Los Angeles police are investigating the fatal stabbing of actor James Handy, who officials said was killed by his girlfriend’s son Wednesday at a home in Tarzana. The suspect was apprehended after he made a bizarre 911 call.

On Thursday, authorities identified the 81-year-old stabbing victim as the actor, who appeared in the films “The Verdict,” “Logan,” “Jymanji,” “ Top Gun: Maverick” and “Arachnophobia.”

Representatives for the actor confirmed the news to The Times.

On Wednesday around 9:30 a.m., West Valley area patrol officers responded to an emergency call in a residential neighborhood of Tarzana. The 911 caller stated, “I am the son of man. I just killed the man of sin.”

When police arrived, they found Handy in the front yard of the Erwin Street home, unconscious and suffering from a stab wound to his chest. According to law enforcement, Handy was taken by paramedics to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A news release said that Michael Gledhill, the man suspected of stabbing Handy, flagged down officers who were responding to the incident and told them he was the one they were looking for.

Gledhill, 44, lives at the Erwin Street home with his mother, who police said was in a relationship with Handy. Close friends of the actor said the two had been together for more than a decade.

Detectives said they believed this was an isolated incident and there appeared to be no danger to the public at this time.

Gledhill was arrested and transported to Van Nuys Jail, where he was booked on suspicion of murder. His bail was set at $2 million.

Actor James DeMarse, who had been close friends with Handy or “Jim” as his friends called him, said that Handy and his girlfriend had discussed Gledhill’s mental health issues with friends. Gledhill seemed to have developed later onset schizophrenia sometime last year and subsequently moved into the couple’s garage which was renovated to be living quarters.

Elisabeth DeMarse, James’ wife, said in an email to The Times that Handy and his partner (Gledhill’s mother) told them last year that they felt threatened by Gledhill. But they had spoken to Handy around Memorial Day, and he said things were much better.

DeMarse said that Handy was a Vietnam veteran. “To think he’d go through all this stuff, and survive all this terrible, horrible violence in Vietnam, and and now he’s stabbed to death on the front lawn of his girlfriend’s house. Just doesn’t make any sense,” DeMarse said.

Handy fell in love with theater while attending City College in New York. He has more than 150 acting credits to his name and had acted across stage, television and film since the 1970s. Most recently, he played a bartender alongside Jennifer Connelly in the 2022 sequel “Top Gun: Maverick.” In 2017, he played opposite Hugh Jackman in “Logan” as a doctor who pleads with Wolverine to heal up. And in the 1982 legal drama “The Verdict” he plays Kevin Doneghy opposite Paul Newman.

DeMarse said that when Handy came across the script for “The Verdict,” he told his agent he wanted to audition for the role but his agent wouldn’t submit him, and said he wasn’t right for the part. Handy took matters into his own hands and stopped by director Sidney Lumet’s New York townhome with a resume and headshot. By the time Handy left, Lumet was convinced and Handy landed the role.

In 2021, he portrayed Father MacGuffin in the comedy “Senior Entourage.” The film’s director, Brian Connors, told The Times on Thursday that he had known Handy for more than 40 years. The two would hike Fryman Canyon together and Connors said that anytime he saw Handy out with his partner, they seemed really happy.

“I met Jim in 1979. He was a wonderful, kind, generous friend,” he said. “He had a very funny sense of humor. He was loyal and helpful to me over many, many years.

“There’s nothing that I know about Jim that explains this, and I don’t know if anything can or will, but he was a dear friend and a true friend, and just a fantastic actor, a character actor. He really was one of the finest actors I ever knew.”

Handy also acted in numerous television crime dramas, including “Alias,” “Criminal Minds,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Rizzoli & Isles,” “CSI: NY,” “Cold Case” and more.

The police are asking anyone with additional information about this incident to contact the Robbery-Homicide Division, Valley Section, Dets. Simonyan or Lopez, at (818) 374-9550.