M. Emmet Walsh
- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- March 22, 1935 in Ogdensburg, New York, USA
- Died
- March 19, 2024
- Active Years
- 1951–2025 (75 Years)
- Total Credits
- 224 credits in database
Acting Born Mar 22, 1935 Died Mar 19, 2024 Ogdensburg, New York, USA 224 credits
Biography
M. Emmet Walsh was an American character actor born on March 22, 1935, in Ogdensburg, New York. He appeared in over 200 films and television series. His known credits include supporting roles in major studio features of the 1970s and 1980s. Walsh starred in the Coen Brothers' first film, Blood Simple, for which he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He also appeared in notable films such as The Jerk, Ordinary People, Blade Runner, Wild Wild West, and The Iron Giant. His final films included Knives Out and Brothers. Walsh passed away on March 19, 2024, at the age of 88.
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Career overview
M. Emmet Walsh was an American character actor who appeared in numerous films and television series. He had a long and prolific career, with over 200 credits to his name. Walsh's work spanned multiple decades, with a notable presence in major studio features of the 1970s and 1980s.
Walsh's filmography includes a wide range of notable titles. He appeared in The Jerk, Ordinary People, Blade Runner, and Wild Wild West, among others. His work with the Coen Brothers is particularly notable, as he starred in their first film, Blood Simple, for which he received the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. This award was given for his work in the Coen Brothers' first film.
Walsh continued to work in film throughout his career, appearing in a number of notable titles in the latter half of his career. His final films included Knives Out and Brothers. Born on March 22, 1935, in Ogdensburg, New York, Walsh passed away on March 19, 2024, at the age of 88.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Green and Gold
BrothersOutlaw Posse
A Little White LieDotty and Soul
The Immaculate RoomAmerican Gigolo
The Mimic
The Righteous GemstonesKnives OutRaising BuchananFaith, Hope & LoveSorry, Not Sorry
Change in the AirTotoShifting Gears
Sneaky PeteEmpireThe Scorpion King 4: Quest for PowerBoiling Pot
Tim and Eric's Bedtime StoriesCalvary
The Odd Life of Timothy GreenArthur NewmanLove Sick Love
Sam Steele and the Junior Detective Agency
Adventure TimePound PuppiesChasing 3000The Assignment
Youth in RevoltDon McKay
Your Name HereA True CharacterHaunted Echoes
Army WivesDamagesBig StanDangerous Days: Making Blade RunnerMan in the Chair
'Til Death
Racing StripesGreener Mountains
Christmas with the Kranks
Tracey Ullman in the Trailer TalesCharlie LawrenceBaggage
What's New, Scooby-Doo?Snow Dogs
The GuardianNight VisionsEyeball EddieChristmas in the Clouds
EdPoor White TrashOn the Edge of 'Blade Runner'Jack of Hearts
The Iron GiantWild Wild WestThe Big Guy and Rusty the Boy RobotRandom HeartsMe and Will
The Wild ThornberrysMen in WhiteTwilightChairman of the BoardErasable You
My Best Friend's WeddingThe Killing JarAlbino AlligatorRetroactive
Early EditionTracey Takes On...Romeo + JulietA Time to KillPortraits of a Killer
The Outer LimitsFree Willy 2: The Adventure HomePantherDead BadgeFrom the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
BaseballCops & RobbersonsRelative FearThe Glass ShieldCamp Nowhere
The X-FilesFrasierNYPD BlueWilder NapalmBitter Harvest
Killer ImageWild CardEquinoxThe Naked TruthWhite Sands
Full Filmography
224 titles- Green and Gold (2025) as Scotty
- Brothers (2024) as Judge Farful
- Outlaw Posse (2024) as Catfish
- A Little White Lie (2023) as Arthur Baldwin
- Dotty and Soul (2023) as Harold Eichelbaum
- The Immaculate Room (2022) as Kate's Father
- American Gigolo (2022) as Coleman
- The Mimic (2021) as The Director
- The Righteous Gemstones (2019) as Roy Gemstone
- Knives Out (2019) as Mr. Proofroc
- Raising Buchanan (2019) as Larry Kiesling
- Faith, Hope & Love (2019) as Fr. John
- Sorry, Not Sorry (2019) as Harry's Father
- South of Bix (2019) as Grandpa
- Change in the Air (2018) as Walter Lemke
- Toto (2018) as Toto
- Shifting Gears (2018) as Hank
- Sneaky Pete (2015) as Tex Hopkins
- Empire (2015) as Harold Blakeley
- The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power (2015) as Gorak
- Boiling Pot (2015) as Dean Marison
- Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories (2014) as Detective
- Calvary (2014) as The Writer
- The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012) as Uncle Bub
- Arthur Newman (2012) as Zazek
- Love Sick Love (2012) as Ed
- Sam Steele and the Junior Detective Agency (2011) as Chief Van Owen
- Adventure Time (2010) as Cosmic Owl (voice)
- Pound Puppies (2010) as Olaf (voice)
- Chasing 3000 (2010) as Chuck Ireland
- The Assignment (2010) as Mr. Beudreaux
- Youth in Revolt (2009) as Mr. Saunders
- Don McKay (2009) as Samuel
- Your Name Here (2008) as Kroger
- A True Character (2008) as Self
- Haunted Echoes (2008) as Neil
- Army Wives (2007) as Bernie Wallacheck
- Damages (2007) as Lyle Hewes
- Big Stan (2007) as Lew Popper
- Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007) as Self
- Man in the Chair (2007) as Mickey Hopkins
- 'Til Death (2006) as Uncle Rudolph
- Racing Stripes (2005) as Woodzie
- Greener Mountains (2005) as Muggs
- Christmas with the Kranks (2004) as Walt Scheel
- Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales (2003) as Wally Westland
- Charlie Lawrence (2003) as Cubby
- Baggage (2003) as Sandy Westphall
- What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2002) as Jeb (voice)
- Snow Dogs (2002) as George
- The Guardian (2001) as Ezra Pence
- Night Visions (2001) as Gus (segment "Reunion")
- Eyeball Eddie (2001) as Coach Cook
- Christmas in the Clouds (2001) as Stu O'Malley
- Ed (2000) as Mayor Wally Kendricks
- Poor White Trash (2000) as Judge Pike
- On the Edge of 'Blade Runner' (2000) as Self
- Jack of Hearts (2000) as Comissioner Menlo Boyce
- The Iron Giant (1999) as Earl Stutz (voice)
- Wild Wild West (1999) as Coleman
- The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot (1999) as Mack (voice)
- Random Hearts (1999) as Billy (uncredited)
- Me and Will (1999) as Dean
- Monster! (1999) as Lloyd Reeves
- The Wild Thornberrys (1998) as Gemsbok #1 (voice)
- Men in White (1998) as Stanley
- Twilight (1998) as Lester Ivar
- Chairman of the Board (1998) as Freemont
- Erasable You (1998) as Ralph Worth
- Nightmare in Big Sky Country (1998) as Marshal Jim Phillips
- My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) as Joe O'Neal
- The Killing Jar (1997) as Sheriff Foley
- Albino Alligator (1997) as Dino
- Retroactive (1997) as Sam
- Early Edition (1996) as Santa
- Tracey Takes On... (1996)
- Romeo + Juliet (1996) as Apothecary
- A Time to Kill (1996) as Willard Tyrell Bass (uncredited)
- Portraits of a Killer (1996) as Raymond Garrison
- The West (1996) as Self (voice)
- Criminal Hearts (1996) as Martin
- The Lottery (1996) as Chief Davis
- The Outer Limits (1995) as Sanford Vallé
- Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (1995) as Bill Wilcox
- Panther (1995) as Dorsett
- Dead Badge (1995) as Sergeant Miller Hoskins
- From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1995) as Morris
- Baseball (1994) as (voice)
- Cops & Robbersons (1994) as Captain Ted Corbett (uncredited)
- Relative Fear (1994) as Earl Ladelle
- The Glass Shield (1994) as Det. Jesse Hall
- Camp Nowhere (1994) as T.R. Polk
- Probable Cause (1994) as Sadler
- Madness of Method (1994) as Rudolph Thorndyke
- The X-Files (1993) as Arthur Dales
- Frasier (1993) as Rich Koechner
- NYPD Blue (1993) as Joe Kroft
- Wilder Napalm (1993) as Fire Chief
- Bitter Harvest (1993) as Sheriff Bob
- The Music of Chance (1993) as Calvin Murks
- Killer Image (1992) as John Kane
- Wild Card (1992) as Mose
- Equinox (1992) as Pete Petosa
- The Naked Truth (1992) as Garcia / Gesundheim
- White Sands (1992) as Bert Gibson
- Four Eyes and Six-Guns (1992) as Mayor Thornbush
- Home Improvement (1991) as Colonel
- Silverfox (1991) as Charles Blankenship
- Fourth Story (1991) as Harry
- Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1991) as Mort
- The Flash (1990) as Henry Allen
- The Civil War (1990) as Various (voice)
- The Flash (1990) as Henry Allen
- Narrow Margin (1990) as Sergeant Dominick Benti
- Chattahoochee (1990) as Morris
- Love and Lies (1990) as Clyde Wilson
- Tales from the Crypt (1989) as Jonas
- The Mighty Quinn (1989) as Fred Miller
- Thunderground (1989) as Wedge
- Unsub (1989) as Ned Platt
- Brotherhood of the Rose (1989) as Hardy
- Catch Me... If You Can (1989) as Johnny Phatmun
- War Party (1988) as Colin Ditweiler
- Red Scorpion (1988) as Dewey Ferguson
- The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) as Governor
- Sunset (1988) as Chief Marvin Dibner
- Clean and Sober (1988) as Richard Dirks
- Raising Arizona (1987) as Machine Shop Ear-Bender
- Harry and the Hendersons (1987) as George Henderson Sr.
- The Abduction of Kari Swenson (1987) as Don Nichols
- No Man's Land (1987) as Captain Haun
- Murder Ordained (1987) as Vern Humphrey
- Broken Vows (1987) as Detective Mulligan
- Murder Ordained (1987) as Vern Humphrey
- Resting Place (1986) as Sarge
- The Deliberate Stranger (1986) as Det. Sam Davies
- Critters (1986) as Harv
- Hero in the Family (1986) as General Presser
- Back to School (1986) as Coach Turnbull
- The Right of the People (1986) as Sindaco
- The Deliberate Stranger (1986) as Det. Sam Davies
- Wildcats (1986) as Walt Coes
- The Best of Times (1986) as Charlie
- The Twilight Zone (1985) as Peter (segment "Dealer's Choice")
- Amazing Stories (1985) as Grandpa
- Blood Simple (1985) as Private Detective
- Fletch (1985) as Dr. Joseph Dolan
- The Adventures of Con Sawyer and Hucklemary Finn (1985) as Rocco
- Missing in Action (1984) as Tuck
- Grandview, U.S.A. (1984) as Mr. Clark
- Courage (1984) as Colonel Crouse
- The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) as Burns
- Scandalous (1984) as Simon Reynolds
- The Outlaws (1984) as Warden MacDonald
- The Hitchhiker (1983) as Detective Underhill
- AfterMASH (1983) as Reverend Horn
- Silkwood (1983) as Walt Yarborough
- The Woman Who Willed a Miracle (1983) as Joe Lemke
- Night Partners (1983) as Joe Kirby
- Blade Runner (1982) as Bryant
- The Escape Artist (1982) as Fritz
- Cannery Row (1982) as Mack
- Fast-Walking (1982) as Sergeant Sanger
- Back Roads (1981) as Arthur
- East of Eden (1981) as Sheriff Horace Quinn
- Reds (1981) as Speaker at Liberal Club
- Hellinger's Law (1981) as Mr. Graebner
- Ordinary People (1980) as Swim Coach
- Brubaker (1980) as C.P. Woodward
- Skag (1980) as Moran
- Raise the Titanic (1980) as Master Chief Vinnie Walker
- City in Fear (1980) as Sheldon Lewis
- High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane (1980) as Harold Patton
- The Jerk (1979) as Madman
- No Other Love (1979) as DeFranco
- The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979) as Wally Cantrell
- The French Atlantic Affair (1979) as Harry
- The Gift (1979) as Legion Commander
- Dear Detective (1979) as Capt. Gorcey
- Straight Time (1978) as Earl Frank
- A Question of Guilt (1978) as Inspector McCartney
- Superdome (1978) as Whitley
- Slap Shot (1977) as Dickie Dunn
- Airport '77 (1977) as Dr. Williams
- Red Alert (1977) as Sheriff Sweeney
- Mikey and Nicky (1976) as Bus Driver
- Nickelodeon (1976) as "Father" Logan
- Gibbsville (1976) as Yostie
- Bound for Glory (1976) as Husband
- The Invasion of Johnson County (1976) as Irvine
- Starsky & Hutch (1975) as Freddie
- Starsky & Hutch (1975) as Lloyd Herman Eckworth
- Baretta (1975)
- Crime Club (1975) as Jack Doyle
- Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic (1975) as Mr. Peterson
- The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975) as Doorman
- At Long Last Love (1975) as Harold
- Little House on the Prairie (1974) as Callahan
- The Rockford Files (1974) as Edgar Burch
- The Gambler (1974) as Las Vegas Gambler
- Serpico (1973) as Gallagher
- Kid Blue (1973) as Barber
- The Waltons (1972) as David Fletcher
- The Bob Newhart Show (1972) as Jack Hoover
- What's Up, Doc? (1972) as Arresting Officer
- Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972) as Mr. Wendel
- The Sandy Duncan Show (1972)
- All in the Family (1971) as Billy Hartfield
- McMillan & Wife (1971) as Officer Ames
- Nichols (1971) as Gabe McCutcheon
- Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) as Aide
- They Might Be Giants (1971) as 1st Sanitation Man
- Cold Turkey (1971) as Art
- Arnie (1970)
- Little Big Man (1970) as Shotgun Guard
- The Traveling Executioner (1970) as Warden Brodski
- End of the Road (1970) as Crab Man / Tutu Man
- Midnight Cowboy (1969) as Bus Passenger (uncredited)
- Stiletto (1969) as Racing Partner (uncredited)
- Alice's Restaurant (1969) as Group W Sergeant
- Ironside (1967) as Telegraph Clerk
- Bonanza (1959) as Mattheson
- The Wonderful World of Disney (1954) as General Presser
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Sarge
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is M. Emmet Walsh best known for?
M. Emmet Walsh is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Brothers (2024), A Little White Lie (2023), Dotty and Soul (2023), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
When and where was M. Emmet Walsh born?
M. Emmet Walsh was born on March 22, 1935 in Ogdensburg, New York, USA. They passed away on March 19, 2024.
How many credits does M. Emmet Walsh have?
M. Emmet Walsh has accumulated over 224 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1951 to 2025.
What is M. Emmet Walsh's background in cinema and television?
M. Emmet Walsh was an American character actor born on March 22, 1935, in Ogdensburg, New York. He appeared in over 200 films and television series. His known credits include supporting roles in major studio features of the 1970s and 1980s. Walsh starred in the Coen Brothers' first film, Blood Simple, for which he won ...
M. Emmet Walsh by the numbers
224credits
168films
56TV series
1951–2025active years
Age in their best-rated roles
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Sarge — aged about 16
- Adventure Time (2010) as Cosmic Owl (voice) — aged about 75
- The West (1996) as Self (voice) — aged about 61
- The X-Files (1993) as Arthur Dales — aged about 58
- Tracey Takes On... (1996) — aged about 61
- The Iron Giant (1999) as Earl Stutz (voice) — aged about 64
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