Harris Yulin, Ozark and Scarface Actor, Dead at 87

Harris Yulin, a longtime theater actor whose appearances in film and TV also proved memorable, died June 10th, 2025 at the age of 87. His most notable roles, out of 138 screen credits, include National Security Advisor James Cutter in Clear and Present Danger, corrupt detective Mel Bernstein in Scarface, and a 12-episode run as terminally ill retiree Buddy Dieker in the Netflix crime drama Ozark.

Born November 5th, 1937, Yulin also made an impression as Judge Wexler in Ghostbusters II, the duplicitous Watcher Quentin Travers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and vaguely evil businessman Orson Snyder on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He received an Emmy nomination for Guest Actor in 1996 for his appearance in the Frasier episode “A Word to the Wiseguy,” and was included in the ensemble cast nomination at the SAG Awards when Ozark was nominated in 2019.

As a theater actor, Yulin first appeared on stage in the 1963 production of James Saunders’ Next Time I’ll Sing to You, making his Broadway debut in 1980 in a revival of Watch on the Rhine. His other Broadway credits include A Lesson From Aloes, The Diary of Anne Frank, and a 2001 production of Hedda Gabler.

Prior to his death, Yulin had just been about to start work on the MGM+ series American Classic, starring Kevin Kline and Laura Linney. He is survived by his wife Kristen Lowman.