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Joe Turkel, actor in ‘The Shining,’ ‘Blade Runner,’ dead at 94

Joe Turkel, a prolific character who played a ghostly bartender in “The Shining” and also had roles in “Blade Runner” and “Paths of Glory,” died Monday. He was 94.

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Turkel died at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California, Chris Carbaugh, a representative for Turkel, told Variety. His death was also announced by his family, Deadline reported.

“So sad to share that great friend and client Joe Turkel has passed away,” Carbaugh said in a statement to People. “Joe was a lightning bolt and he was very passionate to talk about films, baseball and life. Every time we spoke he was quick to crack a bad joke and make me laugh.”

Turkel had more than 100 credits in movies and on television. In the 1980 film, “The Shining,” he played Lloyd, a lean-faced, sinister-looking bartender at the Overlook Hotel. When Jack Nicholson’s hotel caretaker character asks who is picking up his bar tab, Lloyd assures him, “It’s not a matter that concerns you, Mr. Torrance -- at least not at this point.”

Turkel’s character in “The Shining” has been spoofed through the years in film and on television, including in the 2016 film “Passengers,” Entertainment Weekly reported. Michael Sheen played a similarly dressed, unflappable character named Arthur.

Turkel also played Eldon Tyrell, an eccentric replicant creator, in the 1982 film, “Blade Runner.”

Turkel appeared in director Stanley Kubrick’s first major features, “The Killing” in 1956 and “Paths of Glory” the following year.

Turkel was born July 15, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, and enlisted in the Merchant Marines when he was 17, Deadline reported. He served in Europe during World War II and moved to California after the war, according to Variety. He landed his first role in the 1949 film, “City Across the River.”

Turkel’s film credits included roles in “King Rat,” “The Sand Pebbles,” “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” and his final film, “The Dark Side of the Moon,” Variety reported. He also appeared in “Tormented,” “The Boy and the Pirates” and “Village of the Giants.”

On television, Turkel landed roles on “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp,” “Sky King,” “Tales from the Darkside,” “The Lone Ranger,” “S.W.A.T,” “Adam-12,” “Ironside,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Ben Casey,” “The Untouchables,” “Dragnet,” “Miami Vice” and “Bonanza.” His final credit before retiring was a voice role in a “Blade Runner” video game spinoff in 1997, according to Variety.