James Handy, the actor known for his roles in Top Gun: Maverick and Jumanji, has been fatally stabbed. He was 81.
According to a police statement, Handy died at a home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 3, after being stabbed by his girlfriend’s son Michael Gledhill. The incident is currently under investigation.
“On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, around 9:30 a.m., West Valley area patrol officers responded to a radio call of unknown trouble in the 19200 block of Erwin Street. The 911 caller stated, ‘I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.’ Upon their arrival, officers discovered 81-year-old James Handy in the front yard of the residence, unconscious and suffering from a stab wound to his chest. The victim was transported to a local hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics, where he was pronounced deceased,” the LAPD’s statement read.
Police claimed via the statement that Gledhill “flagged down nearby responding officers” and told them that “he was the one they were looking for.”
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“The suspect resides at the location with his mother, who is the victim’s girlfriend,” the LAPD statement continued. “Detectives believe this is an isolated incident and there appears to be no danger to the public at this time.”
Gledhill, 44, was arrested and taken to Van Nuys Jail, where he was booked on one count of murder. Bail was set at $2 million. Information about Gledhill’s legal representation was not immediately available.
Handy’s representative confirmed the actor’s death to Us Weekly on Thursday, June 4.
“With great sadness I can confirm that the gentleman who was attacked and killed on Wednesday in Tarzana was the actor James Handy,” the statement read.
During his acting career, Handy played a bartender in the 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick. He also portrayed an exterminator in the 1995 classic Jumanji.
In 2017, Handy portrayed a doctor in Logan opposite Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.
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Also among his 150 acting credits are roles in movies like Arachnophobia (1990) and The Rocketeer (1991) as well as appearances in TV shows such as NYPD Blue, Beverly Hills, 90210, Law & Order; Profiler, The Young and the Restless and 9-1-1.
Handy was born in New York and his first foray into acting was in 1977’s Taps.
The police are asking anyone with additional information about this incident to contact the Robbery-Homicide Division, Valley Section, Dets. Simonyan or Lopez, at (818) 374-9550.
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