M. Emmet Walsh Biography

Fast Facts

• Has been deaf in his left ear since the age of 3
• Played football and basketball in high school; also belonged to the drama club
• Roomed with fellow future actor William Devane during college
• His first job in theater was working as a prop man at the Bucks County Playhouse in Pennsylvania
• Made his Broadway debut in 1969 with Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? Won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead in 1986 for his performance in Blood Simple
• Created the Blarney Fund Education Trust in 1989 to provide scholarships to graduating high-school seniors in the Swanton, VT, area who are in financial need
• Makes up half of Roger Ebert's "Stanton-Walsh Rule," which states that any film with Harry Dean Stanton or him in it can't be all that bad