Born in Ogdensburg, New York in 1935, Walsh’s passion for acting manifested early.  He honed his craft on the stage for a decade before transitioning to film in the late 1960s. His debut came in Arthur Penn’s counterculture classic, Alice’s Restaurant (1969). Throughout the 1970s, he steadily built his resume with appearances in films like Little Big Man (1970), Straight Time (1973), and Escape from Alcatraz (1979).  While these parts were often smaller, they showcased Walsh’s unique ability to inhabit a character and leave a lasting impression, even with limited screen time.