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M. Emmet Walsh
Actor 1935 - 2024

M. Emmet Walsh

Ogdensburg, New York, USA

Michael Emmet Walsh (March 22, 1935 – March 19, 2024) was an American character actor who has appeared in over 200 films and television series, including supporting roles in dozens of major studio features of the 1970s and 1980s. He starred in Blood Simple (1984), the Coen... Read full bio →

Filmography

Every title this person appears in

84 titles
A Little White Lie

A Little White Lie

Michael Maren 2023 1h 41m

A handyman living in New York City is mistaken for a famous and famously reclusive writer and brought to a university where he is to deliver a keynote address.

Knives Out

Knives Out

Rian Johnson 2019 2h 11m 7.6

When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate.

The Scorpion King: The Lost Throne

The Scorpion King: The Lost Throne

Mike Elliott 2015 1h 45m

When he is betrayed by a trusted friend, Mathayus must marshal all his strength and cunning to outwit a formidable opponent who will stop at nothing to unlock a supreme ancient power.

Calvary

Calvary

John Michael McDonagh 2014 1h 41m 6.8

After he is threatened during a confession, a good-natured priest must battle the dark forces closing in around him.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Peter Hedges 2012 1h 45m 7.0

A childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant. Soon, a child is born, though Timothy Green is not all that he appears.

Arthur Newman

Arthur Newman

Dante Ariola 2012 1h 33m

A story of a man who fakes his own death and assumes a new identity in order to escape his life, who then moves in with a woman who is also trying to leave her past behind.

Pound Puppies

Pound Puppies

2010 22m

Lucky, Cookie and the rest of the dogs in Shelter 17 have an important secret mission: to help every dog that comes to the pound find a new home.

Youth in Revolt

Youth in Revolt

Miguel Arteta 2009 1h 29m 6.5

The outrageous and heartwarming tale of Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) and his quest to win the heart of Sheeni (newcomer Portia Doubleday) and hopefully lose his virginity along the way.

Don McKay

Don McKay

Jake Goldberger 2009 1h 27m

Don McKay, a high school janitor who leaves his hometown after a tragedy, returns 25 years later to rekindle a romance with his old flame, who is dying, but this homecoming brings McKay more than he bargained for.

Your Name Here

Your Name Here

Matthew Wilder 2008 1h 46m 8.0

The lines between reality and perception blur in this comic journey into the life and mind (literally!) of one of sci-fi's most brilliant authors. Paranoid conspiracies of the highest order, drug-fueled interdimensional shifts, and 1970's pop culture combine for the mind-bending adventure of the century.

Man in the Chair

Man in the Chair

Michael Schroeder 2007 1h 47m 8.0

The story of an aspiring young filmmaker's encounter with a grumpy fount of movie lore.

Big Stan

Big Stan

Rob Schneider 2007 1h 49m 5.4

A weak and nebbishy con man panics when he learns he's going to prison for fraud. He hires a mysterious martial arts guru, who transforms him into a kung fu expert who can fight off inmates who want to hurt him--and love him.

Greener Mountains

Greener Mountains

Lee Shallat Chemel 2005

Greener Mountains is a family friendly, coming-of-age story about finding your place in the world.

Christmas with the Kranks

Christmas with the Kranks

Joe Roth 2004 1h 39m 4.8

Luther Krank is fed up with the commerciality of Christmas; he decides to skip the holiday and go on a vacation with his wife instead. But when his daughter decides at the last minute to come home, he must put together a holiday celebration.

Snow Dogs

Snow Dogs

Brian Levant 2003 1h 39m 5.1

When a Miami dentist inherits a team of sled dogs, he's got to learn the trade or lose his pack to a crusty mountain man.

Racing Stripes

Racing Stripes

Frederik Du Chau 2003 1h 42m 7.5

Shattered illusions are hard to repair -- especially for a good-hearted zebra named Stripes who's spent his life on a Kentucky farm amidst the sorely mistaken notion that he's a debonair thoroughbred. Once he faces the fact that his stark stripes mark him as different, he decides he'll race anyway.

Wild Wild West

Wild Wild West

Barry Sonnenfeld 1999 1h 46m 5.4

Legless Southern inventor Dr. Arliss Loveless plans to rekindle the Civil War by assassinating President U.S. Grant. Only two men can stop him: gunfighter James West and master-of-disguise and inventor Artemus Gordon. The two must team up to thwart Loveless' plans.

The Iron Giant

The Iron Giant

Brad Bird 1999 1h 26m 7.7

A giant metal machine falls to Earth and frightens the residents of a small town in Maine in 1958, until it befriends a nine-year-old boy named Hogarth and ultimately finds its humanity by unselfishly saving people from their own fears and prejudices.

Random Hearts

Random Hearts

Sydney Pollack 1999 2h 13m 4.5
Me and Will

Me and Will

Sherrie Rose, Melissa Behr 1999 1h 41m 5.0

Two women with a passion for motorcycles meet while going through rehab. When they discover they've both longed to ride Captain America's red, white, and blue chopper from Easy Rider, they escape the rehab clinic and hit the highway in search of their dream bike.

Twilight

Twilight

Robert Benton 1998 1h 34m 6.0

A retired ex-cop and private detective gets mixed up in murder when he is asked to deliver blackmail money and walks into a 20 year old case involving the mysterious disappearance of an actress' former husband.

Chairman of the Board

Chairman of the Board

Alex Zamm 1998 1h 35m 2.0

A surfer becomes the head of a major company.

Retroactive

Retroactive

Louis Morneau 1997 1h 31m 5.5

A psychiatrist makes multiple trips through time to save a woman that was murdered by her brutal husband.

My Best Friend's Wedding

My Best Friend's Wedding

P.J. Hogan 1997 1h 45m 5.9

When a woman's long-time friend says he's engaged, she realizes she loves him herself... and sets out to get him, with only days before the wedding.

Romeo + Juliet

Romeo + Juliet

Baz Luhrmann 1996 2h 7.6

The Australian director Baz Luhrmann teleports the romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet tale from the Italian Verona to the Latin-American Verona Beach. The film was a success with it’s original dialogue from the MTV aesthetic and with guns as the weapon of choice.

Albino Alligator

Albino Alligator

Kevin Spacey 1996 1h 37m 7.3

Three petty thieves who the police believe to be major criminals are chased into a basement bar where they take five hostages including all the bar employees. The rest of the movie deals with the cops lurking outside the bar while the trio try to get hold of the situation inside.

A Time to Kill

A Time to Kill

Joel Schumacher 1996 2h 29m 7.2

A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home

Dwight H. Little 1995 1h 35m 3.0

Jesse becomes reunited with Willy three years after the whale's jump to freedom as the teenager tries to rescue the killer whale and other orcas from an oil spill.

The Glass Shield

The Glass Shield

Charles Burnett 1994 1h 50m 6.0

Two cops become compelled to act against corruption and discrimination within their police precinct.

Relative Fear

Relative Fear

George Mihalka 1994 1h 30m 5.0

Just why are people surrounding Adam Pratman dropping down dead? Is this five year old really a murderous sociopath?

Cops and Robbersons

Cops and Robbersons

Michael Ritchie 1994 1h 33m 4.0

Hard-as-nails cop, Jake Stone moves in with the Robbersons so he can watch a hitman who has moved in next door. The Hitman is one thing—but can you survive the Robberson family.

Camp Nowhere

Camp Nowhere

Jonathan Prince 1994 1h 36m 7.0

Morris "Mud" Himmel has a problem. His parents desperately want to send him away to summer camp. He hates going to summer camp, and would do anything to get out of it. Talking to his friends, he realizes that they are all facing the same sentence: a boring summer camp.

The Music of Chance

The Music of Chance

Philip Haas 1993 1h 38m 7.0

Two men face the consequences of gambling after playing with men beyond their league.

Wild Card

Wild Card

Mel Damski 1992 1h 35m

Thriller about a former preacher, now a professional gambler, who heads down New Mexico way to visit an old buddy, only for him to be killed. It is not long before the Preacher is uncovering a hotbed of corruption and murder in the seemingly peaceful town, aptly named Farewell.

White Sands

White Sands

Roger Donaldson 1992 1h 41m 4.8

A sheriff in a small southwestern town discovers a corpse in the desert with a suitcase containing $500,000. He assumes the dead man's identity and inadvertently becomes involved in an FBI investigation.

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat

Anthony Hickox 1990 1h 44m 7.0

Reclusive vampires lounge in a lonely American town. They wear sun cream to protect themselves. A descendant of Van Helsing arrives with hilarious consequences.

Narrow Margin

Narrow Margin

Peter Hyams 1990 1h 37m 6.3

An L.A. District Attorney attempts to take an unwilling murder witness back to the United States to testify against a top-level mob boss. Frantically attempting to escape two deadly hitmen sent to silence her, they board a Vancouver-bound train only to discover that the killers are onboard with them.

The Mighty Quinn

The Mighty Quinn

Carl Schenkel 1989 1h 38m

Police chief Xavier Quinn investigates the gruesome murder of Donald Pater, one of the wealthiest residents on a Caribbean island. He was found decapitated in his Jacuzzi. Although the local political establishment, especially crooked Governor Chalk, insists that small-time thief Maubee is responsible, Xavier has his doubts.

Chattahoochee

Chattahoochee

Mick Jackson 1989 1h 38m

In 1955 Florida, a Korean vet has a breakdown and is incarcerated in a "maximum security" mental health prison, where patients are abused.

War Party

War Party

Franc Roddam 1988 1h 37m

One hundred years after the Battle of Milk River, both sides agree to reenact it. The cavalry are supposed to shoot blanks & the Indians weren't supposed to fight back....

The Milagro Beanfield War

The Milagro Beanfield War

Robert Redford 1988 1h 57m 7.3

The accidental breakdown of an irrigation valve launches a hot confrontation between the mainly Latino farmers in a tiny New Mexico town and the real estate developers and politicians determined to acquire their land for a golf resort.

Sunset

Sunset

Blake Edwards 1988 1h 47m

Tom Mix and Wyatt Earp team up to solve a murder at the Academy Awards in 1929 Hollywood.

Red Scorpion

Red Scorpion

Joseph Zito 1988 1h 45m 3.5

A Russian KGB agent is sent to Africa to kill an anti-Communist black revolutionary. However, he has a change of heart when he sees how the Russians and their Cuban allies are killing and repressing the locals, so he switches sides and helps the rebels.

Raising Arizona

Raising Arizona

Joel Coen 1987 1h 34m 7.8

The Coen Brothers tell the story of a absurd yet likable family with an unproductive couple as the focal point. The couple has gotten themselves into some trouble while kidnapping a baby and give Hollywood one of the most memorable chase scenes to date.

No Man's Land

No Man's Land

Peter Werner 1987 1h 46m 6.0

A rookie cop goes undercover to infiltrate a gang of car thieves led by smooth and charming Ted. The rookie becomes too involved and starts to enjoy the thrill and lifestyle of the game, and becomes romanticly involved with the leaders sister.

Murder Ordained

Murder Ordained

Mike Robe 1987 3h 5m 5.0

Based on the true story of a bedroom-eyed Kansas preacher who decided that getting rid of his wife, and his secretary's husband, was the will of the Lord.

Harry and the Hendersons

Harry and the Hendersons

William Dear 1987 1h 50m 5.1

Returning from a hunting trip in the forest, the Henderson family's car hits an animal in the road. At first they fear it was a man, but when they examine the "body" they find it's a "bigfoot". They think it's dead so they decide to take it home (there could be some money in this). As you guessed, it isn't dead.

Wildcats

Wildcats

Michael Ritchie 1986 1h 46m 6.3

Molly is a high school track coach who knows just as much about football as anyone else on the planet. When the football coach's position becomes vacant, she applies for the job, despite expecting sniggers from fellow staff members and her former husband.

The Best of Times

The Best of Times

Roger Spottiswoode 1986 1h 44m 4.0

A small-town loser determines to have one more shot at the big time by winning a football game.

Critters

Critters

Stephen Herek 1986 1h 26m 6.9

A massive ball of furry creatures from another world eat their way through a small mid-western town followed by intergalactic bounty hunters opposed only by militant townspeople.

Back to School

Back to School

Alan Metter 1986 1h 36m 6.5

Self-made millionaire, Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield), owner of the Tall & Fat chain of clothing stores goes to college to show solidarity with his troubled son (Gordon) and learns that he cannot buy his education.

Fletch

Fletch

Michael Ritchie 1985 1h 38m 6.3

Fletch is an ace reporter. While working on a story on Drug sales, he is approached by Alan Stanwyck who wants Fletch to murder him to save him from a lingering cancer death. Fletch begins to nose around and finds irregularities in Stanwyck's past and Underhill's Visa Number.

The Pope of Greenwich Village

The Pope of Greenwich Village

Stuart Rosenberg 1984 2h 1m

Charlie and his troublesome cousin Paulie decide to steal $150000 in order to back a "sure thing" race horse that Paulie has inside information on. The aftermath of the robbery gets them into serious trouble with the local Mafia boss and the corrupt New York City police department.

Missing in Action

Missing in Action

Joseph Zito 1984 1h 41m 4.4

American servicemen are still being held captive in Vietnam and it's up to one man to bring them home in this blistering, fast-paced action/adventure starring martial arts superstar Chuck Norris.Following a daring escape from a Vietnamese POW camp, Special Forces Colonel James Braddock (Norris) is on a mission to locate and save remaining MIAs.

Grandview, U.S.A.

Grandview, U.S.A.

Randal Kleiser 1984 1h 37m

With only a week left before graduation, a young dreamer itches to renounce an uninspiring scholarship, stand up to his despotic father and pursue a career in oceanography. But, has anyone ever spread his wings away from Grandview, U.S.A.?

Blood Simple.

Blood Simple.

Joel Coen 1984 1h 37m 8.0

A rich but jealous man hires a private investigator to kill his cheating wife and her new man. But, when blood is involved, nothing is simple.

Silkwood

Silkwood

Mike Nichols 1983 2h 11m 7.0

Like most of the people in her town, Karen Silkwood works at the local nuclear plant producing highly radioactive plutonium. Exposed one day to a lethal dose of radiation, Karen faces the blank walls of corporate indifference and denial. As her illness increases, her protest grows louder and she becomes an obvious danger to the powers that be.

Fast-Walking

Fast-Walking

James B. Harris 1982 1h 55m

A dirty corrections officer gets involved in a murder plot involving one of the inmates.

Cannery Row

Cannery Row

David S. Ward 1982 2h

Monterey, California in the 1940's. Cannery Row - the section of town where the now closed fish canneries are located - is inhabited primarily by the down and out, although many would not move away even if they could.

Blade Runner

Blade Runner

Ridley Scott 1982 1h 58m 8.5

From the atmospheric vision of Ridley Scott comes this futuristic film noir declared by many as the greatest Science Fiction movie of all time. Based on the novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick.

Reds

Reds

Warren Beatty 1981 3h 15m 7.3

A radical American journalist becomes involved with the Communist revolution in Russia, and hopes to bring its spirit and idealism to the United States.

Raise the Titanic

Raise the Titanic

Jerry Jameson 1980 1h 55m 6.0

To obtain a supply of a rare mineral, a ship raising operation is conducted for the only known source, the Titanic.

Ordinary People

Ordinary People

Robert Redford 1980 2h 4m 7.3

The accidental death of the older son of an affluent family deeply strains the relationships among the bitter mother, the good-natured father and the guilt-ridden younger son.

Brubaker

Brubaker

Stuart Rosenberg 1980 2h 5m 7.3
The Jerk

The Jerk

Carl Reiner 1979 1h 34m 6.2

A complete imbecile struggles to make it through life on his own, until a strange invention makes him unbelievably wealthy.

The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh

The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh

Gilbert Moses 1979 1h 42m

The Pittsburgh basketball team is hopeless. Maybe with the aid of an astrologer, and some new astrologically compatible players, they can become winners.

Straight Time

Straight Time

Ulu Grosbard 1978 1h 54m 7.2

After being released on parole, a burglar attempts to go straight, get a regular job, and just go by the rules. He soon finds himself back in jail at the hands of a power-hungry parole officer.

Slap Shot

Slap Shot

George Roy Hill 1977 2h 3m 6.9

This irreverent and hilarious look into the world of professional sports has Paul Newman as the minor-league hockey team. To build up attendance at their games, management signs up the Hanson Brothers, three hard charging players whose job is to demolish the opposition. One of the all-time best sports movies ever!

Airport '77

Airport '77

Jerry Jameson 1977 1h 54m 5.0

Flight 23 has crashed in the Bermuda Triangle after a hijacking gone wrong. Now the surviving passengers must brave panic, slow leaks, oxygen depletion, and more while attempting a daring plan, all while 200 feet underwater.

Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon

Peter Bogdanovich 1976 2h 6m 5.0

Going from a lawyer to a writer, and then to a film director, is the career path on which we find the bashful Leo Harrigan. But Leo has problems as well, such as being hopelessly smitten with his leading lady, who chooses to reward his attentions by getting herself hitched to Harrigan's vulgar leading man, Buck Greenaway!

Mikey and Nicky

Mikey and Nicky

Elaine May 1976 1h 46m 7.0

Nick is desperate, holed up in a cheap hotel, suffering from an ulcer and convinced that a local mob boss wants him killed. Terrified, he calls Mikey, his friend since childhood and a fellow gangster. So begins a long night…

Bound for Glory

Bound for Glory

Hal Ashby 1976 2h 27m 7.0

This film is an excellent biography of Woody Guthrie, one of America's greatest folk singers. He left his dust-devastated Texas home in the 1930s to find work, and discovered the suffering and strength of America's working class.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue

The Prisoner of Second Avenue

Melvin Frank 1975 1h 38m 6.5

Mel Edison has just lost his job after many years and now has to cope with being unemployed at middle age during an intense NYC heat wave.

Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic

Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic

Richard Donner 1975 1h 36m

Finding herself unable to cope with the divorce of her parents and the stress of daily life, 15-year-old Sarah Travis starts drinking in secret. At first, alcohol provides comfort and release. Then it sends her life spiraling out of control.

At Long Last Love

At Long Last Love

Peter Bogdanovich 1975 2h 5m

Four socialites unexpectedly clash: heiress Brooke Carter runs into gambler Johnny Spanish at the race track while playboy Michael O. Pritchard nearly runs into stage star Kitty O'Kelly with his car. Backstage at Kitty's show, it turns out she and Brooke are old friends who attended public school together.

The Gambler

The Gambler

Karel Reisz 1974 1h 52m 7.0

Literature professor Axel Freed is a gambling addict. When he has lost his money, he borrows from his girlfriend Billie, then his mother Naomi, and finally some criminals that chase him. Despite all of this, he cannot stop gambling.

Serpico

Serpico

Sidney Lumet 1973 2h 9m 7.8

The true story about an honest New York cop who blew the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.

What's Up, Doc?

What's Up, Doc?

Peter Bogdanovich 1972 1h 34m 7.8

A strange woman and a man competing for a research grant get mixed up in a jewel robbery and a chase for top secret papers.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants

Anthony Harvey 1971 1h 38m 6.5

Every hero has a weakness, and Sherlock Holmes' weakness was Moriarty. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson solve mysteries and search for Moriarty in 1970s New York City. The fact that Sherlock Holmes is a psychotic paranoid and Dr. Watson is a female psychiatrist fascinated by his case is almost beside the point.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes

Escape from the Planet of the Apes

Don Taylor 1971 1h 38m 5.8

The world is shocked by the appearance of two talking chimpanzees, who arrived mysteriously in a U.S. spacecraft. They become the toast of society; but one man believes them to be a threat to the human race.

Little Big Man

Little Big Man

Arthur Penn 1970 2h 19m 8.2

Jack Crabb, looking back from extreme old age, tells of his life being raised by Indians and fighting with General Custer.

Stiletto

Stiletto

Bernard L. Kowalski 1969 1h 38m 5.0

A rich, jet-setting playboy has a secret life: he's also a professional Mafia hitman. When he decides it's time to retire from that life, he finds that his former employers don't like the idea that someone who knows so much about them won't be under their control anymore, and decide to send their own hitmen to eliminate him.

Midnight Cowboy

Midnight Cowboy

John Schlesinger 1969 1h 53m 8.2

A naive male prostitute and his sickly friend struggle to survive on the streets of New York City.

Alice's Restaurant

Alice's Restaurant

Arthur Penn 1969 1h 51m 5.5

Alice's Restaurant is a 1969 movie adapted from a song by Arlo Guthrie. The song is Arlo Guthrie's most famous work, a talking blues based on a true story that began on Thanksgiving Day 1965. The movie reproduces the events of the song, in addition to other scenes.

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