M. Emmet Walsh

Acting

M. Emmet Walsh

Born March 22, 1935 · Ogdensburg, New York, USA

Died March 19, 2024 · aged 88

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 The Jerk (1979), O…

Known For

Blade RunnerBlade Runner · 1982
Blade Runner
7.91982
MovieScience FictionDrama
In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
Knives OutKnives Out · 2019
Knives Out
7.82019
MovieComedyCrime
When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan's dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan's untimely death.
The Iron GiantThe Iron Giant · 1999
The Iron Giant
8.01999
MovieAnimationDrama
In the small town of Rockwell, Maine in October 1957, a giant metal machine befriends a nine-year-old boy and ultimately finds its humanity by unselfishly saving people from their own fears and prejudices.
Romeo + JulietRomeo + Juliet · 1996
Romeo + Juliet
6.81996
MovieDramaRomance
In this contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed. Though the film is visually modern, the bard's dialogue remains.
A Time to KillA Time to Kill · 1996
A Time to Kill
7.41996
MovieCrimeDrama
A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.
Big StanBig Stan · 2007
Big Stan
6.62007
MovieComedyCrime
A weak con man panics when he learns he's going to prison for fraud. He hires a mysterious martial arts guru who helps transform him into a martial arts expert who can fight off inmates who want to hurt or love him.
Racing StripesRacing Stripes · 2005
Racing Stripes
5.92005
MovieComedyFamily
Shattered illusions are hard to repair -- especially for a good-hearted zebra named Stripes who's spent his life on a Kentucky farm amidst the sorely mistaken notion that he's a debonair thoroughbred. Once he faces the fact that his stark stripes mark him as different, he decides he'll race anyway. And with help from the young girl who raised him, he just might end up in the winner's circle.
Midnight CowboyMidnight Cowboy · 1969
Midnight Cowboy
7.51969
MovieDrama
Joe Buck is a wide-eyed hustler from Texas hoping to score big with wealthy New York City women; he finds a companion in Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, an ailing swindler with a bum leg and a quixotic fantasy of escaping to Florida.

Movies

Blade RunnerBlade Runner · 1982
Blade Runner
7.91982
MovieScience FictionDrama
In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
Knives OutKnives Out · 2019
Knives Out
7.82019
MovieComedyCrime
When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan's dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan's untimely death.
The Iron GiantThe Iron Giant · 1999
The Iron Giant
8.01999
MovieAnimationDrama
In the small town of Rockwell, Maine in October 1957, a giant metal machine befriends a nine-year-old boy and ultimately finds its humanity by unselfishly saving people from their own fears and prejudices.
Romeo + JulietRomeo + Juliet · 1996
Romeo + Juliet
6.81996
MovieDramaRomance
In this contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed. Though the film is visually modern, the bard's dialogue remains.
A Time to KillA Time to Kill · 1996
A Time to Kill
7.41996
MovieCrimeDrama
A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.
Big StanBig Stan · 2007
Big Stan
6.62007
MovieComedyCrime
A weak con man panics when he learns he's going to prison for fraud. He hires a mysterious martial arts guru who helps transform him into a martial arts expert who can fight off inmates who want to hurt or love him.
Racing StripesRacing Stripes · 2005
Racing Stripes
5.92005
MovieComedyFamily
Shattered illusions are hard to repair -- especially for a good-hearted zebra named Stripes who's spent his life on a Kentucky farm amidst the sorely mistaken notion that he's a debonair thoroughbred. Once he faces the fact that his stark stripes mark him as different, he decides he'll race anyway. And with help from the young girl who raised him, he just might end up in the winner's circle.
Midnight CowboyMidnight Cowboy · 1969
Midnight Cowboy
7.51969
MovieDrama
Joe Buck is a wide-eyed hustler from Texas hoping to score big with wealthy New York City women; he finds a companion in Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, an ailing swindler with a bum leg and a quixotic fantasy of escaping to Florida.
Ordinary PeopleOrdinary People · 1980
Ordinary People
7.51980
MovieDrama
Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having difficulty being supportive to Conrad. Calvin is trapped between the two trying to hold the family together.
Wild Wild WestWild Wild West · 1999
Wild Wild West
5.31999
MovieActionAdventure
Legless Southern inventor Dr. Arliss Loveless plans to rekindle the Civil War by assassinating President Ulysses S. Grant. Only two men can stop him: gunfighter James West and master-of-disguise and inventor Artemus Gordon. The two must team up to thwart Loveless' plans.
Missing in ActionMissing in Action · 1984
Missing in Action
5.91984
MovieActionAdventure
American servicemen are still being held captive in Vietnam and it's up to one man to bring them home in this blistering, fast-paced action/adventure starring martial arts superstar Chuck Norris. Following a daring escape from a Vietnamese POW camp, Special Forces Colonel James Braddock (Norris) is on a mission to locate and save remaining MIAs.
CrittersCritters · 1986
Critters
6.51986
MovieComedyHorror
Carnivorous aliens arrive unannounced at a Kansas family farm; two intergalactic bounty hunters soon follow, determined to blow them off the planet.
Straight TimeStraight Time · 1978
Straight Time
7.21978
MovieCrimeDrama
After being released on parole, a burglar attempts to go straight, get a regular job, and just go by the rules. He soon finds himself back in jail at the hands of a power-hungry parole officer.
BrubakerBrubaker · 1980
Brubaker
7.11980
MovieCrimeDrama
The new warden of a small prison farm in Arkansas tries to clean it up of corruption after initially posing as an inmate.
The GamblerThe Gambler · 1974
The Gambler
6.71974
MovieDramaCrime
New York City English professor Axel Freed outwardly seems like an upstanding citizen. But privately Freed is in the clutches of a severe gambling addiction that threatens to destroy him.
Christmas with the KranksChristmas with the Kranks · 2004
Christmas with the Kranks
6.22004
MovieComedyFamily
When their only daughter Blair leaves the family nest, Luther and Nora Krank decide to book an island cruise to beat the yuletide blues and just skip the holidays. But their decision to boycott tradition has the whole neighborhood in an uproar, and when Blair calls on Christmas Eve to announce a surprise visit with her new fiancée, the Kranks have just twelve hours to perform a miracle and pull themselves and their neighbors together to throw the best celebration ever!
SerpicoSerpico · 1973
Serpico
7.51973
MovieCrimeDrama
New York cop Frank Serpico blows the whistle on the rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.
Escape from the Planet of the ApesEscape from the Planet of the Apes · 1971
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
6.41971
MovieActionScience Fiction
The world is shocked by the appearance of three talking chimpanzees, who arrived mysteriously in a spacecraft. Intrigued by their intelligence, humans use them for research - until the apes attempt to escape.
Resting PlaceResting Place · 1986
Resting Place
6.31986
MovieDrama
A television movie set in Rockville, Georgia, in 1972. Major Kendall Laird, a Survival Assistance Officer, arrives in this sleepy little town with the body of Lieutenant Dwyte Johnson, a Vietnam war hero. It's Laird's job to help Johnson's parents bury their son. But since the dead hero was black, his parents are turned away by the white racists who maintain the town's "all-white" cemetery.
Blood SimpleBlood Simple · 1985
Blood Simple
7.31985
MovieCrimeDrama
The owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.
Raising ArizonaRaising Arizona · 1987
Raising Arizona
7.11987
MovieComedyCrime
When a childless couple—an ex-con and an ex-cop—take one of a wealthy family’s quintuplets to raise as their own, their lives grow more complicated than anticipated.
PantherPanther · 1995
Panther
6.31995
MovieDramaHistory
In this sprawling, fictionalized history of the Black Panthers, 1960s Oakland becomes a war zone as the Panthers battle for the right to exist.
My Best Friend's WeddingMy Best Friend's Wedding · 1997
My Best Friend's Wedding
6.61997
MovieComedyRomance
When she receives word that her longtime platonic pal Michael O'Neal is getting married to debutante Kimberly Wallace, food critic Julianne Potter realizes her true feelings for Michael -- and sets out to sabotage the wedding.
BrothersBrothers · 2024
Brothers
5.82024
MovieActionComedy
A reformed criminal's attempt at going straight is derailed when he reunites with his sanity-testing twin brother on a road trip for the score of a lifetime. Dodging bullets, the law, and an overbearing mother along the way, they must heal their severed family bond before they end up killing each other.

TV Shows

The X-FilesThe X-Files · 1993
The X-Files
8.41993
SeriesMysterySci-Fi & Fantasy
The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder's discoveries that debunk Mulder's work and thus return him to mainstream cases.
Adventure TimeAdventure Time · 2010
Adventure Time
8.52010
SeriesAnimationComedy
Young Finn and his shape-shifting dog buddy, Jake, go on a series of surreal adventures as they journey through the postapocalyptic Land of Ooo.
Little House on the PrairieLittle House on the Prairie · 1974
Little House on the Prairie
7.91974
SeriesWesternDrama
When the big woods of Wisconsin becomes a difficult spot for hunting, Charles Ingalls reluctantly decides to move his family, pioneering west. Their life on the farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s is full of adventure, tragedy, and triumph. Based on the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
FrasierFrasier · 1993
Frasier
7.71993
SeriesComedyFamily
After many years spent at the “Cheers” bar, Frasier moves back home to Seattle to work as a radio psychiatrist after his policeman father gets shot in the hip on duty.
BonanzaBonanza · 1959
Bonanza
7.51959
SeriesWestern
The High-Sierra adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their ranch while helping the surrounding community.
DamagesDamages · 2007
Damages
7.42007
SeriesMysteryDrama
Damages is an American legal thriller television series created by the writing and production trio of Daniel Zelman and brothers Glenn and Todd A. Kessler. The plot revolves around the brilliant, ruthless lawyer Patty Hewes and her protégée, recent law school graduate Ellen Parsons. Each season features a major case that Hewes and her firm take on, while also examining a chapter of the complicated relationship between Ellen and Patty. The first two seasons center around the law firm Hewes & Associates. Later seasons center more on Patty and Ellen's relationship as Ellen begins to distance herself from Hewes & Associates and begins an independent career.
IronsideIronside · 1967
Ironside
6.91967
SeriesCrimeDrama
When an assassin's bullet confines him to a wheelchair for life ending his career as Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside becomes a consultant to the police department. Detective Sergeant Ed Brown and policewoman Eve Whitfield join with him to crack varied and fascinating cases. Ex-con Mark Sanger is employed by the chief as home help but eventually becomes a fully fledged member of the team also. Officer Whitfield leaves after 4 years service, and is replaced by Officer Fran Belding.
NYPD BlueNYPD Blue · 1993
NYPD Blue
7.01993
SeriesDrama
Police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwined several plots involving an ensemble cast.
Home ImprovementHome Improvement · 1991
Home Improvement
7.41991
SeriesComedy
The daily trials and tribulations of handyman Tim Taylor, a TV show host raising three boys with help from his loyal co-host, domineering wife, and unseen neighbor.
The WaltonsThe Waltons · 1972
The Waltons
7.21972
SeriesDrama
The Waltons live their life in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II.
The Rockford FilesThe Rockford Files · 1974
The Rockford Files
7.61974
SeriesCrimeDrama
Cranky but likable L.A. PI Jim Rockford pulls no punches (but takes plenty of them). An ex-con sent to the slammer for a crime he didn't commit, Rockford takes on cases others don't want, aided by his tough old man, his lawyer girlfriend and some shady associates from his past.
Army WivesArmy Wives · 2007
Army Wives
7.52007
SeriesDrama
Army Wives is an American drama series that follows the lives of four army wives, one army husband, and their families.
EmpireEmpire · 2015
Empire
7.12015
SeriesDrama
A powerful family drama about the head of a music empire whose three sons and ex-wife all battle for his throne.
The GuardianThe Guardian · 2001
The Guardian
7.12001
SeriesDrama
Nick Fallin is a hotshot lawyer working at his father's ultrasuccessful Pittsburgh law firm. Unfortunately, the high life has gotten the best of Nick. Arrested for drug use, he's sentenced to do 1,500 hours of community service, somehow to be squeezed into his 24/7 cutthroat world of mergers, acquisitions and board meetings. Reluctantly, he's now The Guardian - a part-time child advocate at Legal Aid Services, where one case after another is an eye-opening instance of kids caught up in difficult circumstances.
The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone · 1985
The Twilight Zone
7.71985
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyDrama
This 1980s revival of the classic sci-fi series features a similar style to the original anthology series. Each episode tells a tale (sometimes two or three) rooted in horror or suspense, often with a surprising twist at the end. Episodes usually feature elements of drama and comedy.
Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete · 2015
Sneaky Pete
7.52015
SeriesDramaCrime
A con man on the run from a vicious gangster takes cover from his past by assuming the identity of his prison cellmate, Pete, “reuniting” with Pete’s estranged family, a colorful, dysfunctional group that threatens to drag him into a world just as dangerous as the one he’s trying to escape - and, just maybe, give him a taste of the loving family he’s never had.
The Outer LimitsThe Outer Limits · 1995
The Outer Limits
7.71995
SeriesDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
Anthology series of composed of distinct story episodes, sometimes with a plot twist at the end, with occasional recurring story elements that were often tied together during season-finale clip shows.
The Wild ThornberrysThe Wild Thornberrys · 1998
The Wild Thornberrys
7.01998
SeriesAnimationComedy
Travel the world with the Thornberrys and come face-to-face with blue sheep in Nepal, emus in Australia, marmots in Pakistan, flash floods in Siberia, Egyptian burial chambers, a runaway hot air balloon, a rock slide on the Karakoram Highway and more!
Early EditionEarly Edition · 1996
Early Edition
7.41996
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyDrama
Gary Hobson thinks he may even be losing his mind when tomorrow's newspaper mysteriously arrives today giving him a disconcerting look into the future. What will he do with tomorrow's news?
The Righteous GemstonesThe Righteous Gemstones · 2019
The Righteous Gemstones
7.52019
SeriesComedyDrama
The story of a world-famous televangelist family with a history of deviance, greed and, yes, charitable work, all in the name of Jesus.
Starsky & HutchStarsky & Hutch · 1975
Starsky & Hutch
7.31975
SeriesDrama
Streetwise Detective David Starsky partners up with a more intellectual partner, Kenneth 'Hutch' Hutchinson, to protect citizens and patrol the streets of Bay City.
What's New, Scooby-Doo?What's New, Scooby-Doo? · 2002
What's New, Scooby-Doo?
7.82002
SeriesAnimation
Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang are launched into the 21st century, with new mysteries to solve.
McMillan & WifeMcMillan & Wife · 1971
McMillan & Wife
7.01971
SeriesCrimeDrama
McMillan & Wife is a lighthearted American police procedural that aired on NBC from September 17, 1971 to April 24, 1977. Starring Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James in the title roles, the series premiered in 90-minute episodes as part of the wheel series NBC Mystery Movie, in rotation with Columbo and McCloud. Initially airing on Wednesday night, the original line-up was shifted to Sundays in the second season, where it aired for the rest of its run. This was the first element to be created specially for the Mystery Movie strand.
All in the FamilyAll in the Family · 1971
All in the Family
7.81971
SeriesComedy
Archie Bunker, a working class bigot, constantly squabbles with his family over the important issues of the day.