Larry Kiesling |
| 2019 | Sorry, Not Sorry | Harry's Father |
| 2018 | Change in the Air | Walter Lemke |
| 2018 | Shifting Gears | Hank |
| 2018 | Toto | Toto |
| 2015 | The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power | Gorak |
| 2015 | Boiling Pot | Dean Marison |
| 2014 | Calvary | The Writer |
| 2012 | The Odd Life of Timothy Green | Uncle Bub |
| 2012 | Love Sick Love | Ed |
| 2012 | Arthur Newman | Zazek |
| 2011 | Sam Steele and the Junior Detective Agency | Chief Van Owen |
| 2010 | The Assignment | Mr. Beudreaux |
| 2010 | Chasing 3000 | Chuck Ireland |
| 2009 | Don McKay | Samuel |
| 2009 | Youth in Revolt | Mr. Saunders |
| 2008 | Your Name Here | Kroger |
| 2008 | Haunted Echoes | Neil |
| 2008 | A True Character | Self |
| 2007 | Big Stan | Lew Popper |
| 2007 | Man in the Chair | Mickey Hopkins |
| 2007 | Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner | Self |
| 2005 | Racing Stripes | Woodzie |
| 2005 | Greener Mountains | Muggs |
| 2004 | Christmas with the Kranks | Walt Scheel |
| 2003 | Baggage | Sandy Westphall |
| 2003 | Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales | Wally Westland |
| 2002 | Snow Dogs | George |
| 2001 | Christmas in the Clouds | Stu O'Malley |
| 2001 | Eyeball Eddie | Coach Cook |
| 2000 | Poor White Trash | Judge Pike |
| 2000 | On the Edge of 'Blade Runner' | Self |
| 2000 | Jack of Hearts | Comissioner Menlo Boyce |
| 1999 | The Iron Giant | Earl Stutz (voice) |
| 1999 | Wild Wild West | Coleman |
| 1999 | Me and Will | Dean |
| 1999 | Random Hearts | Billy (uncredited) |
| 1999 | Monster! | Lloyd Reeves |
| 1998 | Chairman of the Board | Freemont |
| 1998 | Twilight | Lester Ivar |
| 1998 | Nightmare in Big Sky Country | Marshal Jim Phillips |
| 1998 | Erasable You | Ralph Worth |
| 1998 | Men in White | Stanley |
| 1997 | My Best Friend's Wedding | Joe O'Neal |
| 1997 | Retroactive | Sam |
| 1997 | Albino Alligator | Dino |
| 1997 | The Killing Jar | Sheriff Foley |
| 1996 | A Time to Kill | Willard Tyrell Bass (uncredited) |
| 1996 | Criminal Hearts | Martin |
| 1996 | Portraits of a Killer | Raymond Garrison |
| 1996 | The Lottery | Chief Davis |
| 1996 | Romeo + Juliet | Apothecary |
| 1995 | From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler | Morris |
| 1995 | Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home | Bill Wilcox |
| 1995 | Relative Fear | Earl Ladelle |
| 1995 | Panther | Dorsett |
| 1995 | Dead Badge | Sergeant Miller Hoskins |
| 1994 | Cops & Robbersons | Captain Ted Corbett (uncredited) |
| 1994 | Camp Nowhere | T.R. Polk |
| 1994 | Probable Cause | Sadler |
| 1994 | The Glass Shield | Det. Jesse Hall |
| 1993 | The Music of Chance | Calvin Murks |
| 1993 | Bitter Harvest | Sheriff Bob |
| 1993 | Wilder Napalm | Fire Chief |
| 1992 | White Sands | Bert Gibson |
| 1992 | Killer Image | John Kane |
| 1992 | The Naked Truth | Garcia / Gesundheim |
| 1992 | Four Eyes and Six-Guns | |
| 1992 | Wild Card | Mose |
| 1992 | Equinox | Pete Petosa |
| 1991 | Fourth Story | Harry |
| 1990 | Narrow Margin | Sergeant Dominick Benti |
| 1990 | The Flash | Henry Allen |
| 1990 | Chattahoochee | Morris |
| 1990 | Love and Lies | Clyde Wilson |
| 1989 | The Mighty Quinn | Fred Miller |
| 1989 | Catch Me... If You Can | Johnny Phatmun |
| 1989 | Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat | Mort |
| 1989 | Thunderground | Wedge |
| 1988 | Red Scorpion | Dewey Ferguson |
| 1988 | War Party | Colin Ditweiler |
| 1988 | Sunset | Chief Marvin Dibner |
| 1988 | Clean and Sober | Richard Dirks |
| 1988 | The Milagro Beanfield War | Governor |
| 1987 | Harry and the Hendersons | George Henderson Sr. |
| 1987 | No Man's Land | Captain Haun |
| 1987 | Broken Vows | Detective Mulligan |
| 1987 | Abduction | Don Nichols |
| 1987 | Murder Ordained | Vern Humphrey |
| 1987 | Raising Arizona | Machine Shop Ear-Bender |
| 1986 | Critters | Harv |
| 1986 | The Best of Times | Charlie |
| 1986 | Back to School | Coach Turnbull |
| 1986 | The Deliberate Stranger | Det. Sam Davies |
| 1986 | Resting Place | Sarge |
| 1986 | Wildcats | Walt Coes |
| 1986 | The Right of the People | Sindaco |
| 1986 | Hero in the Family | General Presser |
| 1985 | Fletch | Dr. Joseph Dolan |
| 1984 | Blood Simple | Loren Visser |
| 1984 | The Pope of Greenwich Village | Burns |
| 1984 | The Outlaws | Warden MacDonald |
| 1984 | Missing in Action | Tuck |
| 1984 | Grandview, U.S.A. | Mr. Clark |
| 1984 | Scandalous | Simon Reynolds |
| 1984 | Courage | Colonel Crouse |
| 1983 | Silkwood | Walt Yarborough |
| 1983 | The Woman Who Willed a Miracle | Joe Lemke |
| 1983 | Night Partners | Joe Kirby |
| 1982 | Cannery Row | Mack |
| 1982 | Fast-Walking | Sergeant Sanger |
| 1982 | Blade Runner | Bryant |
| 1982 | The Escape Artist | Fritz |
| 1981 | Back Roads | Arthur |
| 1981 | Reds | Speaker at Liberal Club |
| 1981 | Hellinger's Law | Mr. Graebner |
| 1980 | Brubaker | C.P. Woodward |
| 1980 | Raise the Titanic | Master Chief Vinnie Walker |
| 1980 | Ordinary People | Swim Coach |
| 1980 | City in Fear | Sheldon Lewis |
| 1980 | High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane | Harold Patton |
| 1980 | Skag | Moran |
| 1979 | The Jerk | Madman |
| 1979 | The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh | Wally Cantrell |
| 1979 | The Gift | Legion Commander |
| 1979 | Dear Detective | Capt. Gorcey |
| 1979 | No Other Love | DeFranco |
| 1978 | Straight Time | Earl Frank |
| 1978 | A Question of Guilt | Inspector McCartney |
| 1978 | Superdome | Whitley |
| 1977 | Slap Shot | Dickie Dunn |
| 1977 | Red Alert | Sheriff Sweeney |
| 1977 | Airport '77 | Dr. Williams |
| 1976 | Nickelodeon | "Father" Logan |
| 1976 | Mikey and Nicky | Bus Driver |
| 1976 | The Invasion of Johnson County | Irvine |
| 1976 | Bound for Glory | Husband |
| 1975 | The Prisoner of Second Avenue | Doorman |
| 1975 | At Long Last Love | Harold |
| 1975 | Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic | Mr. Peterson |
| 1975 | Crime Club | Jack Doyle |
| 1974 | The Gambler | Las Vegas Gambler |
| 1973 | Serpico | Gallagher |
| 1973 | Kid Blue | Barber |
| 1972 | What's Up, Doc? | Arresting Officer |
| 1972 | Get to Know Your Rabbit | Mr. Wendel |
| 1971 | Cold Turkey | Art |
| 1971 | They Might Be Giants | 1st Sanitation Man |
| 1971 | Escape from the Planet of the Apes | Aide |
| 1970 | The Traveling Executioner | Warden Brodski |
| 1970 | Little Big Man | Shotgun Guard |
| 1970 | End of the Road | Crab Man / Tutu Man |
| 1969 | Alice's Restaurant | Group W Sergeant |
| 1969 | Midnight Cowboy | Bus Passenger (uncredited) |
| 1969 | Stiletto | Racing Partner (uncredited) |
| Roney's Point | Lance McKyle | |
| Madness of Method | Rudolph Thorndyke | |
| Silverfox | Charles Blankenship |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | American Gigolo | Coleman |
| 2019 | The Righteous Gemstones | Roy Gemstone |
| 2015 | Empire | Harold Blakeley |
| 2015 | Sneaky Pete | Tex Hopkins |
| 2014 | Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories | Detective |
| 2010 | Pound Puppies | Olaf (voice) |
| 2010 | Adventure Time | Cosmic Owl |
| 2007 | Damages | Lyle Hewes |
| 2003 | Charlie Lawrence | Cubby |
| 2002 | What's New, Scooby-Doo? | Jeb (voice) |
| 2001 | Night Visions | Gus (segment "Reunion") |
| 2000 | Ed | Mayor Wally Kendricks |
| 1999 | The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot | Mack (voice) |
| 1998 | The Wild Thornberrys | Gemsbok #1 (voice) |
| 1996 | Early Edition | Santa |
| 1996 | Tracey Takes On... | |
| 1996 | The West | Self (voice) |
| 1995 | The Outer Limits | Sanford Vallé |
| 1994 | Baseball | Various (voice) |
| 1994 | Baseball | (voice) |
| 1993 | Frasier | Rich Koechner |
| 1993 | The X-Files | Arthur Dales |
| 1993 | NYPD Blue | Joe Kroft |
| 1991 | Home Improvement | Colonel |
| 1990 | The Flash | Henry Allen |
| 1990 | The Civil War | Various |
| 1989 | Tales from the Crypt | Jonas |
| 1989 | Unsub | Ned Platt |
| 1989 | Brotherhood of the Rose | Hardy |
| 1987 | Murder Ordained | Vern Humphrey |
| 1985 | The Twilight Zone | Peter (segment "Dealer's Choice") |
| 1985 | Amazing Stories | Grandpa |
| 1983 | The Hitchhiker | Detective Underhill |
| 1983 | AfterMASH | Reverend Horn |
| 1981 | East of Eden | Sheriff Horace Quinn |
| 1979 | The French Atlantic Affair | Harry |
| 1976 | Gibbsville | Yostie |
| 1975 | Starsky & Hutch | Freddie |
| 1975 | Baretta | |
| 1975 | Starsky & Hutch | Lloyd Herman Eckworth |
| 1974 | Little House on the Prairie | |
| 1974 | The Rockford Files | Edgar Burch |
| 1972 | The Bob Newhart Show | Jack Hoover |
| 1972 | The Sandy Duncan Show | |
| 1972 | The Waltons | David Fletcher |
| 1971 | All in the Family | Billy Hartfield |
| 1971 | McMillan & Wife | Officer Ames |
| 1971 | Nichols | Gabe McCutcheon |
| 1970 | Arnie | |
| 1967 | Ironside | Telegraph Clerk |
| 1959 | Bonanza | Mattheson |
| 1954 | The Wonderful World of Disney | General Presser |
| 1951 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Sarge |