Veteran actor Harris Yulin, who appeared in films such as Scarface and Training Day, as well as TV shows like Frasier and Ozark, has died. He was 87.
Yulin passed away on Tuesday (June 10) of cardiac arrest in New York City, his family and manager, Sue Leibman, confirmed. “Yulin was part of the vanguard of a generation who cared passionately about the craft of acting,” his family said in a statement on People.
The statement added, “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.”
Born on November 5, 1937, in Los Angeles, California, Yulin studied acting at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) before moving to New York to establish a career on stage. He starred alongside James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons in the James Saunders play Next Time I’ll Sing to You before appearing in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1964, Richard III in 1966 and King John in 1967.
WIOU, Harris Yulin, 1990-91. photo: © Orion Televison / Courtesy: Everett Collection
He made his big screen debut in 1970 in the comedy-drama End of the Road. The following year, he portrayed Wyatt Earp in the Western movie Doc, based on Doc Holliday. He also played J. Edgar Hoover in the 1974 TV film The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One.
One of his most memorable film roles came as a corrupt Miami detective in Scarface (1983). He also had notable turns in Clear and Present Danger (1994) and Training Day (2001). Yulin also appeared in 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).
Harris Yulin in Ozark; Jessica Miglio / ©Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection
On TV, Yulin earned a guest-star Emmy nomination in 1996 for playing wise guy Jerome Belasco in Frasier. He also played Quentin Travers, head of the Watchers’ Council, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, NSA director Roger Stanton on 24, and Orson Snyder on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
More recently, he starred as Buddy Dieker in the Netflix drama Ozark, a friend of the Byrde family with ties to the Kansas City Mob. His final television role came in a 2022 episode of FBI: Most Wanted.
His other TV appearances over the years include Kojak, Ironside, Dynasty, How the West Was Won, As the World Turns, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Law & Order, Third Watch, Nikita, Billions, and many more.
Yulin is survived by his second wife, actress Kristen Lowman, his son-in-law Ted, nephew Martin, and godchildren Marco and Lara. He was predeceased by his first wife, actress Gwen Welles, and his daughter, actress Claire Lucido.