Harris Yulin, prolific actor known for ‘Scarface,' ‘Training Day' and ‘Frasier,' dies at 87
Harris Yulin, the veteran stage and screen actor whose career notably included roles in 'Scarface,' 'Training Day' and 'Ghostbusters II,' has died. He was 87.
Yulin died Tuesday of cardiac arrest in New York, his manager Sue Leibman and his family confirmed in a statement to The Times on Thursday. He was 'part of the vanguard of a generation who cared passionately about the craft of acting — this deep, lifelong dedication led to extraordinary, resonant performances that were a gift to audiences, the actors he worked with, and the art of acting itself,' said the statement, which also remembered the Los Angeles native as an 'avid birder and lover of the sea.'
Born Nov. 5, 1937, Yulin enjoyed a varied screen acting career that spanned multiple decades and spawned more than 100 credits, according to IMDb. In film he portrayed a corrupt Los Angeles official in cahoots with Denzel Washington's immoral narcotics officer in 'Training Day,' a dismissive judge who oversees the court case against the supernatural sleuths in 'Ghostbusters II,' and a detective interested in doing business with Al Pacino's Tony Montana in 'Scarface.'
Yulin counted numerous TV series among his credits, including 'WIOU,' 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' '24,' 'Nikita' and 'Veep.' In the final decade of his life, he also appeared in Netflix series 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' and 'Ozark.' In 1996 he earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for guest actor in a comedy for his appearance as crime boss Jerome Belasco in the hit NBC series 'Frasier.'
Beyond TV and film, Yulin pursued a prolific career on stage with included Broadway productions of 'Hedda Gabler,' 'The Price,' 'The Visit,' and 'Watch on the Rhine' and off-Broadway shows of 'Hamlet,' 'Arts and Leisure' and 'Rain Dance.' Throughout his career, Yulin brought his talents to the Court Theater and Goodman Theater in Chicago, the Gate Theatre in Dublin and the Bay Street Theater in New York. Yulin was also a stage director who oversaw productions of several plays, including 'The Glass Menagerie,' 'The Trip to Bountiful,' 'This Lime Tree Bower,' 'Men's Lives' and 'The Man Who Came to Dinner.'
Yule was also an instructor who taught at Juilliard, Columbia University and at HB Studio. He continued working on new projects up until his death, including the MGM+ series 'American Classic,' starring Kevin Kline, Laura Linney and Jon Tenney. Deadline reported that the series began production on the East Coast and Yulin was preparing to begin shooting his role this week. His role will be recast.
Series co-creator and executive producer Michael Hoffman mourned Yulin in a statement:'[He] was very simply one of the greatest artists I have ever encountered.'
Hoffman, who worked with Yulin on the 2005 film 'Game 6,' added: '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,' Hoffman said. '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.'
Yulin is survived by his wife Kristen Lowman, son-in-law Ted Mineo, nephew Martin Crane and godchildren Marco and Lara Greenberg. He was preceded in death by his daughter Claire Lucido. A memorial will be held at a later date.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Emmy-nominated actor from ‘Scarface,' ‘Ghostbusters II' dies at 87
Harris Yulin, the Emmy-nominated actor best known for his menacing roles in iconic films such as 'Scarface' and 'Ghostbusters II," has died. He was 87. Yulin died of cardiac arrest on Tuesday, June 10 in New York City, Deadline reported. The actor's death was announced by his family and manager Sue Leibman. Yulin was born on Nov. 5, 1937 in Los Angeles, California, his IMDb biography states. Over a career spanning more than 50 years, Yulin appeared in more than 100 film and television productions including 'Night Moves,' 'St. Ives,' 'Clear and Present Danger,' 'Looking for Richard,' 'Bean,' 'The Hurricane' and 'Training Day.' Yulin's most notable performances were as Chief Detective Mel Bernstein in 1983's 'Scarface' and as Judge Stephen Wexler in 1989's 'Ghostbusters II.' The actor received an Emmy Award nomination in 1996 for his work on 'Fraiser,' in which he starred as Jerome Belasco in the episode titled, 'A Word to the Wiseguy." He also had notable roles on series including 'Cagney & Lacey,' 'The X-Files,' 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' and 'Ozark,' where he appeared in 12 episodes. A lifelong stage actor, Yulin made his New York stage debut in James Saunders' 1963 production of 'Next Time I'll Sing to You.' His Broadway debut came in the early 1980s. Yulin went on to appear in celebrated productions such as 'Hedda Gabler,' 'The Price' and 'The Diary of Anne Frank.' He also won a Lucille Lortel Award for directing 'The Trip to Bountiful' and received Drama Desk nominations, the Guardian reported. Before his death, Yulin was set to star in the upcoming MGM+ series 'American Classic,' which stars Kevin Kline and Laura Linney. Yulin was set to play Linus Bean, father to Kline's character in the show. Kline stars as Richard Bean, a Broadway actor who has a meltdown and comes home to the town of Millersburg, where his father founded a local theater. 'Harris Yulin was very simply one of the greatest artists I have ever encountered,' director Michael Hoffman said of the late actor, according to Deadline. '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,' Hoffman said. 'All of us at 'American Classic' have been blessed by our experience with him. He will always remain the beating heart of our show.' Yulin is survived by his wife, Kristen Lowman, son-in-law Ted Mineo, nephew Martin Crane, and godchildren Marco and Lara Greenberg, Deadline reported. Legendary songwriter, co-founder of iconic '60s band dies at 82 Doechii calls out Trump's 'ruthless attacks' to stop Los Angeles protests Funk-rock music pioneer, frontman of revolutionary band dies at 82 Founding member of chart-topping '80s R&B group dies at 68 'Devastated' music legend cancels more shows due to health issues Read the original article on MassLive.
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Immigration raid at LA-area car wash sparks tense scene, hours of protests in Bell
LOS ANGELES - Protesters gathered in southeast Los Angeles County on Friday evening, facing off with masked men in fatigues after federal agents detained at least three people at a car wash in the city of Bell, according to witnesses, and visited another car wash in neighboring Maywood. The immigration action in Bell took place at Jack's Car Wash and Detailing, located in the 7000 block of Atlantic Avenue, just north of Florence Avenue. Security camera footage reviewed by The Times shows masked men wearing olive vests chasing a car wash employee, who was wearing a bright green uniform and cap. The video shows another employee - wearing a bright green cap, a white long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans - surrounded by the masked men, his hands restrained behind his back. The employee is tackled to the ground as customers and others gathered, with some taking out their phones to record videos. The man in the white-long sleeved shirt is a car wash worker who is a U.S. citizen, according to the employee's brother, Jesús Rafael Cervantes. He said his brother, who lives in Bell Gardens, wanted to defend a coworker - an action that, Cervantes said, prompted agents to detain his brother. "Just for defending someone, they came and knocked him down. As you can see in the videos, they came and knocked him down like that, just like that. And that's unfair, that they come and grab a person like that as if he were an animal or something," Cervantes told The Times. Protesters gathered to confront the agents in the area, which is about 6 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. In one video shared with The Times, a protester sprays white paint on a silver SUV and a voice can be heard saying, "Get the ... out of here!" while others jeer. People can be seen hitting the vehicle. Officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately return a request for comment. In a statement posted on social media, the agency said Border Patrol vehicles "were violently targeted during lawful operations" in Bell and Maywood. The Department of Homeland Security said one vehicle was rammed and had its tires slashed on Atlantic Boulevard. On Slauson Avenue, a civilian struck a federal vehicle, totaling it, according to the department. "The driver was arrested for suspicion of vehicular assault as a mob formed and slashed additional tires," the department said. The statement included photos showing silver vehicles with cracked or shattered windows. One silver SUV was shown with dented doors and scratched paint. "Federal law enforcement is facing an ever-escalating increase in assaults - but we will not be deterred," the department said. "If you assault a federal officer, you will be prosecuted." The statement did not indicate how many were detained on immigration-related matters. The protest in Bell, a city with a large Latino and Lebanese community, comes as the federal government continues its campaign in Los Angeles to find and capture undocumented immigrants. The actions have spurred backlash from local and state officials and have forced some residents into hiding. "We're not sure who these armed men are. They show up without uniforms. They show up completely masked. They refuse to give ID. They're driving regular cars with tinted windows and in some cases, out-of-state license plates. Who are these people?" Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said at a briefing Friday night. "If they're federal officials, why is it that they do not identify themselves?" Bass asked. Around Atlantic and Brompton avenues, crowds of people gathered, taking videos and looking at the agents - armed individuals wearing balaclavas, some carrying long weapons, wearing vests and camouflage pants. They stood in the street near a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop. The crowd and agents were separated by yellow tape. One woman with a bullhorn hurled obscenities at the agents and President Donald Trump; others waved a Mexican flag and an upside-down U.S. flag, traditionally a symbol of protest or distress. "Losers!" another woman called out. "Go fight a real war!" Another shouted, "Shame on you!" Elsewhere, one of the armed people wore a U.S. flag on his vest, and some onlookers called out to them. "Are you a bounty hunter? How much is the bounty for an illegal right now?" someone on the street yelled. Cudahy Mayor Elizabeth Alcantar Loza was in Bell as the crowds gathered, and said the mood on Atlantic Avenue shifted when suddenly an unmarked silver SUV drove toward her and other people standing near her, angering the crowd. Some began to hit and throw objects at the SUV. A second unmarked vehicle attempted to do the same thing moments later, she said. "It felt like there was a point being made to incite violence," Alcantar Loza said. "People were peacefully protesting, and it became something completely different because of the vehicle that was trying to drive into the crowd." "We've seen it across the board, folks show up to an immigration activity and then violence is enacted upon them. Then they respond and we're shown as violent protesters - when in reality folks were calm, they were chanting, they were protesting. And they tried to run people over," she said. Just after 8 p.m., peaceful protesters waving Mexican and American flags gathered around Jack's Car Wash in Bell, as motorists honked their horns in support. "ICE out of everywhere!!!" one sign said. "Immigrants built this country," said another. There was another immigration action that appeared to focus on a car wash in Maywood on Friday, according to Maywood Councilman Eddie De La Riva. Ultimately, no one was taken from that business, he said. At one point, there was considerable commotion near the car wash. Video shared with The Times shows a minor collision between a blue BMW and a blue SUV with at least three agents inside, all wearing green vests. One of the passengers in the SUV opens his door in front of the slowly moving BMW, causing the BMW to hit the SUV's door. Agents detained the BMW's driver, who was later released, the councilman said, after onlookers shouted at the agents to let the driver go. By then, a crowd of protesters had formed. Fernando Botello, 39, was driving back to Maywood after picking up his girlfriend's 14-year-old son when he got an alert on his citizen app that people suspected to be immigration agents were spotted in the area. Moments later, he said, he learned that the agents were at an Xpress Wash at Slauson and Alamo avenues, just blocks from his home. When Botello got close to the intersection, he could see several vehicles were blocking the roadway. Unable to move, he got out of the car and watched the scene. He said the crowd started screaming to let the man go. He could hear people asking for the agents' badge numbers. After five minutes, he said, local police arrived. It was at that point, he said, the agents got in their vehicles and threw tear gas at a group standing on a corner near a park. A video taken by Botello shows an armed masked man standing from the ledge of an open door of a black SUV slowly driving along a street near Maywood's Riverfront Park. The video shows the agent throwing an object toward a crowd of people, and a loud bang can be heard as he gets back in the vehicle. Botello said the object was a flash bang grenade, and was tossed at people who were taking video. "They knew what they wanted to do," he said. As he recounted the situation, Botello paused, trying to hold back tears. "I was upset because the people were exercising their right. They weren't hitting the officers' vehicles, they weren't in the middle of the street," he said. "You're punishing people for standing up for their neighbors and yourself." "It feels surreal. I don't know how long this is going to last." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Massive sculptures worth $2.1 million stolen from SoCal warehouse in mysterious heist
LOS ANGELES - The two towering sculptures comprising thousands of pounds of bronze and stainless steel took artist and filmmaker Sir Daniel Winn more than a year to complete. They vanished in a weekend. Police believe that on June 14 or 15 at least one thief made off with both "Icarus Within" and "Quantum Mechanics: Homme," - sculptures valued at a combined $2.1 million - from a warehouse in Anaheim Hills. Other artwork and valuables inside the warehouse that would have been easier to move were untouched. Authorities have scant details about the heist. "Unfortunately, we have little information but we are investigating," Anaheim Police Sgt. Matt Sutter said. The life-sized "Quantum Mechanics: Homme" artwork, composed of lucite, bronze and stainless steel, depicts a winged and horned man and was featured in the award-winning short film "Creation" in 2022. It's valued at $1.8 million. A second Winn piece, "Icarus Within," based partially on the sculptor's chaotic childhood escape from Vietnam, is a steel and bronze sculpture that also stands 8 feet tall, weighs a ton, and is valued at $350,000. Both sculptures were being stored in a temporary facility and were last seen by warehouse workers in Anaheim Hills on Saturday, according to the Anaheim Police Department. When the workers returned to the facility Monday, both pieces were missing, according to police. Winn believes the pieces may have been stolen by an unscrupulous collector while an art recovery expert suspects the two sculptures will be destroyed for scrap metal. "Typically these sculptures, when we do exhibitions, take about a dozen men and two forklifts to move it and a flatbed or a truck to carry it," Winn said. "This is not an easy task." Winn told The Times that the last few days have been stressful and that his anxiety has been "through the roof." Winn is considered a blue-chip artist, meaning his work is highly sought after and has a high monetary value. The former UC Irvine medical student, who was once homeless after switching his major from medicine to art, said he blends fine art, quantum metaphysics and philosophy into his work. The Vietnamese refugee owns the Winn Slavin Fine Art gallery on Rodeo Drive and was appointed earlier this month as Art Commissioner for John Wayne Airport. The loss of his art has pushed Winn "to a dark place," he said, though he's found some catharsis in talking about the situation. "These are my children," he said of each of his individual works. "I have no physical, organic children. Every artwork I create is my child." The larger of two sculptures, "Homme," was the seventh and only unsold work in Winn's Quantum Mechanics series, which explores philosophical concepts, universal truths and tries to answer the enduring question: why are we here? The smaller "Icarus Within" focused on Winn's struggle around the age of 9 in emigrating to the United States in the final days of the Vietnam War. The sculpture was tied to Winn's movie "Chrysalis," based on his memoirs, that is supposed to premiere this fall. Winn said the level of sophistication in the theft led him to suspect he was targeted and that his pieces may be on the black market. He turned over a list of individuals who have recently inquired about his sculptures to police, he said. Sutter, the Anaheim Police sergeant, said this is the largest burglary he's seen in his 25 years with the department. "We've had our share of high-end homes that were burglarized, but this type of crime, involving forklifts, trucks, crews and the sheer size of the sculptures is something I can't remember us having before," Sutter said. Sutter said investigators are asking businesses near the warehouse for any footage that could help them identify a suspect. "I have no idea where these sculptures are," Sutter said. "They could be in somebody's house or in a shipping container somewhere. That's what we're trying to find out." Chris Marinello, founder of the dispute resolution and art recovery service named Art Recovery International, said the sculptures will likely be scrapped for their metals. Marinello said scrap yards tear apart such works into thousands of small pieces to cloak the metal's origin. "Unfortunately, the criminals are not that bright and they don't see artwork but, instead, a sculpture worth millions that is more valuable to them for the raw metals like steel and bronze," Marinello said. Marinello pointed to a two-ton Henry Moore bronze sculpture, known as the Reclining Figure, stolen from the artist's foundation in Hertfordshire, England in 2005. The piece was valued at 3 million pounds, but authorities believe it was scrapped for just 1,500 pounds. "You can't sell sculptures of this magnitude on the market," Marinello said of the Winn's stolen pieces. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
