Know Your “That Guy”: J.T. Walsh

Welcome to the first edition of our new feature here at Everything Action where we salute the workhorses of the entertainment industry, the “that guy” actors and actresses.  Character actors who you probably don’t know their names but you know them when they appear on screen.  To start off we have the man who you will be referred to if you look up “that guy” in the dictionary, the late J.T. Walsh.

J.T. Walsh

Born: September 28, 1943

Died: February 27, 1998

Number of Roles: 73

Best Known for Playing: “quietly sinister white-collar sleazeballs” (according to Leonard Maltin)

First Appearance: Little Gloria…Happy at Last (1982)

Most Recent Appearance: Big Bob in Pleasantville

Awards: Nominated for an Emmy and two SAG Awards

Notable Roles:

• Terence Neibaum in The Negotiator
• Warren “Red” Barr in Breakdown
• Charles Bushman in Sling Blade
• Col. Markinson in A Few Good Men
• Senator Mavros in Executive Decision
• Sgt. Major Dickerson in Good Morning, Vietnam

Fun Facts:

• He spoke fluent German
• Jack Nicholson dedicated his Best Actor Oscar in 1997 to Walsh
• The Negotiator, Hidden Agenda, Pleasantville, Dollar for the Dead and Outside Ozona were all dedicated to Walsh’s memory.
• Appeared in four movies with Kurt Russell.

J.T. Walsh in Action: