LOS ANGELES — James Handy, a veteran character actor known for his roles in “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Jumanji,” was killed Wednesday after being stabbed at a home in Tarzana, Calif., according to multiple reports. He was 81.
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Los Angeles Police Department officers responded Wednesday morning and arrived to find Handy in the front yard of the residence, unconscious and suffering from a stab wound to the chest. He was transported by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect, identified as 44-year-old Michael Gledhill, made a disturbing 911 call before officers arrived, allegedly telling dispatchers, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Police said Gledhill’s mother was in a relationship with Handy.
When police arrived on scene, Gledhill flagged them down and told officers he was the person they were looking for. Authorities say Gledhill lived at the home with his mother, who was Handy’s girlfriend.
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The LAPD said the stabbing is under investigation and that detectives believe it was “an isolated incident and there appears to be no danger to the public at this time,” the department said in a statement.
Gledhill was arrested and booked on a murder charge, Variety reported.
Handy built a long career as a character actor across film and television spanning four decades. On the big screen, he appeared in “Arachnophobia” (1990) and “The Rocketeer” (1991), played an exterminator in the 1995 adventure film “Jumanji,” and most recently appeared as a bartender in the 2022 blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick.”
His television credits included two seasons of “NYPD Blue,” episodes of “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Law & Order,” “Profiler” and “The Young and the Restless,” as well as a 2021 appearance on “9-1-1.”
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