James Handy, veteran character actor, dies at 81

Published June 5, 2026 7:50 AM PDT

FILE-James Handy appears in an episode of the television show "NYPD Blue" in 1995. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

Actor James Handy was brutally murdered in Los Angeles and authorities have arrested the son of Handy’s girlfriend in his death, police said Thursday. 

Citing the Los Angeles Police Department, the Associated Press reported that officers responded to a home on Wednesday morning after a 911 caller said, "I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin."

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Police found Handy in the front yard stabbed in the chest and unconscious. The 81-year-old was transported to a local hospital where he later died. 

Authorities told the AP that Michael Gledhill, who is Handy's girlfriend's son and lives at the home with his mother, told police that he was the individual they were searching for.

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Gledhill, 44, was booked on suspicion of one count of murder. His bail was also set at $2 million, according to jail records obtained by the AP. 

Who was James Handy?

The backstory:

James Handy was born in New York and appeared in movies and television shows for years and was known for his role as an exterminator in the 1995 film "Jumanji" and recently as the bartender Jimmy in the 2022 film "Top Gun: Maverick," according to IMDB. 

Handy also appeared in the popular TV crime dramas like "NCIS: Los Angeles," "The Closer" and "Cold Case." 

The Source: Information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and IMDB. This story was reported from Washington, D.C. 


 

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