James Helpful, the actor who appeared in initiatives together with Top Gun: Maverick and Jumanji, was killed Wednesday. He was 81.
Helpful was stabbed by his girlfriend’s son, Michael Gledhill, in Tarzana, the Los Angeles Police Division stated in a statement. The stabbing is below 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, ‘I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.’ Upon their arrival, officers discovered 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’s assertion learn.
“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 assertion continued. “Detectives believe this is an isolated incident and there appears to be no danger to the public at this time.”
Gledhill, 44, is a resident of Tarzana, and he was arrested and transported to Van Nuys Jail, the place he was booked for one rely of homicide.
Helpful appeared within the 2022 Prime Gun sequel, the place he performed a bartender; in Jumanji, he portrayed an exterminator. He additionally appeared in movies together with Arachnophobia (1990) and The Rocketeer (1991).
Helpful has popped up in quite a few tv exhibits as effectively, together with two seasons of NYPD Blue; two 1995 episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210; a 1997 episode of Legislation & Order; Profiler (1997-98); three episodes of The Younger and the Stressed; and a 2021 look on 9-1-1.
