Joe Turkel was born on June 15 1927 in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Polish immigrants. Joe Turkel joined the merchant marine in 1944. In 1946 he joined the United States Army. After his service he returned to New York City where he studied acting. In 1947 he went to Hollywood to pursue a career in film. He made his movie debut in City Across the River in 1949. Over the final years of the Forties he would appear in such films as Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949), Sword in the Desert (1949), Angels in Disguise (1949), Lucky Losers (1950), Federal Man (1950), Triple Trouble (1950), and Southside 1-1000 (1950).
In the Fifties he appeared in the films Halls of Montezuma (1951), Fixed Bayonets! (1951), Starlift (1951), Down Among the Sheltering Plains (1951), The Glass Wall (1953), A Slight Case of Larcency (1953), Man Crazy (1953), Duffy of San Quentin (1954), Gypsy Colt (1954), Return from the Sea (1954), The Human Jungle (1954), The Bamboo Prison (1954), Cell 2455, Death Row (1955), Mad at the World (1955), The Naked Street (1955), Lucy Gallant (1955), Inside Detroit (1956), The Killing (1956), The Proud and the Profane (1956), Friendly Persuasion (1956), The Shadow on the Window (1957), Hellcats of the Navy (1957), The Midnight Story (1957), Beau James (1957), Jeanne Engels (1957), House of Numbers (1957), Paths of Glory (1957), The Beast of Budapest (1958), The Bonnie Parker Story (1958), The Case Against Brooklyn (1958), Verboten! (1959), Warlock (1959), Here Come the Jets (1959), The Purple Gang (1959), Visit to a Small Planet (1990), The Boy and the Pirates (1960), and Tormented (1960). He made his television debut in 1952 in an episode of Boston Blackie. He guest starred on such shows as Dangerous Assignment, The Unexpected, I'm the Law, General Electric Theatre, Four Star Playhouse, I Led 3 Lives, Damon Runyon Theatre, Public Defender, The Lone Ranger, Crossroads, Highway Patrol, TV Reader's Digest, Navy Log, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Broken Arrow, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Code 3, The Californians, The Loretta Young Show, Tombstone Territory, Sky King, Dr. Christian, Official Detective, Boots and Saddles, The Silence Service, Jefferson Drum, Dragnet, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Rescue 8, Frontier Doctor, Mackenzie's Raiders, The David Niven Show, The Texan, Tightrope, The Lineup, Bat Masterson, and U.S,. Marshal.
In the Sixties Joe Turkel appeared in the films Portrait of a Mobster (1961), The Yellow Canary (1963), Johnny Cool (1963), The Carpetbaggers (1964), Village of the Giants (1965), King Rat (1965), The Sand Pebbles (1966), The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967), The Devil's 8 (1969), and The Animals (1970). He guest starred on the TV shows One Step Beyond, The Detectives, Two Faces West, The Asphalt Jungle, The Aquanauts, Lock Up, Tallahassee 7000, The Roaring 20's, The Dick Powell Show, Wagon Train, The Law and Mr. Jones, Ripcord, The Untouchables, East Side/West Side, Combat!, Ben Casey, Convoy, The Wackiest Ship in the Army, The Andy Griffith Show, The Felony Squad, The Rat Patrol, Bonanza, Ironside, Judd for the Defense, Land of the Giants, and Adam-12.
In the Seventies Joe Turkel appeared in the movies Wild in the Sky (1972), Six-Hundred & Sixty Six (1972), Cycle Psycho (1973), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975), The Hindenburg (1975), The Commitment (1976), Which Way is Up? (1977), and The Shining (1980). He guest starred on the shows The Chicago Teddy Bears,Cade's County, S.W.A.T., Police Story, Kojak, and Fantasy Island.
In the Eighties Mr. Turkel appeared in Blade Runner (1982) and Dark Side of the Moon (1992). He guest starred on the shows Tales of the Darkside and Miami Vice.
Joe Turkel retired from acting following Blade Runner and wrote unproduced screenplays. He also wrote an unpublished memoir, The Miseries of Success.
Joe Turkel was an incredible actor. In many of his films he only appears for a few minutes at most, yet he always left an indelible impression on viewers. As Lloyd in The Shining, he only appears briefly, yet the character remains memorable. In Blade Runner Dr. Tyrrell is not on screen for long, but is one of the movie's most unforgettable characters. Over the years, Joe Turkel appeared in a large numbers of roles, as well as a large variety of roles. He was comfortable with comedy, guest starring as bank robber Fred in the Andy Griffith Show episode "Otis the Deputy." He played gangsters on The Untouchable, yet he was a district attorney on Ironside and the sheriff in the cult film Village of the Giants. Regardless of what role he played, Joe Turkel always gave a good performance. He will likely always be remembered for The Shining and Blade Runner, but he played so many other roles.
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