3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Harris Yulin, ‘Scarface' and ‘Ghostbusters II' actor, dead at 87
Harris Yulin, the stage and screen actor who was best known for his roles in the films 'Scarface' and 'Ghostbusters II,' has died. He was 87.
Yulin died of cardiac arrest on Tuesday in New York City, his family and his manager, Sue Leibman, confirmed to The Post.
'Yulin was part of the vanguard of a generation who cared passionately about the craft of acting,' the statement read. '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.'
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10 Harris Yulin attends 'The Emperor's Club' premiere in Beverly Hills in Nov. 2002.
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Yulin was born on November 5, 1937 in Los Angeles. He made his New York stage debut in 1963 in 'Next Time I'll Sing to You,' before making his Broadway debut in 1980 in the revival of 'Watch on the Rhine.'
His next Broadway shows included 'The Price,' 'The Visit,' 'The Diary of Anne Frank,' 'Hedda Gabler' and more. He also directed many plays such as 'The Glass Menagerie,' 'The Trip to Bountiful' and ' The Man Who Came to Dinner.'
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10 Harris Yulin attends 'Our Lady Of Kibeho' opening night on Broadway in 2014.
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Yulin's first movie was the 1970 satirical black comedy drama 'End of the Road' starring James Earl Jones and Stacy Keach.
He went on to appear in 'Scarface' (1983), 'Ghostbusters II' (1989), 'Clear and Present Danger' (1994), 'Bean' (1997), 'Rush Hour 2' (2001), 'Training Day' (2001), 'The Place Beyond the Pines' (2012) and more.
10 Harris Yulin, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Dan Aykroyd in 'Ghostbusters II.'
©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
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10 Harris Yulin, Al Pacino, Steven Bauer in 'Scarface.'
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On television, Yulin was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his guest role on 'Frasier' in 1996. He had a major arc on Netflix's 'Ozark,' as well as stints on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' '24,' 'Veep,' 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' and 'Billions.'
In a 2010 interview with The Irish Times, Yulin described himself as 'not that high-profile.'
10 Josh Charles and Harris Yulin in 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.'
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10 Harris Yulin, Jane Leeves, Kelsey Grammer, John Mahoney, David Hyde Pierce in 'Frasier.'
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10 Harris Yulin in the ABC tv movie 'Victory at Entebbe.'
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'I just do the next thing that comes along,' he said of his career. 'Whatever comes along that I want to do or that I feel I need to do. Oftentimes the things one does you don't think of doing or you have no idea that you're going to do.'
According to his family, Yulin was working on the Michael Hoffman-directed MGM+ series 'American Classic' co-starring Kevin Kline, Laura Linney and Jon Tenney before his death. Yulin and Hoffman, 68, previously collaborated on the 2005 film 'Game 6.'
10 Harris Yulin in Canada in 1970.
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'Harris Yulin was very simply one of the greatest artists I have ever encountered,' Hoffman said in a statement. 'His marriage of immense technique with an always fresh sense of discovery, gave his work an immediacy and vitality and purity I've experienced no where else.'
'And what he was as an actor, he was as a man, the grace, the humility, the generosity,' the director continued. 'All of us at 'American Classic' have been blessed by our experience with him. He will always remain the beating heart of our show.'
10 Harris Yulin with his wife Kristen Lowman at the 2016 Signature Theatre Gala.
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10 Harris Yulin at the 'A Bright New Boise' premiere in NYC in Feb. 2023.
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Yulin notably dated Faye Dunaway from 1971 to 1972. They were co-stars in the 1971 Western film 'Doc.'
He was married to actress Gwen Welles from 1975 until her death in 1993.
Yulin is survived by his second wife, actress Kristen Lowman, son-in-law Ted Mineo, nephew Martin Crane, and godchildren Marco and Lara Greenberg. He was predeceased by his daughter, actress Claire Lucido.
