James Handy, an 81-year-old New York actor who has appeared in small roles in films such as Jumanji and, more recently, Top Gun: Maverick, as well as in dozens of series, has been murdered at the doors of his Los Angeles home. The confessed killer is his girlfriend’s son, a 44-year-old man named Michael Gledhill, who remains in prison under a two-million-dollar bail.
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The news of Handy’s death has been revealed in several parts. First, last Wednesday, it was learned that a man had been murdered in the town of Tarzana, northwest of Los Angeles. Then, on Thursday at noon, the actor’s death was made public. But it wasn’t until hours later, late on Thursday afternoon in California, that it was finally known that the two cases were the same.
It was around 9:30 AM on Wednesday when emergency services responded to Erwin Street, north of Tarzana, to attend to a man found lying in his front garden. They found him unconscious, with a stab wound to the chest, as reported by the Los Angeles Police Department and some local media. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
As it was learned shortly after, it was a man who called 911 to report it. In the audio recorded by the emergency service, he is heard saying: “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.” The police went to Handy’s home, cordoning off neighborhood streets and searching house by house. Finally, they apprehended the man, who assured them he was the killer. He was later identified as Michael Gledhill, 44, and a resident of the same house. According to him, he lived there with his mother; apparently, she was Handy’s girlfriend. He was then imposed that high bail which, for the moment, he has not been able to meet, and was taken to the prison in the nearby town of Van Nuys. Authorities reported that it was an isolated incident.
A Tarzana man accused of fatally stabbing his mother’s boyfriend allegedly called 911 and declared, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin,” before officers arrived at the home, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. https://t.co/gkRVMAC89Z pic.twitter.com/ASTyv5CT0e
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On Thursday, after Handy’s death became known, his agent sent a statement to the media. “It is with great sadness that we can confirm that the man who was assaulted and murdered on Wednesday in Tarzana was actor James Handy,” Pam Ellis-Evenas told local press.
Handy had a long career of supporting roles in film and television, with almost 150 titles to his name. He had been working in the entertainment industry for almost 50 years. He was not a particularly well-known face, but rather one of those tireless, behind-the-scenes workers who try to forge a decades-long career to get by and enjoy their profession while earning a living.
His most popular role was probably that of Jimmy, the bartender in Top Gun: Maverick, the celebrated 2022 action film sequel starring Tom Cruise. He also appeared in Jumanji, from 1995. Handy had started his career in television series and films, and his most recurring roles were the seven episodes he did in the series NYPD Blue and the six in Melrose Place, both in the mid-nineties, as well as the eight in Alias, in the early 2000s. His face and name will remain for posterity in dozens of popular titles, such as ER, Law & Order, The West Wing, Murder, She Wrote, The X-Files, Criminal Minds, Castle, CSI, and Crossing Jordan.
