Harris Yulin, Actor in ‘Scarface,’ ‘Training Day’ and ‘Ozark,’ Dies at 87

by

87-year-old Harris Yulin, a consistently acclaimed actor who graced the screens in movies like “Scarface,” “Clear and Present Danger,” and “Training Day,” as well as TV shows such as “Frasier,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” and “Ozark,” has passed away.

It was confirmed on Tuesday that Yulin passed away due to a heart attack in New York City, as reported by his family and his manager, Sue Leibman.

Despite never achieving a leading role that brought him widespread fame, Yulin was a consistently working actor who maintained a career lasting over half a century. As he confessed in a 2010 interview with The Irish Times, “I’m not particularly well-known. I simply take on whatever role comes next.

In the 1980s, ’90s, and early 2000s, this character actor graced Broadway with his presence in productions like “Watch on the Rhine” (1980’s), “The Visit” (1992), “The Diary of Anne Frank” (1997), “The Price” (1999), and “Hedda Gabler” (2001).

Or, more concisely:

From the 80s to early 2000s, this character actor was featured in Broadway productions such as “Watch on the Rhine”, “The Visit”, “The Diary of Anne Frank”, “The Price”, and “Hedda Gabler”.

Additionally, he directed off-Broadway plays like “Baba Goya” in 1989, “This Lime Tree Bower” in 1999, and “The Trip to Bountiful” in 2005. He also led a 1970 production of “Candida” at Canada’s Shaw Festival, as well as a 1995 performance of “Don Juan in Hell” for London’s Riverside Studios.

In various roles, Yulin stood out as the crooked Miami detective who attempted to extort money from Tony Montana portrayed by Al Pacino in the 1983 film “Scarface,” the scheming national security adviser who went head-to-head with Harrison Ford’s Jack Ryan in “Clear and Present Danger” (1994), and the corrupt cop Rosselli in Antoine Fuqua’s movie “Training Day” (2001).

Humorously, he portrayed a judge whose courtroom was destroyed by ghosts in “Ghostbusters II” (1989) and the quirky scientist who generated four different characters of Michael Keaton’s Doug Kinney in “Multiplicity” (1996).

Lately, I’ve found myself stepping into the shoes of Orson and Buddy Dieker on two Netflix shows. On “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” I played Orson, the dad of David Cross’ character. In another series, “Ozark,” I took on the quirky role of an elderly man named Buddy Dieker, who carries a past as colorful as his personality.

Audience members may likewise identify Yulin with Quentin Travers, the leader of the Watchers’ Council, from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” or as Roger Stanton, the NSA director, in “24.

In 1996, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for a guest role, where he portrayed a shrewd character whose girlfriend sought assistance from Dr. Crane (Kelsey Grammer) on the show “Frasier”.

Harris Yulin, who hails from Los Angeles, was born on November 5, 1937. As a tiny baby, he was sadly left at an orphanage’s doorstep without his family.

At the age of four months, Yulin was lovingly adopted into a Russian family that embraced their Jewish faith, giving him his surname. It was during his bar mitzvah ceremony that he experienced a transformative moment, inspiring him to pursue a career in acting.

Yulin expressed that he thoroughly enjoyed the experience,” he said. “Contrary to what most of his friends had stated, they didn’t enjoy it, finding it a dreadful ordeal to stand before the crowd, delivering whatever they were required to say. However, Yulin found the opposite to be true.

Prior to moving to New York with aspirations of a stage career, Yulin had studied acting at UCLA. In 1963, he got his big break opposite James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons in the play “Next Time I’ll Sing to You” by James Saunders. He followed this with roles in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 1964, “Richard III” in 1966, and “King John” in 1967, all of which were Shakespearean productions.

In 1970, Yulin first appeared on the big screen alongside Stacy Keach in the unconventional comedy-drama titled “End of the Road“. The following year, he received recognition for portraying Wyatt Earp in the Western film “Doc“, which was a revisionist take and had Keach as Doc Holliday.

Roger Ebert praised the film in his 1971 review, highlighting its exceptional acting as its main strength. He noted that Stacy Keach and Harris Yulin portrayed a subtle readiness for violence, making other Western actors seem overly dramatic by comparison.

A group of actors specializing in producing Western films have formed an unofficial club, including John Wayne, Lancaster, Eastwood, Douglas, Widmark, Mitchum, among others. They’ve worked together so frequently on these Westerns, in various configurations, that they’ve created a distinctive acting style typical of all Western films. Keach and Yulin, however, are not part of this club and bring fresh perspectives to the genre, reimagining characters like Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp.

Later on, Yulin took on the roles of J. Edgar Hoover in the 1974 CBS movie titled “The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One” and Sen. Joseph McCarthy in the 1985 CBS miniseries titled “Robert Kennedy and His Times“.

The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One”, and Sen. Joseph McCarthy in a 1985 TV series named “Robert Kennedy and His Times”.

In one episode of the Steve Allen PBS show “Meeting of Minds” (airing in 1979), he portrayed Leonardo da Vinci, while in another episode he took on the role of Shakespeare.

On the CBS drama of the 1990-91 period, titled “WIOU,” Yulin assumed the role of a news anchor on a struggling television station. Over time, she made appearances in numerous other shows such as “Kojak,” “Ironside,” “Cagney & Lacey,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “La Femme Nikita,” “The X-Files,” “Entourage,” “The Blacklist,” “Veep,” “Murphy Brown” and “Billions.

In my gaming world, some of Yulin’s memorable cinematic journeys include Night Moves (1975), St. Ives (1976), Another Woman (1988), Narrow Margin (1990), Murder at 1600 (1997), Bean (1997), Cradle Will Rock (1999), Chelsea Walls (2001), Rush Hour 2 (2001), and Norman (2016). These films, much like levels in a game, each offering unique challenges and experiences.

This week, Harris was getting ready to begin filming for a role in the Michael Hoffman-directed MGM+ series “American Classic,” which stars Kevin Kline and Laura Linney. According to Hoffman, “Harris Yulin was undeniably one of the most outstanding artists I have ever come across.

From 1975 until her passing due to cancer at the age of 42 in 1993, Yulin was wedded to actress Gwen Welles, known for her role in “Nashville”. In September 2005, he tied the knot with actress Kristen Lowman, who is still alive. Also surviving him are his son-in-law Ted, nephew Martin, and godchildren Marco and Lara. Regrettably, his daughter, actress Claire Lucido, had passed before him as well.

Read More

2025-06-11 23:55