The prolific character actor had roles in Blade Runner, Blood Simple and many more films and TV shows.
Tributes for beloved actor M Emmet Walsh have been pouring in ever since news of his passing broke on Tuesday 19th March.
Walsh, who was 88, died of cardiac arrest, his manager Sandy Joseph confirmed in a statement.
“Walsh’s tremendous body of work includes 119 feature films and more than 250 television productions,” Joseph said. These include roles in Blade Runner and Best Picture Oscar winner Ordinary People, as well as leading the Coen brothers’ first feature Blood Simple.
Director Rian Johnson posted a tribute to the New York-born and Vermont-raised actor in the wake of the news. Walsh appeared as Mr Proofroc in Johnson’s Knives Out alongside Daniel Craig.
“Emmet came to set with 2 things: a copy of his credits, which was a small-type single spaced double column list of modern classics that filled a whole page, & two-dollar bills which he passed out to the entire crew. ‘Don’t spend it and you’ll never be broke.’ Absolute legend,” Johnson wrote on X.
Emmet came to set with 2 things: a copy of his credits, which was a small-type single spaced double column list of modern classics that filled a whole page, & two-dollar bills which he passed out to the entire crew. “Don’t spend it and you’ll never be broke.” Absolute legend. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/hP8Ml1fBGi
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) March 20, 2024
Fellow director Edgar Wright also took to social media to commemorate Walsh, praising his ability to go beyond character acting.
“The ultimate character actor? More than a character actor?!” he wrote. “A totally unique screen presence whose performances were as fun to watch as his name is to say out loud. RIP to the great M. Emmet Walsh.”
The ultimate character actor? More than a character actor?! A totally unique screen presence whose performances were as fun to watch as his name is to say out loud. RIP to the great M. Emmet Walsh. https://t.co/BdB6Dh015b
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) March 20, 2024
Such was his skill, that famed film critic Roger Ebert once said: “No movie featuring either Harry Dean Stanton or M. Emmet Walsh in a supporting role can be altogether bad.”
As well as appearing in feature films, including Raising Arizona, Fletch and Romeo + Juliet, he was a staple on the small screen too. He had roles in the likes of Starsky and Hutch, Frasier, The X-Files and Adventure Time.
His final performance was in the recently released western Outlaw Posse alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Cedric the Entertainer.
As shared by his manager following the sad news of his death, he once said: “I approach each job thinking it might be my last so it better be the best work possible. I want to be remembered as a working actor. I’m being paid for what I’d do for nothing.”