Joe Turkel, 'The Shining' Bartender, Dies at 94

Joe Turkel, a longtime character actor most famous for his creepy bartender in "The Shining," has died at 94.

THR reports he died Monday at a hospital in Santa Monica, California.

Born July 15, 1927, in Brooklyn, Turkel served in the U.S. military ahead of his film debut, in 1948's "City Across the River."

But it was his appearance in the forgettable "Man Crazy" (1953) that proved fortuitous. It was his work in that B-picture that caught the attention of young filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, who resolved to hire him someday. He wound up in his films "The Killing" (1956), "Paths of Glory" (1957), and, much later, as Lloyd the bartender in "The Shining" (1980).

Turkel's short scenes with star Jack Nicholson are a highlight of "The Shining," and led to his casting in Ridley Scott's high-profile "Blade Runner" (1982), as Dr. Eldon Tyrell, whose head is crushed by his own creation, a replicant (Rutger Hauer) who is bitter that his time is nearly up.

He later voiced Dr. Tyrell for the 1997 "Blade Runner" video game,.

Among many other films, Turkel also worked for director and effects legend Bert I. Gordon in "The Boy and the Pirates" and "Tormented" (both 1960). He was also in the films "The Bonnie Parker Story" (1958), "The Sand Pebbles" (1966), "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" (1967), "The Hindenburg" (1975), and "The Dark Side of the Moon" (1990).

He had TV credits stretching back to 1952.