Stacy Keach, American actor known for playing the detective in the series “Mike Hammer”, died on Tuesday, November 10, at the age of 85. According to a statement from his wife, he passed away at the family home in Magdalenka near Warsaw.
Variety confirmed the news of his death, and other American media followed. The actor’s wife, Małgosia Tomassi, said he died “after a long and difficult battle with a serious heart disease and heart failure”.
Wife’s Statement
“Stacy was not only a legendary actor, admired and loved by audiences around the world, but also my beloved husband, companion and the heart of our family” – Tomassi wrote. She added that his passing leaves an “enormous void”, but that his spirit, voice and love “will remain with us forever”.
Who Was Stacy Keach
He was born on June 2, 1941, in Savannah, Georgia. He was the son of actor and theater director Stacy Keach Sr., and his younger brother is actor and producer James Keach. He studied at the Yale School of Drama and at the London academy LAMDA as a Fulbright scholar.
He began as a stage actor, often in Shakespeare’s plays, and played, among others, Hamlet, Henry V, Macbeth, Richard III and King Lear. For the role of Buffalo Bill in the 1970 play “Indians”, he received nominations for the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award. In 2015, he was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.
Film and Television Career
In film, he appeared in “Fat City” and “Doc”, among others. However, he was best known for the title role of a private detective in the series “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer” and “The New Mike Hammer”. He also appeared in “Titus” and made guest appearances in “Blue Bloods”. For the role of Ernest Hemingway in the 1988 production “Hemingway”, he won a Golden Globe. He also lent his voice to characters, including Howard K. Duff VIII in “The Simpsons” and Skipper Riley in the animated film “Planes”.
In 1984, he was arrested at Heathrow Airport for cocaine smuggling and sentenced to nine months in prison. He wrote about this in his autobiography “All in All: An Actor’s Life On and Off the Stage”, calling this moment the lowest point of his life. In June 2017, he suffered a heart attack during a performance in Chicago.
Polish Ties and Family
Since 2015, Keach had held Polish citizenship alongside American citizenship. For about four decades he was married to Małgosia Tomassi, a former model and actress whom he met on the set of “Mike Hammer”. He is survived by his wife, his children Karolina and Shannon, and his grandchildren.
