Suffered cardiac arrest

“Blade Runner” actor M. Emmet Walsh dead

M. Emmet Walsh in 2014(Bild: John Shearer/Invision/AP)

Sad news for fans of film and television: American actor M. Emmet Walsh (88) succumbed to cardiac arrest in a hospital in the US state of Vermont on Tuesday.

Walsh had appeared in 119 feature films and more than 250 television productions over a period of six decades, according to a statement from his manager Sandy Joseph.

In 1982, director Ridley Scott cast him alongside Harrison Ford in the role of a hardened police officer in the sci-fi thriller "Blade Runner". In "Blood Simple" (1984), the Coen brothers' directorial debut, he shone as an unscrupulous private detective. The role earned him a Spirit Award trophy for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

M. Emmet Walsh in 2014(Bild: John Shearer/Invision/AP)

Walsh made his feature film debut in 1969 in the musical film "Alice's Restaurant". He made the western "Little Big Man" (1970) with Dustin Hoffman, the comedy "What's Up, Doc?" (1972) with Ryan O'Neal and Barbra Streisand, "There's No Shame in Wealth" (1979) with Steve Martin and the prison drama "Brubaker" (1980) with Robert Redford.

He played the father of the groom in the romance "My Best Friend's Wedding" with Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulrooney and a guard in the star-studded crime film "Knives Out - Murder is a Family Affair" (2019).