James Handy, a character actor known for his roles in “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Jumanji,” was stabbed to death in Los Angeles on Wednesday. He was 81 years old.
Los Angeles police said he was killed by his girlfriend’s son, the California Post reported.
Authorities responded Wednesday morning to a caller in the 19200 block of Irwin Street in Tarzana, Los Angeles, who said, “I’m a son of man, and I just killed a man who committed a crime.”
When police arrived, they found Handy unconscious in the front yard of the home with multiple stab wounds to the chest.
He was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect, Michael Gledhill, 44, then waved off the officers and told them he was the one they were looking for, according to a Los Angeles Police Department news release.
Police say Gledhill was living with his mother, Handy’s girlfriend, at the time of Hardy’s stabbing.
It is currently unclear what led to the attack.
Gledhill was arrested on suspicion of murder, and his bail is currently set at $2 million.
Handy made his acting debut in 1997 and has nearly 150 acting credits, according to his IMDb page.
Handy has made numerous one-off appearances on television shows over the years, including brief appearances on shows such as Quantum Leap, L.A. Law, NYPD Blue, Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Walker, Texas Ranger, Profiler, The West Wing, The Practice, Breaking News, Alias, and The Young and the Restless.
On the big screen, he appeared in “Taps,” “Arachnophobia,” and “Logan.”
Movie fans may remember him best for playing an exterminator in 1995’s “Jumanji,” but more recently he played a bartender named Jimmy in 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick.”
