“Joe was a lightning bolt and he was very passionate to talk about films, baseball and life. Every time we spoke he was quick to crack a bad joke and make me laugh,” his rep told PEOPLE
Joe Turkel, a prolific character actor in films like The Shining and Blade Runner, has died. He was 94.
Turkel died on Monday at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, Calif. Variety was the first to report the news.
“So sad to share that great friend and client Joe Turkel has passed away,” Chris Carbaugh, a representative for Turkel, said in a statement to PEOPLE. “Joe was a lightning bolt and he was very passionate to talk about films, baseball and life. Every time we spoke he was quick to crack a bad joke and make me laugh.”
Turkel is best known for his supporting roles in Stanley Kubrick’s films, The Killing, Paths of Glory and The Shining, in which he played the ghostly bartender, Lloyd. He also starred in the original 1982 Blade Runner as replicant creator Eldon Tyrell.
With over 140 film and TV credits spanning over four decades, Turkel appeared in notable films, such as King Rat, The Sand Pebbles, and The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
He also appeared in director Bert I. Gordon’s films, Tormented, The Boy and the Pirates and Village of the Giants. His final film, The Dark Side of the Moon, premiered in 1990.
For his TV performances, Turkel appeared in episodes of popular shows, including The Lone Ranger, S.W.A.T, The Andy Griffith Show, and Miami Vice. Before retiring, his last credit was a voice role in a 1997 Blade Runner video game spinoff.
“He was very proud of being the only actor to do 3 Stanley Kubrick films and loved to share his experiences with family, friends and fans,” Carbaugh told PEOPLE. “He was an old Brooklyn boy and loved seeing his brother, 2 sons and grandkids.”
Turkel was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1927 and served under the U.S. Army in the European Theater of Operations during World War II.
A representative told Variety that before his death, Turkel had written a memoir titled The Misery of Success, which will be published by his family later this year. Turkel is survived by his two sons, two daughter-in-laws, and brother David Turkel.
“I will always appreciate the time we got to spend with this legend,” Carbaugh told PEOPLE. “Your money is no good here Mr. Turkel…you will ALWAYS be more human than human.”
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