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American actor James Handy, known for supporting roles in blockbusters Jumanji and Top Gun: Maverick, has died in a stabbing, Los Angeles police say.
His girlfriend’s son has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Officers found Handy unconscious outside his home in Tarzana, Calif., on Wednesday morning with stab wounds to the chest, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said. He was rushed to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The accused, Michael Gledhill, 44, lives at the home with his mother, police say.
It was Gledhill himself who flagged down nearby responding police officers after an eerie 911 call stating, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.”
Born in New York, Handy, whose TV and film career spanned six decades, was perhaps best remembered for his roles as exterminator Carl Bentley in the 1995 classic Jumanji and, more recently, in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick. In the Tom Cruise sequel, he played bartender Jimmy, who worked alongside Penny Benjamin (played by Jennifer Connelly), the love interest of Cruise’s character, Lieut. Pete (Maverick) Mitchell.
WATCH James Handy on the 2008 film ‘Rounds’ | WATCH- James Handy on the 2008 film Rounds:
Handy also held recurring roles on hit crime and drama series, including NYPD Blue, NCIS: Los Angeles, CSI:NY, The Closer and the Cold Case. They are listed among the nearly 150 film and TV credits he amassed, which include other film hits such as Arachnophobia (1990), The Rocketeer (1991), K-9 and Logan (2017), according to IMDB.
Reaction from industry members pours in
“I could not have asked for a more talented, humble or gracious client and friend than James Handy,” his agent, Pam Ellis-Evenas, told The Associated Press.
Other tributes have begun to pour in, including from entertainment writer Jay Bobbin, who said he was “heartbroken to learn about the passing of superb character actor.”
Writer and producer Don Winslow wrote, “We were honoured to have [Handy] on UC: Undercover in a recurring role,” referring to the 2001 procedural drama series that he created and starred Handy. “His performances were always special.”
Police say the accused was booked on suspicion of one count of murder and his bail was set at $2 million US, according to jail records.
