Joe Turkel, the prolific character actor known for his roles in “The Shining” and “Blade Runner,” died Monday at St. John’s Hospital. John of Santa Monica, California, has confirmed a representative to Variety. He was 94 years old.
A prolific performer with more than 100 credits in various films and television shows, Turkel is best known for his supporting roles in three Stanley Kubrick films, including his first feature film “The Killing”, “Paths of Glory” and “The Shining,” where he played the often-parodied role of ghostly waiter Lloyd. He also played a prominent role in the 1982 original “Blade Runner,” as an eccentric replicating creator Eldon Tyrell.
Turkel was born in Brooklyn in 1927 and joined the United States Army at age 17, serving in Europe during World War II. After the war, he moved to California to pursue acting and earned his first film credit with “City Across the River” in 1948.
Over the next four decades, Turkel worked hard, with notable films such as “King Rat”, “The Sand Pebbles”, “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” and his final film “The Dark Side of the Moon “. He also appeared in three of Bert Bert Gordon’s films: “Tormented,” “The Boy and the Pirates,” and “Village of the Giants.”
On television, he appeared in episodes of popular shows such as “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp”, “Sky King”, “Tales from the Darkside”, “The Lone Ranger”, “SWAT”, “Adam-12” “Ironside,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Ben Casey,” “The Untouchables,” “Dragnet,” “Miami Vice” and “Bonanza.” His last credit before retiring was a voice role in a spin-off of the 1997 video game “Blade Runner.”
According to a representative, before his death, Turkel completed a memoir entitled “The Misery of Success,” which his family plans to publish later this year.
Turkel is survived by his two sons, two daughters-in-law and his brother David Turkel.
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