James Handy, the Hollywood character actor known for his roles in films such as Jumanji and Top Gun: Maverick, has been found stabbed to death at his Los Angeles home.
His girlfriend’s son has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Police responded to a 911 call at a property in Tarzana, in San Fernando Valley, at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning and found Handy, 81, unconscious in the front yard with a stab wound to his chest.
He was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Michael Gledhill, 44, the son of Handy’s girlfriend, who lived at the residence with his mother, has since been arrested.
Gledhill was taken into custody and booked at a Van Nuys jail.
Handy made his film debut in 1981 and also appeared in such well-known movies as Bird, Arachnophobia, The Rocketeer, Logan and Suburbicon.
He also made a string of appearances in popular TV shows like Quantum Leap, Murder She Wrote, Melrose Place, NYPD Blue, The X Files, The West Wing and Alias.
Veteran character actor had over 150 screen credits to his name
Handy worked across film and television for nearly 50 years, accumulating more than 150 screen credits.
Born in New York City in March 1945, Handy worked across film and television for nearly 50 years, accumulating more than 150 screen credits.
He made his debut in 1977 in the ABC daytime drama Ryan’s Hope.
Handy first appeared on the big screen in 1981 and appeared in such well-known movies as Sindy Lumet’s The Verdict (1982), Clint Eastwood’s Charlie Parker biopic Bird (1988), the Jim Belushi cop caper K-9 (1989), the comedy horror Arachnophobia (1990), the period sci-fi fantasy The Rocketeer (1991), Point of No Return (1993), the blockbusters Jumanji (1995) and Unbreakable (2000) and, more recently, Logan and Suburbicon (both 2017).
His final role was in Tom Cruise’s smash hit Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, in which he played Jimmy the bartender opposite Jennifer Connelly.
Back on TV, he made a string of appearances in popular TV shows over the years including Quantum Leap, Murder She Wrote, Melrose Place, NYPD Blue, The X Files, The West Wing, Law and Order and Alias.
Handy’s agent praises ‘talented, humble and gracious’ actor
Pam Ellis-Evenas, the actor’s agent, has confirmed his death to The Independent.
“With great sadness I can confirm that the gentleman who was attacked and killed on Wednesday in Tarzana was the actor James Handy.
“I could not have asked for a more talented, humble or gracious client and friend than James Handy.”
Joe Sommerlad5 June 2026 09:10
Son of Handy’s girlfriend arrested on suspicion of murder
Police have identified the suspect in Handy’s killing as Michael Gledhill, 44.
Investigators said Gledhill lived at the property with his mother, whom they described as the actor’s girlfriend.
Police said he approached officers responding to the scene and “told them he was the one they were looking for.”
Gledhill was arrested and booked at the Van Nuys jail on suspicion of murder, with his bail set at $2m, according to law enforcement records.
It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. Jail records did not list legal representation for him and messages left with the county public defender’s office were not immediately returned.
Investigators said they believed the stabbing was “an isolated incident” and that there was “no danger to the public at this time”.
No motive for the stabbing was disclosed and police requested anyone with additional information about the incident to get in touch.
In a chilling detail released by the LAPD, the person who first called 911, possibly Gledhill himself, told the dispatcher: “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.”
Joe Sommerlad5 June 2026 08:55
Hollywood actor James Handy fatally stabbed at Los Angeles home
James Handy, the actor known for roles in films such as Jumanji and Top Gun: Maverick, was stabbed to death at a Los Angeles home on Wednesday, police said. He was 81.
The Los Angeles police said officers from its West Valley division responded to a 911 call indicating “unknown trouble” at a property in Tarzana, in San Fernando Valley, at around 9.30am local time on Wednesday.
They found Handy unconscious in the front yard with a stab wound to his chest. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Shahana Yasmin has this report.
Joe Sommerlad5 June 2026 08:45