Top Gun: Maverick, Logan Actor James Handy Dies at 81

James Handy, prolific actor known for his role as the bartender in Top Gun: Maverick as well as appearances in Logan and Jumanji among many others has died.  He was 81. According to reports, the actor was killed in Los Angeles on Wednesday, reportedly the victim of a stabbing. The suspect in the incident has been arrested.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department (via The Hollywood Reporter), Handy was stabbed by his girlfriend’s son, Michael Gledhill. Gledhill was arrested at the scene and the incident is under investigation.

“On Wednesday, June 3, 2026, around 9:30 a.m., West Valley area patrol officers responded to a radio call of unknown trouble in the 19200 block of Erwin Street. The 911 caller stated, ‘Upon their arrival, officers discovered the 81-year-old James Handy in the front yard of the residence, unconscious and suffering from a stab wound to his chest. The victim was transported to local hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics, where he was pronounced deceased,” the LAPD statement reads. 

“The suspect flagged down nearby responding officers, telling them he was the one they were looking for. The suspect resides at the location with his mother, who is the victim’s girlfriend,” the statement continued.

Handy had an extensive career in film and television, starting with 1977’s Taps. On the television side of things, he notably portrayed Arthur Devlin in Alias, Lou Handleman in Profiler, and Captain Jim Haverill on NYPD Blue. He also had several notable roles in movies, appearing as Wooly in 1991’s The Rocketeer as well as appearing in 1995’s Jumanji, 2017’s Logan, where he played the doctor that treated Hugh Jackman’s Logan, and most recently as Jimmy, the bartender in Top Gun: Maverick.

Our thoughts are with his friends and family during this difficult time.

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