US actor James Handy stabbed to death in Los Angeles at 81

Veteran US actor James Handy, known for his roles in films including Jumanji and Top Gun: Maverick, has been fatally stabbed at his home in Los Angeles, according to police.

Officers responded to a home Wednesday morning after a 911 caller said, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin,” according to the The Los Angeles Police Department, quoted by the Associated Press.

The 81-year-old was found unconscious in the front yard of his residence in Tarzana, California, on Wednesday. Authorities said he had sustained multiple stab wounds to the chest. He was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead.

Police confirmed that Michael Gledhill, 44, the son of Handy’s girlfriend, has been arrested on suspicion of murder, according to the Associated Press.

Gledhill has been booked on suspicion of murder, police said. Jail records show his bail has been set at $2 million.

Handy, born in New York, built a decades-long career across film and television. He was widely recognised for playing an exterminator in the 1995 hit Jumanji, and later appeared as bartender Jimmy in the 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, according to IMDb. His television credits include roles in popular crime dramas such as NCIS: Los Angeles, The Closer and Cold Case.

Paying tribute, Pam Ellis-Evenas of the Ellis Talent Group described Handy as both a gifted performer and a deeply respected colleague. “I could not have asked for a more talented, humble or gracious client and friend than James Handy,” she said in an email to The Associated Press.

Inputs from the Associated Press