Joe Turkel
Encyclopedia
Joe Turkel is an American
character actor
. He is credited in several films as Joseph Turkel.
, New York
, and served in the U.S. Military during World War II. He currently lives in southern California, and has been involved in writing screenplays.
's Blade Runner
(1982), and Lloyd, the ghostly bartender in Stanley Kubrick
's The Shining
(1980). He has the distinction of being one of only two actors (the other being Philip Stone
) to work with Kubrick as a credited character three times: in The Killing (1956, as "Tiny"), in Paths of Glory
(1957, as the doomed Private Arnaud), and in The Shining. His first film appearance was in 1948, City Across the River. Other film appearances include Bert I. Gordon
's The Boy and the Pirates
(1960), as Abu the Genie, the 1988 horror feature The Dark Side of the Moon
, The Sand Pebbles
(1966), as Bronson, and Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik
in The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
. Television appearances include Kojak
, Tales from the Darkside
and Miami Vice
(in the episode Indian Wars). He also played the janitor in an episode of Boy Meets World
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
. He is credited in several films as Joseph Turkel.
Background
Turkel was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and served in the U.S. Military during World War II. He currently lives in southern California, and has been involved in writing screenplays.
Career
His most famous roles are Dr. Eldon Tyrell, the eccentric God-figure in Ridley ScottRidley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
's Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
(1982), and Lloyd, the ghostly bartender in Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
(1980). He has the distinction of being one of only two actors (the other being Philip Stone
Philip Stone
Philip Stone was an English actor.He was born Philip Stones in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Stone appeared in three successive Stanley Kubrick films: playing the central character's "Dad" in A Clockwork Orange , "Graham" in Barry Lyndon and as "Delbert Grady," the original caretaker in The Shining...
) to work with Kubrick as a credited character three times: in The Killing (1956, as "Tiny"), in Paths of Glory
Paths of Glory
Paths of Glory is a 1957 American anti-war film by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb. Set during World War I, the film stars Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, the commanding officer of French soldiers who refused to continue a suicidal attack...
(1957, as the doomed Private Arnaud), and in The Shining. His first film appearance was in 1948, City Across the River. Other film appearances include Bert I. Gordon
Bert I. Gordon
Bert I. Gordon is an American film director most famous for such science fiction and horror B-movies as The Amazing Colossal Man and Village of the Giants....
's The Boy and the Pirates
The Boy and the Pirates
The Boy and the Pirates is a 1960 film from Bert I. Gordon , the master of giant monster films. It stars a very popular child star of the day in 12-year-old Charles Herbert and Gordon's own daughter, Susan. The story line, that of a little boy and girl trapped on the pirate ship of Blackbeard,...
(1960), as Abu the Genie, the 1988 horror feature The Dark Side of the Moon
The Dark Side of the Moon (film)
The Dark Side of the Moon is a 1990 direct-to-video science fiction/horror film. It was directed by D.J. Webster from the screenplay by brothers Chad and Carey Hayes, who would go on to script the 2005 remake of House of Wax.-Cast:...
, The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles (film)
The Sand Pebbles is a 1966 American period war film directed by Robert Wise. It tells the story of an independent, rebellious U.S. Navy Machinist's Mate aboard the fictional gunboat USS San Pablo in 1920s China....
(1966), as Bronson, and Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik
Jake Guzik
Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik was the financial and legal advisor, and later political “greaser”, for the Chicago Outfit.-Early life:...
in The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (film)
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre is a 1967 gangster film based on the 1929 Chicago mass murder of seven members of the Northside gang, directed against George "Bugs" Moran by Al Capone...
. Television appearances include Kojak
Kojak
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
, Tales from the Darkside
Tales from the Darkside
Tales from the Darkside is an anthology horror TV series produced by George A. Romero; it originally aired from 1983 to 1988. Similar to Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, The Outer Limits, and Tales From The Crypt, each episode was an individual short story that ended with a plot...
and Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
(in the episode Indian Wars). He also played the janitor in an episode of Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World is an American comedy-drama series that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, played by Ben Savage, a kid from suburban Philadelphia who grows up from a young boy to a married man. The show aired for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, part of the...
.