Harris Yulin, Ghostbusters and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Actor, Dies at 87

Actor Harris Yulin passed away on Tuesday at the age of 87, his family has announced. Yulin had some incredible roles throughout his career, including big screen credits like Scarface, Ghostbusters II, and Training Day as well as TV credits including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Ozark, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He was also greatly admired by his colleagues in Hollywood, many of whom made public tributes to him on Thursday as the news broke. Yulin’s family and his manager, Sue Liebman, told The Hollywood Reporter that he passed away in New York City due to cardiac arrest. Yulin was prepping for a role on the new streaming series American Classic, which was supposed to start production this week.

Yulin was in some of the biggest movies and TV shows of the last half-century, but he often acknowledged his lack of celebrity. In 2010, he told The Irish Times, “I’m not that high-profile, I just do the next thing that comes along.” Listing all the actor’s credits would be tricky, and even sticking to the notable ones is difficult, but he is often remembered for playing the judge in Ghostbusters II and the corrupt cop Bernstein in Scarface, to name a few.

Yulin was born in Los Angels in 1937, but he made his acting debut on the stage, and often returned to live theater throughout his career. He made his mainstream film debut in 1971 playing Wyatt Earp in the western film Doc, starring Stacey Keach as Doc Holliday. Yulin found work on the screen steadily from that point on, and his eclectic résumé is proof of his diversity as an actor. He appeared in The Baby-Sitters Club, The Hurricane, and Multiplicity all within the 90s, then took a memorable role as a secret service agent in Rush Hour 2.

Yulin’s TV credits pick up around the same time. Highlights include an episode of Wonder Woman in 1977, an episode of Deep Space Nine in 1993, and an episode of Frasier in 1996, though every fan is likely to recognize him from something different. He had a three-episode role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Quentin Travers, and a two-episode tenure on Veep as James Whitman.

Yulin was still working right up until the time of his death. He was preparing for a role in MGM+’s American Classic alongside Kevin Kline and Laura Linney. Director Michael Hoffman told THR, “Harris Yulin was very simply one of the greatest artists I have ever encountered.”

Yulin’s first wife, actress Gwen Welles, and his daughter, actress Claire Lucido, both preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife Kristen Lowman and other extended family, as well as admiring colleagues and fans.