Veteran Character Actor M. Emmet Walsh Dies at 88 Leaving Behind a Tremendous Body of Work

Memorable Character Actor M. Emmet Walsh Passes Away at 88

One of the most prolific character actors of his generation was M. Emmet Walsh who, sadly, died of cardiac arrest today.

If you’ve seen one of these two 1980’s Coen Brothers movies: Blood Simple or Raising Arizona, you witnessed a great turn by the one and only M. Emmet Walsh. Those movies featured tremendous early work by the acclaimed performer but, truth be told, the actor was in more than 200 movies and almost always brought a sense of dignity and familiarity to any role he took on. I remember seeing him in Blade Runner, of course, and co-star opposite Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell and Jamie Lee Curtis in Grandview, U.S.A. back in 1984 but the Coen Brothers really brought out Walsh’s hidden talents in the dark detective role the actor played in Blood Simple that same year.

It wasn’t uncommon for Walsh to star in more than one movie in a given year. In 1999, for example, he starred in solid roles in two Hollywood star-driven box-office disappointments, Wild Wild West and Random Hearts. One of Walsh’s biggest box-office hits, though, was the comedy from 1997, My Best Friend’s Wedding. Yes, the Julia Roberts romance. More recently, he starred in another smash, Knives Out. He also appeared as a professor in A Little White Lie opposite stars Michael Shannon and Kate Hudson.

Walsh was primarily, as previously stated, a character actor. He didn’t take on many leading roles but, instead, he usually played one of the background characters. Walsh regularly stood out as one of the best things in many of the movies he co-starred in. He even did Shakespeare, co-starring in William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet in 1996. In 1998’s Twilight, the actor was cast against the likes of Paul Newman, Gene Hackman and Susan Sarandon but Walsh more than held his own beside those three heavy hitters in the dramatic thriller movie.

M. Emmet Walsh was, perhaps, most prolific in the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s but worked steadily even after those decades passed. In the mid-to-late 1980’s he was in movies with big name stars and or/directors: Wildcats, Sunset, Clean and Sober, The Milagro Beanfield War and Harry and the Hendersons, to name just a few of his high profile pictures.

What M. Emmet Walsh brought to the table was a sense of true charisma to pretty much every role he took on. He played very distinct parts that stood out from those traditional supporting roles that are easily forgotten. He was the type of guy who was like a friend of the family and when you saw him on screen, you knew you were in good hands. Walsh rarely, if ever, accepted less than worthy roles. In Blood Simple, the actor simply gave a career-defining performance that set the stage for an impressive career which will never be forgotten. May he rest in peace.

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