Michael Emmet Walsh (March 22, 1935 – March 19, 2024) was an American character actor who has appeared in over 200 films and television series, including supporting roles in dozens of major studio features of the 1970s and 1980s. He starred in Blood Simple (1984), the Coen Brothers' first film for which he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He also appeared in Carl Reiner's comedy The Jerk (1979), Robert Redford's drama Ordinary People (1980), Ridley Scott's science fiction film Blade Runner (1982), Barry Sonnenfeld's steampunk western Wild Wild West (1999) and Brad Bird's animated film The Iron Giant (1999).
Known For
Movies
- South of Bix
2019
- Brubaker
1980
- The Iron Giant
1999
- Critters
1986
- Alice's Restaurant
1969
- The Best of Times
1986
- The Mighty Quinn
1989
- The Jerk
1979
- Blood Simple
1984
- Slap Shot
1977
- Chairman of the Board
1998
- Straight Time
1978
- Narrow Margin
1990
- Wild Wild West
1999
- Cold Turkey
1971
- Raise the Titanic
1980
- The Pope of Greenwich V...
1984
- Cannery Row
1982
- My Best Friend's Wedding
1997
- Harry and the Hendersons
1987
- Twilight
1998
- Fletch
1985
- Red Scorpion
1988
- Silkwood
1983
- Retroactive
1997
- Christmas in the Clouds
2001
- No Man's Land
1987
- Big Stan
2007
- Catch Me... If You Can
1989
- Christmas with the Kran...
2004
- Don McKay
2009
- The Outlaws
1984
- Cops & Robbersons
1994
- Man in the Chair
2007
- Missing in Action
1984
- Back to School
1986
- Back Roads
1981
- The Gambler
1974
- Sundown: The Vampire in...
1989
- Poor White Trash
2000
- Me and Will
1999
- Fast-Walking
1982
- Ordinary People
1980
- The Music of Chance
1993
- Camp Nowhere
1994
- Dangerous Days: Making ...
2007
- Reds
1981
- The Fish That Saved Pit...
1979
- White Sands
1992
- Killer Image
1992
- Roney's Point
- The Prisoner of Second ...
1975
- The Odd Life of Timothy...
2012
- War Party
1988
- The Traveling Execution...
1970
- The Deliberate Stranger
1986
- Grandview, U.S.A.
1984
- City in Fear
1980
- Thunderground
1989
- Random Hearts
1999
- From the Mixed-Up Files...
1995
- Sam Steele and the Juni...
2011
- High Noon, Part II: The...
1980
- Red Alert
1977
- A Question of Guilt
1978
- Your Name Here
2008
- Scandalous
1984
- Broken Vows
1987
- At Long Last Love
1975
- Nickelodeon
1976
- Love Sick Love
2012
- Monster!
1999
- Skag
1980
- The Naked Truth
1992
- Bitter Harvest
1993
- The Flash
1990
- Abduction
1987
- Baggage
2003
- Haunted Echoes
2008
- Free Willy 2: The Adven...
1995
- Calvary
2014
- Probable Cause
1994
- Racing Stripes
2005
- Four Eyes and Six-Guns
1992
- They Might Be Giants
1971
- Youth in Revolt
2009
- Mikey and Nicky
1976
- Sarah T. - Portrait of ...
1975
- Little Big Man
1970
- Superdome
1978
- A Time to Kill
1996
- Airport '77
1977
- On the Edge of 'Blade R...
2000
- Snow Dogs
2002
- Blade Runner
1982
- Relative Fear
1995
- Criminal Hearts
1996
- Nightmare in Big Sky Co...
1998
- Escape from the Planet ...
1971
- The Scorpion King 4: Qu...
2015
- Albino Alligator
1997
- Resting Place
1986
- Greener Mountains
2005
- Courage
1984
- Serpico
1973
- Madness of Method
- Outlaw Posse
2024
- Fourth Story
1991
- The Assignment
2010
- Murder Ordained
1987
- Boiling Pot
2015
- Chattahoochee
1990
- Wildcats
1986
- Brothers
2024
- Panther
1995
- Sunset
1988
- Erasable You
1998
- The Glass Shield
1994
- What's Up, Doc?
1972
- Portraits of a Killer
1996
- Wilder Napalm
1993
- Men in White
1998
- Silverfox
- Raising Arizona
1987
- The Escape Artist
1982
- Get to Know Your Rabbit
1972
- End of the Road
1970
- Chasing 3000
2010
- The Gift
1979
- Midnight Cowboy
1969
- Hellinger's Law
1981
- Wild Card
1992
- Dear Detective
1979
- Change in the Air
2018
- The Right of the People
1986
- Clean and Sober
1988
- Shifting Gears
2018
- The Invasion of Johnson...
1976
- The Lottery
1996
- Toto
2018
- The Killing Jar
1997
- Faith, Hope & Love
2019
- Bound for Glory
1976
- Eyeball Eddie
2001
- Knives Out
2019
- Raising Buchanan
2019
- Dead Badge
1995
- The Woman Who Willed a ...
1983
- Night Partners
1983
- Love and Lies
1990
- Romeo + Juliet
1996
- Equinox
1992
- Jack of Hearts
2000
- No Other Love
1979
- Arthur Newman
2012
- Crime Club
1975
- Sorry, Not Sorry
2019
- The Mimic
2021
- Stiletto
1969
- The Immaculate Room
2022
- Kid Blue
1973
- A Little White Lie
2023
- The Milagro Beanfield W...
1988
- Tracey Ullman in the Tr...
2003
- Dotty and Soul
2023
- Green and Gold
2025
- A True Character
2008
- Hero in the Family
1986
TV Shows
- The Flash
1990
- Arnie
1970
- Starsky & Hutch
1975
- Home Improvement
1991
- Little House on the Pra...
1974
- Early Edition
1996
- The Twilight Zone
1985
- All in the Family
1971
- Ed
2000
- Tales from the Crypt
1989
- The Bob Newhart Show
1972
- Tracey Takes On...
1996
- Baretta
1975
- The Civil War
1990
- Frasier
1993
- The X-Files
1993
- Night Visions
2001
- Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
- The Sandy Duncan Show
1972
- The Hitchhiker
1983
- Unsub
1989
- The Outer Limits
1995
- The Big Guy and Rusty t...
1999
- The Wild Thornberrys
1998
- Empire
2015
- Amazing Stories
1985
- The Righteous Gemstones
2019
- McMillan & Wife
1971
- Nichols
1971
- Pound Puppies
2010
- The French Atlantic Aff...
1979
- Charlie Lawrence
2003
- Brotherhood of the Rose
1989
- Bonanza
1959
- The Rockford Files
1974
- Baseball
1994
- East of Eden
1981
- Murder Ordained
1987
- What's New, Scooby-Doo?
2002
- American Gigolo
2022
- The West
1996
- Damages
2007
- NYPD Blue
1993
- Starsky & Hutch
1975
- The Waltons
1972
- Ironside
1967
- The Wonderful World of ...
1954
- Tim and Eric's Bedtime ...
2014
- AfterMASH
1983
- Adventure Time
2010
- Sneaky Pete
2015
- Baseball
1994
- Gibbsville
1976
- The Guardian
2001