Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with some sad news for genre movie fans. Legendary character actor Joe Turkel died today at the age of 94. Starting in the 1950s, Turkel appeared in several films including three movies for the legendary Stanley Kubrick. He also appeared in several television shows such as “The Fugitive” and “Boston Blackie.” But perhaps his most famous roles came in two iconic films in the early 1980s. The first was Kubrick’s “The Shining” as the ghostly bartender Lloyd. Appearing out of thin air when a struggling Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) wants a drink, he’s the sympathetic ear but carries a sense of subtle menace is his bearing that makes him a memorable character. The second iconic role was of a meatier nature as Dr. Elden Tyrell in Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner.” Tyrell is the founder of the Tyrell Corporation and inventor of the humanoid androids called replicants. Tyrell meets a memorably grisly end at the hands of his most advanced creation: the replicant Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) who is less than pleased that his creator is unable to increase his four year life span. Both roles are legendary characters that demonstrate Turkel’s talent to do a great deal with very little. He will be missed. So Sayeth The Kendog!