James Handy, a longtime actor who appeared as a bartender in “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Jumanji,” and made guest appearances on dozens of TV shows, was stabbed to death in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles on Wednesday. He was 81 years old. The Los Angeles Police Department said he was killed by his girlfriend’s son.
“On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at approximately 9:30 a.m., West Valley Regional Patrol officers responded to a radio call of unexplained trouble in the 19200 block of Irwin Street. The 911 caller stated, ‘I am a son of man and I just killed a man who committed a crime.'” Arriving officers found 81-year-old James Handy unconscious in the front yard of a residence with a stab wound to the chest. The victim was transported by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The suspect told responding officers nearby that he was the person they were looking for. “The suspect lives at the scene with his mother, who is the victim’s girlfriend,” the police statement said.
“Detectives believe this is an isolated incident and there is no danger to the public at this time,” police said in a statement.
The suspect, 44-year-old Michael Gledhill, was arrested at the Van Nuys Jail on one count of murder and held on $2 million bail.
“It is with great sadness that we confirm that the gentleman who was attacked and killed in Tarzana on Wednesday is actor James Handy,” a representative for the actor said in a statement.
In addition to his role in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, Handy appeared in 2017’s Logan as the doctor who treated Hugh Jackman. Handy played an exterminator in 1995’s Jumanji and Milton Briggs in Arachnophobia. His other film appearances include “The Rocketeer,” “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “The Verdict,” and “K-9.”
On television, Handy played Arthur Devlin in eight episodes of “Alias” and had recurring roles on “Melrose Place” and “NYPD Blue.”
Handy, a New York native, had her first screen credit in 1977’s “Taps.”
