Actor James Handy, killed in his Los Angeles home by his girlfriend’s son

James Handy, an 81-year-old New York actor who had small roles in films such as Jumanji and the more recent Top Gun: Maverick, was killed outside his Los Angeles home. The confessed killer is his girlfriend’s son, a 44-year-old man named Michael Gledhill, who remains jailed on $2 million bail.

News of Handy’s death emerged in stages. First, on Wednesday, authorities reported that a man had been killed in the Tarzana neighborhood northwest of Los Angeles. Then, on Thursday at midday, Handy’s death was announced. It was not until later that evening in California that authorities confirmed the two reports referred to the same case.

It was around 9:30 on Wednesday morning when emergency services arrived on Erwin Street, in northern Tarzana, to assist a man found lying in his front yard. They found him unconscious, with a stab wound to the chest, according to the Los Angeles Police Department and local media reports. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Shortly after, it emerged that a man had called 911 to report the incident. In the audio released by the service, he can be heard saying: “I am the son of the man, I just killed the man of sin.”

Police descended on Handy’s home, blocking off neighborhood streets and searching house by house. They eventually subdued the man, who told officers he was the killer and was later identified as 44‑year‑old Michael Gledhill, a resident of the same home. He said he lived there with his mother, who was reportedly Handy’s girlfriend. He was then assigned a bail amount he has so far been unable to post and was transferred to the jail in nearby Van Nuys. Authorities said it was an isolated incident.

On Thursday, after Handy’s death was confirmed, his agent issued a statement to the media. Pam Ellis-Evenas said to the local press: “With great sadness I can confirm that the gentleman who was attacked and killed on Wednesday in Tarzana was the actor James Handy.”

Handy had a long career of supporting roles in film and television, with nearly 150 credits to his name. He had worked in the entertainment industry for almost 50 years. He was not a widely recognized face but one of those tireless background actors who build decades-long careers to make a living and enjoy their craft.

His best-known role was probably Jimmy, the bartender in Top Gun: Maverick, the celebrated sequel to the 2022 action film starring Tom Cruise; he also appeared in the 1995 film Jumanji. Handy began his career in television series and movies, with recurring roles including seven episodes on NYPD Blue and six on Melrose Place, both in the mid-1990s, and eight on Alias in the early 2000s. His face and name will remain in dozens of popular TV shows, such as ER, Law & Order, The West Wing, Murder, She Wrote, The X-Files, Criminal Minds, Castle, CSI, and Crossing Jordan.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition