Sad news to report today. Harris Yulin, the talented character actor whose commanding presence and distinctive voice made him a memorable figure in dozens of films, television series, and stage productions, is dead. He was 87.
With a career spanning six decades, Yulin got his start on the stage but soon made the leap to the big screen. One of his first significant roles found him playing Wyatt Earp in Doc, a revisionist Western which told the story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Stacey Keach played Doc Holliday, and Faye Dunaway (who Yulin dated for a time) played Kate Elder.
Yulin went on to appear in Night Moves, Ghostbusters II, Clear and Present Danger, The Baby-Sitters Club, Cutthroat Island, Multiplicity, Bean, The Hurricane, Rush Hour 2, Training Day, My Soul to Take, The Place Beyond the Pines, and more. He also played Mel Bernstein in Scarface, the corrupt Miami Police Detective on Frank’s payroll who attempts to extort Tony Montana. It doesn’t end well.
He was equally as prolific on television, with memorable roles in Little House on the Prairie, Wonder Woman, Law & Order, Murphy Brown, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, 24, The Blacklist, Veep, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Billions, and more. As a Star Trek fan, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention his powerful performance in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He played Aamin Marritza in Duet, one of the best episodes of the series. Yulin also played Buddy Dieker in the first two seasons of Netflix’s Ozark.
He received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series after playing crime boss Jerome Belasco on Frasier.
In the last few weeks, Yulin had been preparing to star alongside Kevin Kline and Laura Linney in American Classic, an upcoming MGM+ comedy series directed by Michael Hoffman. “Harris Yulin was very simply one of the greatest artists I have ever encountered,” Hoffman said in a statement. “His marriage of immense technique with an always fresh sense of discovery, gave his work an immediacy and vitality and purity I’ve experienced nowhere else. And what he was as an actor, he was as a man, the grace, the humility, the generosity. All of us at American Classic have been blessed by our experience with him. He will always remain the beating heart of our show.“
Our thoughts and condolences go out to Yulin’s family and friends. He was a true talent whose presence elevated every scene he entered.
