Actor James Handy, known for 'Jumanji' and 'Top Gun: Maverick', stabbed to death in Los Angeles; girlfriend's son arrested
The 81-year-old character actor was found with a stab wound to the chest at his Tarzana home on Wednesday morning. Police arrested 44-year-old Michael Gledhill, the son of Handy's girlfriend, on suspicion of murder.
Discovery and emergency call
Police responded to a 911 call on Wednesday morning, 3 June, around 9:30 a.m., from a residence on Erwin Street in the Tarzana neighbourhood of Los Angeles. The caller told the dispatcher, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, a phrase that multiple outlets render as a variation on a biblical-sounding confession.
I am the son of man, I have just killed the man of sin.
When officers arrived, they found James Handy unconscious in the front yard with a stab wound to the chest. Paramedics transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Suspect in custody
As police secured the scene, a man approached them and identified himself as the person they were looking for. Authorities named him as Michael Gledhill, 44, the son of Handy's girlfriend. Gledhill lived at the Erwin Street address with his mother and the actor.
He was arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into the Van Nuys jail. Bail was set at $2 million. The LAPD stated that the incident appeared to be isolated and that there was no ongoing threat to the public. A motive has not been officially disclosed, though one Italian report noted that the two men had argued the previous evening and that Gledhill may have suffered from delusions.
A five-decade screen career
Born in New York City in 1945, James Handy built a career spanning nearly fifty years as a character actor in film and television. He appeared in more than 100 roles, often playing the kind of familiar face that audiences recognised even if they did not know his name.
His most recent high-profile part was the bartender Jimmy in the 2022 blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick". Earlier film credits included the exterminator in the original 1995 "Jumanji", as well as roles in "Logan", "Arachnophobia", "The Rocketeer", and "Unbreakable".
Television legacy
On the small screen, Handy was a staple of American police procedurals and dramas. He appeared in "NCIS: Los Angeles", "The Closer", "Cold Case", "NYPD Blue", "Criminal Minds", "Alias", "Profiler", "Melrose Place", and "Law & Order". He also played Detective Alan Cross in a season-three episode of "The X-Files".
It is with great sadness that I can confirm the man who was attacked and killed Wednesday in Tarzana was the actor James Handy.
Ellis-Evenas, a representative for Handy, provided the statement to NBC News. The Ellis Talent Group separately described him as a talented, humble, and kind client and friend.
Investigation ongoing
The LAPD's Robbery-Homicide division is handling the case and has asked anyone with information to contact detectives or Crime Stoppers. Handy's girlfriend has not yet made a public statement.
