In Los Angeles, the renowned character actor M. Emmet Walsh, known for his unique appearance and compelling performances in movies like “Blood Simple” and “Blade Runner,” has passed away at the age of 88, announced by his manager on Wednesday.
Walsh succumbed to cardiac arrest on Tuesday while in a hospital in St. Albans, Vermont, shared by his longtime manager, Sandy Joseph.
Walsh, with his distinctive ham-faced, heavyset look, frequently portrayed the role of deceptive good old boys. A notable performance of his was as a corrupt Texas private detective in “Blood Simple,” the debut film by the Coen brothers, released in 1984.
At the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards held on March 1, 2014, in Santa Monica, California, Walsh made a memorable appearance. The photo was captured by John Shearer/Invision/AP, File.
The Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, have expressed that they specifically wrote the part in “Blood Simple” for Walsh. His performance in the film earned him the first Film Independent Spirit Award for best male lead.
Film critics and enthusiasts have always appreciated Walsh’s appearances on screen. Roger Ebert once remarked that any movie featuring either Harry Dean Stanton or M. Emmet Walsh in a supporting role cannot be entirely bad.
Walsh’s roles have been varied and memorable, including a deranged sniper in the 1979 comedy “The Jerk” starring Steve Martin, and a doctor performing a prostate exam in the 1985 Chevy Chase film “Fletch.”
In the 1982 film “Blade Runner,” directed by Ridley Scott, Walsh portrayed a hard-nosed police captain. He described the experience as challenging due to Scott’s perfectionism. His character pulls Harrison Ford’s character out of retirement to hunt down cyborgs.
Despite his characters often leading audiences to believe he was from the American South, Walsh was actually from the far north. He grew up on Lake Champlain in Swanton, Vermont, close to the U.S.-Canadian border. His family had a history of working as customs officers.
Walsh attended a small local high school, then pursued further education at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Initially, he dedicated a decade to stage acting, working in summer stock and repertory companies.
His film career began to take shape in 1969 with a minor role in “Alice’s Restaurant,” but it wasn’t until he was in his 40s that he started landing significant roles. His breakthrough came with the 1978 film “Straight Time,” where he played a smug parole officer opposite Dustin Hoffman.
While working on “Silkwood” alongside Meryl Streep in 1982, Walsh received an offer from the Coen brothers for “Blood Simple.” They were then-aspiring filmmakers who admired his work in “Straight Time.”
Walsh recalled his agent presenting him with a script from “some kids” for a low-budget movie. Intrigued by the character and the script, he met with the Coen brothers in Austin, Texas. Despite the filmmakers’ limited budget, which didn’t cover travel expenses for the film’s opening, Walsh was impressed by their work.
In “Blood Simple,” Walsh played Loren Visser, a detective hired to follow a man’s wife, which eventually leads to a plot to kill her and her lover. Walsh also served as the narrator, delivering memorable lines in a Texas drawl.
One of his notable lines as Visser reflects on the individualistic nature of Texas compared to the communal spirit theorized in Russia, stating, “But what I know about is Texas. And down here, you’re on your own.”
Walsh continued acting well into his late 80s, with recent roles in TV series like “The Righteous Gemstones” and “American Gigolo.” His filmography exceeds 100 titles, including appearances in Rian Johnson’s 2019 film “Knives Out” and Mario Van Peebles’ Western “Outlaw Posse,” released this year.
Rian Johnson paid tribute to Walsh on social media, highlighting his legendary status and unique practice of distributing two-dollar bills to crew members, advising them never to spend it to ensure they’d never be broke.