M. Emmet Walsh, Beloved Actor, Dead at 88

Beloved actor M. Emmet Walsh, known for roles in My Best Friend’s Wedding and Christmas with the Kranks, has died. He was 88. Entertainment Tonight confirmed that Walsh passed away on Tuesday, March 19, after suffering cardiac arrest. The outlet added that Walsh’s long-time manager, Sandy Joseph, stated that the actor died at Kerbs Memorial Hospital in St. Albans, Vermont.

Walsh was born in Ogdensburg, New York in 1935. He grew up in rural Vermont and later went on to study at Clarkson University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Walsh began his acting career in the late ’60s, landing small roles in movies like Midnight Cowboy and Stiletto.

Throughout the years, Walsh turned up in a number of high-profile films, including The Jerk (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Critters (1986), Fletch (1985), Back to School (1986), Raising Arizona (1987), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and Knives Out (2019). In 1984 he starred as private detective Loren Visser in Blood Simple, the Coen Brothers’ first film, which won him an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.

Walsh also did a lot of television work, appearing in shows like All in the Family, Starsky and Hutch, Little House on the Prairie, The Twilight Zone, The X Files, Damages, Home Improvement, and The Righteous Gemstones. Additionally, the late actor often lent his voice to animated movies and TV shows, such as The Iron Giant, The Wild Thornberrys, Pound Puppies, Adventure Time, and What’s New, Scooby-Doo?

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Walsh’s final role was in the 2024 western Outlaw Posse, written and directed by Mario Van Peebles. The film opened in theaters on March 1.