M. Emmet Walsh

Michael "M." Emmet Walsh (born March 22, 1935) is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 films and television series.

Early life

Walsh was born in Ogdensburg, New York, the son of Agnes Katharine (née Sullivan) and Harry Maurice Walsh, Sr., a customs agent. He is of Irish descent. He was raised in a rural area of Vermont, and attended college at Clarkson University.

Career

Walsh came to prominence in the 1978 crime film Straight Time, in which he played a parole officer. He also had a memorable role as a crazed sniper in the Steve Martin comedy The Jerk. One of his best-known roles was Bryant in Ridley Scott's cult film Blade Runner. His most acclaimed performance was arguably the double-crossing private detective in Blood Simple (1984), for which he won the 1986 Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.

Walsh made occasional guest appearances on Home Improvement as Tim Allen's father-in-law. In 1992, he appeared as a powerful U.S. Senator in David Winning's Killer Image. In Christmas with the Kranks, he played one of Tim Allen's neighbors. He also appeared as Alex Lembeck, a motorcycle cop who appointed himself as Sandy Stockton's chaperone and protector on The Sandy Duncan Show in 1972, and he appeared in an episode of the NBC drama series Gibbsville in 1976.