Actor Stacy Keach, known for Mike Hammer and Macbeth, dies at 85
Keach died on a Tuesday at his family's home in Poland after a long battle with a serious heart condition, his wife said.
Actor Stacy Keach died at age 85 at his family's home in Poland, according to a statement from his wife, Malgosia Keach. She said he had a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure.
Keach, born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1941, had a long career on stage and screen. He was best known for tough-guy roles, including private eye Mike Hammer in the 1980s and 1990s, a character created by crime novelist Mickey Spillane. He also played outlaw Frank James in "The Long Riders" and appeared in "Up in Smoke" and Alexander Payne's "Nebraska." He narrated many documentaries for National Geographic and PBS. In 1984 he was arrested at Heathrow Airport for bringing cocaine into Britain and served six months in prison. He later said the experience gave his later roles more depth. Shakespeare was his first love, and he often performed on stage, with Macbeth among the roles he found hardest.
He had trained at the Yale School of Drama and studied on a Fulbright scholarship in London, and his career spanned more than half a century.
Key points
- Keach died at 85 after a long battle with heart disease and heart failure.
- He was best known for playing private eye Mike Hammer.
- He also performed Shakespeare on stage and narrated documentaries for National Geographic and PBS.
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