In a manner similar to the passing of Aldous Huxley on 11.22.63, the death of formidable character actor Harris Yulin was announced on the same day as the greatly-mourned departure of Brian Wilson.
Yulin is best known for his performance as Miami detective Mel Bernstein in Brian DePalma‘s Scarface (;83)…”fucking punk…can’t shoot a cop!…fuck you!”.
His second and third best film performances were as White House advisor James Cutter in Phillip Noyce‘s Clear and Present Danger (’94) and Marty Heller, the droll, cat-petting boyfriend of Susan Clark‘s cheating wife in Arthur Penn‘s Night Moves (’75). Gene Hackman‘s Harry Moseby to Heller: “Harry thinks if you call him Harry again he’s gonna make you eat that cat.”
When Maggie and I were married (’87 to ’91) we bought a Spanish-styled home at 705 Superba Ave. in Venice. Yulin lived about 150 yards away on a nearby walk street. I’d see him every so often when we’d walk down to Abbot Kinney Blvd.
A fascinating and accomplished actor, Yulin passed yesterday (6.10). He was 88 years old.