Stacy Keach, Mike Hammer actor, dies at 85

Summarised from 7 outlets · 8 reports · Updated 11 Nov, 16:09 · Archive

American actor Stacy Keach, best known for playing private detective Mike Hammer on television, has died aged 85 after a heart condition.

Stacy Keach, one of America's finest stage actors, has died aged 85. He died at his home in Magdalenka, Poland on Tuesday after a long battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure, according to his wife Malgosia Tomassi Keach.

Keach was best known for playing scruffy private detective Mike Hammer on television, the fictional character created by crime novelist Mickey Spillane. He portrayed the hard-boiled detective with grit and charisma, earning a Golden Globe nomination for his work on the CBS series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, which ran from 1984 to 1987. He later reprised the role in Mike Hammer: Private Eye from 1997 to 1998 and in television movies based on the character.

Though considered a preeminent interpreter of Shakespeare and a favourite of legendary directors such as John Huston, Keach refused to repeat the same role and pursued an eclectic career spanning stage and screen. He worked with Huston twice, in Fat City and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean. He played King Lear onstage and a deranged colonel in The Ninth Configuration. He appeared in Alexander Payne's Oscar-nominated drama Nebraska, had a role in American History X and The Bourne Legacy, and played a New York archbishop in a recurring role on the CBS police drama Blue Bloods.

Keach was also known for his distinctive voice and narrated World's Most Amazing Videos on television. He played a stoner cop in the Cheech and Chong film Up In Smoke and appeared in Ridley Scott's directorial debut The Duellists. Last year he played George Clooney's bitter father in Jay Kelly. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2015 and earned a Golden Globe for playing Ernest Hemingway in a six-hour miniseries, for which he gained 35 pounds.

In 1969 Keach was nominated for a Tony Award for best actor in a play for his performance in Indians. He was also nominated for the Obie Award for distinguished performance by an actor in 1967 for MacBird! and in 1973 for Hamlet.

Keach had previously suffered a heart attack onstage in Chicago in June 2017. His career was nearly derailed in 1984 when he was imprisoned for attempting to smuggle cocaine into Britain.

In an interview with New York magazine in 2012, Keach reflected on his diverse career choices. 'My objective was to have as varied a selection of roles as possible. It probably did hurt my career. My choices have had a cost attached to it,' he said.

His wife released a statement saying: 'Stacy peacefully departed this world. He fought for so long, with extraordinary courage, determination and strength. He was a true warrior, facing his illness with the same remarkable spirit and resilience that defined his life. Stacy was not only a legendary actor, admired and loved by audiences the world over, but also my beloved husband, my companion and the heart of our family. His passing leaves an immeasurable emptiness in our lives. But his extraordinary spirit, his unforgettable voice and the love he gave so generously will remain with us forever.'

How it is being reported

• Stacy Keach obituaryVersatile American stage and screen actor whose roles ranged from Hamlet to the tough private eye Mike Hammer There have been few actors as inexhaustible as Stacy Keach, who has died aged 85. Throughout a long career that began in his childhood he was equally active in theatre, films and TV, moving from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again with aplomb. Perhaps it was his ubiquity and eclecticism that caused him to be so underrated. Keach meant different things to different people. To theatregoers, he was a fine Shakespearean actor, acclaimed for his Hamlet, who was also adept in…The Guardian · 11 Nov, 17:27
• Stacy Keach, star of "Mike Hammer" TV series and stage, dies at 85Stacy Keach, one of America's finest stage actors who became best known for playing scruffy private eye Mike Hammer on TV, HAS DIED. hE WAS 85.CBS News · 11 Nov, 10:37
• Stacy Keach dead: Mike Hammer and Bourne Legacy star dies after 'difficult battle'Renowned actor Stacy Keach, who was best known for his main role in Mike Hammer, has died at the age of 85, his devastated wife has confirmedThe Mirror · 11 Nov, 07:26
• Stacy Keach dead at 85: Renowned stage and screen actor famously starred in Blue Bloods, Prison Break and Bourne Legacy during nearly 60-year Hollywood careerStacy Keach, who was known for his career both on screen and the stage, passed away at the age of 85 on November 10 in Poland.Daily Mail · 11 Nov, 03:22
• Stacy Keach dead at 85 as ‘Mike Hammer’ star’s wife shares emotional tributeStacy Keach's wife reveals the lengthy heart failure battle behind the iconic Mike Hammer actor's final days and his extraordinary courage.Fox News · 11 Nov, 03:05
• Stacy Keach, Mike Hammer actor whose career spanned stage and screen, dies aged 85The US actor died in Poland on Tuesday, ‘after a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure’, his wife said Stacy Keach, one of America’s finest stage actors who became best known for playing scruffy private eye Mike Hammer on TV and whose career was nearly derailed after he was imprisoned in 1984 for trying to smuggle cocaine into Britain, has died aged 85. Keach died at home in Magdalenka, Poland on Tuesday, “after a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure,” his wife, Malgosia Tomassi Keach, said in a statement. Keach had…Guardian World · 11 Nov, 02:23
• Stacy Keach, actor of ‘Bourne Legacy,’ ‘Mike Hammer’ and ‘Blue Bloods’ fame, dead at 85The actor battled a serious heart condition, according to his wife.New York Post · 11 Nov, 01:45
• Stacy Keach, star of stage and ‘Mike Hammer’ series, dies at 85Stacy Keach, known for his role as Mike Hammer on TV and work onstage, has died at 85Independent World · 11 Nov, 01:07

In this story: Stacy Keach · Malgosia Tomassi Keach · Mickey Spillane · John Huston · Magdalenka · Poland · George Clooney · Ridley Scott

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