Harris Yulin, the veteran character actor known for his memorable roles in “Scarface,” “Ghostbusters II” and the Netflix series “Ozark,” died June 10 in New York City of cardiac arrest. He was 87.
Yulin’s death was announced by his family and manager Sue Leibman. A memorial service is scheduled to be held at a later date. The actor had been preparing to start production on the MGM+ series “American Classic,” which was set to star Yulin alongside Kevin Kline and Laura Linney.
Born November 5, 1937, in Los Angeles, Yulin was abandoned as an infant and left on the steps of an orphanage. He was adopted at four months old and raised in a Jewish household by a Russian family who gave him his last name. Yulin later credited his bar mitzvah as the life-changing inspiration to become an actor, saying he enjoyed performing before all those people while his friends found it horrible.
Yulin studied acting at UCLA before moving to New York to establish his theater career. He made his stage debut in 1963 opposite James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons in the James Saunders play “Next Time I’ll Sing to You.” His Broadway debut came in 1980 with “Watch on the Rhine,” followed by performances in “The Visit,” “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “The Price” and “Hedda Gabler” in 2001.
The actor made his cinematic debut in 1970 with “End of the Road” alongside Stacy Keach. He earned critical acclaim the following year playing Wyatt Earp in the revisionist Western “Doc,” again with Keach as Doc Holliday. Roger Ebert praised their performances, noting their quiet way of projecting the willingness to do violence made most Western actors appear as overactors.
Yulin’s most recognizable film role came in 1983’s “Scarface” as the corrupt Miami detective Mel Bernstein who attempts to extort money from Al Pacino’s Tony Montana. He continued building his film resume with roles in “Ghostbusters II” as Judge Stephen Wexler, “Clear and Present Danger” as a manipulative national security adviser, and “Training Day” as the corrupt cop Rosselli.
His television work earned him an Emmy nomination in 1996 for his guest role as Jerome Belasco on “Frasier.” Yulin appeared in numerous TV series throughout his career, including “24” as NSA director Roger Stanton, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as Quentin Travers, and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” in the acclaimed episode “Duet.”
More recently, Yulin had recurring roles on Netflix series including “Ozark” as Buddy Dieker, the eccentric housemate of the Byrde family, and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” as Orson, the father of David Cross’s character. He also appeared on “Veep,” “Billions” and “And Just Like That.”
Beyond acting, Yulin was dedicated to theater education and direction. He taught at The Juilliard School for eight years and at Columbia University’s Graduate School of the Arts. He directed numerous plays including “The Glass Menagerie,” “The Trip to Bountiful” and “This Lime Tree Bower.” His direction of “The Trip to Bountiful” at The Signature Theater earned four Lucille Lortel Awards.
Michael Hoffman, director of “American Classic,” provided a tribute to the actor. Hoffman described Yulin as “very simply one of the greatest artists I have ever encountered.” The director praised Yulin’s combination of immense technique with fresh discovery, noting his grace, humility and generosity both as an actor and as a person.
Yulin’s career spanned more than 100 film, television and stage productions over five decades. His other notable film appearances included “Night Moves,” “St. Ives,” “Bean,” “Rush Hour 2” and “Norman.” He portrayed historical figures including J. Edgar Hoover in a 1974 CBS telefilm and Senator Joseph McCarthy in a 1985 CBS miniseries.
The actor was previously married to actress Gwen Welles from 1975 until her death in 1993 from cancer. He also dated actress Faye Dunaway, his costar in the 1971 Western “Doc.” Outside of acting, Yulin was described as an avid bird watcher and lover of the sea.
Yulin is survived by his wife 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.
