Actor James Handy Killed at Home by Girlfriend's Son

LOS ANGELES, CA — James Handy, a character actor whose four-decade career included roles in the blockbuster film "Top Gun: Maverick" and the adventure hit "Jumanji," was fatally stabbed Wednesday at a home in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was 81.

Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to a residence Wednesday morning and found Handy unconscious in the front yard with a stab wound to the chest, authorities said. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police arrested 44-year-old Michael Gledhill on suspicion of murder. According to the LAPD, Gledhill made a 911 call before officers arrived, allegedly telling dispatchers, "I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin."

When officers reached the scene, Gledhill flagged them down and identified himself as the person police were seeking, authorities said. Police said Gledhill lived at the home with his mother, who was in a relationship with Handy.

Gledhill was booked on a murder charge and is being held on $2 million bail.

Handy built a lengthy career as a character actor in film and television. His film credits included "Arachnophobia" (1990), "The Rocketeer" (1991), "Jumanji" (1995), where he had a small role as an exterminator, and "Top Gun: Maverick" (2022), in which he played a bartender.

On television, Handy appeared in two seasons of "NYPD Blue" and had roles in series including "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Law & Order," "Profiler," "The Young and the Restless" and "9-1-1."