Girlfriend of 'Top Gun' actor James Handy says son has schizophrenia, stopped taking meds before fatal stabbing

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on Jun 6, 2026

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The girlfriend of “Top Gun: Maverick” actor James Handy is speaking out in the wake of his fatal stabbing and her son’s arrest in connection with his murder.

Wendy Gledhill told TMZ that her son, Michael Gledhill, has been struggling with mental health issues, adding that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia in July 2025.

Her son had stopped taking his medication about a week before Handy, 81, was killed, she said.

The longtime actor was found fatally stabbed in the front yard of Gledhill’s home in Tarzana, California, on Wednesday morning.

Authorities responded to the scene after an individual called 911 and said, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.”

Police said Gledhill flagged them down as they arrived on the scene, and Michael was subsequently arrested. He was charged on Friday with one count of murder in connection with the actor’s death.

“This is not how anyone’s life should end, stabbed in the chest and left dying in the front yard of a home,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “The victim, James Handy, deserved to live out his later years enjoying what he had worked so hard for and enjoying it with those he loved and cared about.”

Handy, a New York native, started acting in the 1970s and has appeared in scores of films and television shows since.

He played the exterminator in the 1995 movie “Jumanji,” and recently appeared as the bartender, Jimmy, in the 2022 film “Top Gun: Maverick,” according to IMDb. Other credits include guest spots on a raft of television shows, including “X-Files,” “Law & Order,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “The Closer” and “Cold Case.”