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James Handy, the Hollywood actor best known for appearances in ‘Jumanji’ and ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ has died after being stabbed at a residence in Tarzana, California.
Authorities have also taken Michael Gledhill, 44, into custody. Gledhill is the son of Handy’s romantic partner.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), in a statement, stated that officers were dispatched to a home in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood early Wednesday morning.
The police department added that a 911 caller reportedly told the dispatcher, “I am the son of man. I just killed the man of sin”.
“The suspect resides at the location with his mother, who is the victim’s girlfriend,” the statement said.
Upon arrival, first responders discovered Handy, 81, unconscious in the home’s front yard with a knife wound to the chest. Despite being transported to a nearby hospital, he was declared dead.
Police said the suspect, who shares the Tarzana residence with his mother, approached responding officers on his own and admitted he was the individual they were seeking.
Gledhill was subsequently taken to Van Nuys Jail and booked for suspected murder. Jail records indicate his bail has been fixed at $2 million.
Born in New York, Handy’s career began in 1977. He was known for his role as an exterminator in the 1995 film ‘Jumanji’ and as bartender Jimmy in ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ the 2022 blockbuster starring Tom Cruise.
For over six decades, he featured in a series of films and TV shows. He also appeared in the 1990 film ‘Arachnophobia’ as a coroner who examines spider-bite victims, as well as in television crime dramas including NCIS: Los Angeles, CSI: NY, NYPD Blue, and L.A. Law.
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