BREAKING: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Star Found Dead From Stabbing

Veteran actor James Handy, known for roles in “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Jumanji” and a string of TV hits, was allegedly stabbed to death by his girlfriend’s son at his Los Angeles home this week, police said.

Handy, 81, was found unconscious Wednesday morning in the front yard of a residence in the 19200 block of Erwin Street in Tarzana after suffering a stab wound to the chest, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Authorities said officers were called to the home after a chilling 911 call in which the caller allegedly stated: “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.”

Handy was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police identified the suspect as Michael Gledhill, 44, of Tarzana.

Investigators said Gledhill lived at the residence with his mother, who was Handy’s girlfriend.

According to police, Gledhill flagged down officers when they arrived and told them he was the person they were looking for.

Chilling doorbell footage obtained by Fox 11 Los Angeles reportedly showed Gledhill walking casually near the suburban home before returning with police. Bloody clothes were seen nearby, according to the outlet.

James Handy in Jumanji-Credit: Netflix

A motive for the attack remains unclear, but neighbors told Fox 11 that Gledhill and Handy had allegedly been arguing overnight.

One neighbor also claimed Gledhill appeared to have been suffering from delusions before the attack.

Gledhill was arrested and booked into the Van Nuys Jail on a murder charge. His bail was set at $2 million.

Handy’s death was confirmed by his talent agent, Pam Ellis-Evenas.

‘With great sadness, I can confirm that the gentleman who was attacked and killed on Wednesday in Tarzana was the actor James Handy,’ she said in a statement.

The killing marked another disturbing Hollywood-area tragedy, coming after the brutal deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, who were allegedly killed by their son, Nick, just miles away in Hollywood.

Handy was born in New York City and began his screen career in the late 1970s, appearing in ABC’s “Ryan’s Hope” in 1977.

Over roughly five decades, he built a long career as a familiar character actor, amassing nearly 150 film and television credits.

Most recently, Handy appeared in “Top Gun: Maverick” as Jimmy, the bartender. He also played the exterminator in the 1995 blockbuster “Jumanji,” and appeared in “Logan” as the doctor who treated Hugh Jackman’s title character.

His TV work included roles on “NYPD Blue,” “The West Wing,” “Castle,” “The X-Files,” “9-1-1,” “CSI: NY,” “Alias” and “NCIS: Los Angeles.”

On “NYPD Blue,” Handy played Captain Haverhill. On “Alias,” he portrayed Arthur Devlin. He also had a recurring role as Lou Handleman on “Profiler.”

Tributes began pouring in after news of his death spread.

Scott Alan Smith, a professor of performing arts at Savannah College of Art and Design who directed Handy at the Road Theatre Company in 2018, remembered him as both talented and generous.

‘Jim was not only a truly great actor, he was also a prince of a man – kind and generous and giving to his cast and audience,’ Smith wrote on Facebook.

Nancy Lipner, who said Handy once played her father in a play when they were both non-union actors in New York City, also mourned the loss.

‘He was only two or three years older than I, but somehow he brought it off, in large part because he was a terrific character actor and even though, as he told me, not particularly at home in anything resembling classic theatre,’ she wrote.

Lipner said she had not spoken to Handy in years but still checked his IMDb page from time to time to follow his career.

‘This is just awful,’ Lipner wrote.

Fans also remembered Handy online as one of Hollywood’s dependable “that guy” actors whose face seemed to appear everywhere.

‘James Handy was a great ’90s character actor – always delivered solid, memorable supporting work,’ one person posted on X, calling him ‘reliable every time.’

Others described him as a ‘fine character actor’ and ‘the ultimate “that guy” actor, with one fan writing that the first time he saw Handy ‘was in a small but effective role in the movie The Verdict.’

‘Rest in peace, James Handy – you were in everything,’ another user wrote.

Another fan reacted to the string of Hollywood tragedies, writing: ‘Wow, Rob Reiner, now James Handy. Just crazy.’

Handy’s long career made him a recognizable face across generations of film and television viewers.

But his life ended in shocking violence outside the Tarzana home where police say his girlfriend’s son allegedly confessed to being involved in the killing.

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