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Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor, active in theatre, film and television since the 1960s. Keach first distinguished himself in Off-Broadway productions and remains a prominent figure in American theatre across his career, particularly as a noted Shakespearean. He is the recipient of several theatrical accolades: four Drama Desk Awards, two Helen Hayes Awards and two Obie Award. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in Arthur Kopit's 1969 production of Indians.
In film, he garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of a washed-up boxer in the John Huston film Fat City (1972) and appeared as Sergeant Stedenko in Cheech & Chong's films Up in Smoke (1978) and Nice Dreams (1981). His other notable film credits include Brewster McCloud (1970), Doc (1971), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), "The New Centurions (1972)," Luther (1973), Slave of the Cannibal God (1979), The Ninth Configuration (1980), The Long Riders (1980), Roadgames (1981), (1992), Escape from L.A. (1996), American History X (1998), The Bourne Legacy (2012) and Nebraska (2013).
Keach is known to television audiences for his portrayal of private detective Mike Hammer on the television series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (1984–1987), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe, as Ken Titus on the sitcom Titus (2000–2002) and as the narrator of the crime documentary series American Greed (2007–present). He also had recurring roles on series such as Prison Break (2005–2007), Two and a Half Men (2010), Blue Bloods (2016–2024) and The Blacklist (2019–2023). He won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for playing Ernest Hemingway on the television miniseries Hemingway (1988).
He is an inductee of the Theatre Hall of Fame and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019. He is the son of theatre director Stacy Keach Sr., and the older brother of actor James Keach.
Keach graduated from Van Nuys High School in June 1959, where he was class president, attended the American Legion's Boys State summer program of California, then earned two BA academic degree at the University of California, Berkeley (1963): one in English, the other in Dramatic Art. He earned a Master of Fine Arts at the Yale School of Drama in 1966 and was a Fulbright Scholar at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
While studying in London, Keach met Laurence Olivier, his acting hero.
Keach has won numerous awards, including , Drama Desk Awards and Vernon Rice Awards. In the early 1980s, he starred in the title role of the national touring company of the musical Barnum, composed by Cy Coleman. In 1991 and 1996 he won Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Actor for his work in Richard III and Macbeth with the Shakespeare Theatre Company. In 1998, he was one of the three characters in a London West End production of Art with David Dukes and George Wendt.
In 2006, Keach performed the lead role in Shakespeare's King Lear at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. In 2008, he played Merlin in Lerner and Loewe's Camelot, done with the New York Philharmonic. In the summer of 2009, Shakespeare Theatre Company remounted the production of King Lear at Sidney Harman Hall in Washington, D.C., for which Keach won another Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actor.
He has played the Prince Hamlet in two separate productions of Hamlet.Boehm, Mike. Stacy Keach Suffers Mild Stroke Los Angeles Times, March 18, 2009
In 2008 and 2009, Keach portrayed Richard M. Nixon in the U.S. touring company of the play Frost/Nixon.
On December 16, 2010, Keach began performances as patriarch Lyman Wyeth in the off-Broadway premiere of Jon Robin Baitz' acclaimed new play Other Desert Cities. The production transferred to Broadway's Booth Theatre, where it opened November 3, 2011.
Keach is a founding member of L.A. Theatre Works. He has performed leads in many productions with the company, including 'Willy Loman' in Death of a Salesman and 'John Proctor' in The Crucible.
He was scheduled to return to Broadway in December 2014 in the revival of Love Letters at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre alongside Diana Rigg, but the production closed before Keach and Rigg began their runs.
Keach was scheduled to play Ernest Hemingway in Jim McGrath's one-man play Pamplona at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago from May 30 to June 25, 2017. Keach appeared in previews of Pamplona, May 19 through May 28, and was well received by audiences. On opening night, he suffered a mild heart attack on stage and the next day, Keach had bypass surgery. On June 2, the Goodman Theatre announced that the entire run would be canceled after Keach's doctors advised a period of rest and recuperation.
Keach returned to the role at The Goodman one year later, July 10 through August 18, 2018. Keach said it would fulfill an obligation "to the play, to the city and to myself".
Keach was narrator of the 1973 Formula One racing documentary Champions Forever, The Quick and the Dead by Claude du Boc. He played Cheech & Chong's police department nemesis Sgt. Stedenko in Up in Smoke and Nice Dreams. He also appeared as Barabbas in Jesus of Nazareth. In 1978, he played a role of explorer and scientist in Slave of the Cannibal God, co-starring former Bond girl Ursula Andress. The film became a cult film favorite as a "video nasty". Another one of his screen performances was as Frank James (elder brother of Jesse James) in The Long Riders (1980). His brother James played Jesse James. Keach starred in the 1981 Australian thriller Roadgames alongside Jamie Lee Curtis. In 1982, Keach starred in Butterfly with Pia Zadora and Orson Welles. In the 1993 movie, Body Bags he played a man who is obsessed with hair.
He portrayed a white supremacy in American History X, alongside Edward Norton and Edward Furlong. In Oliver Stone's 2008 biographical film W., Keach portrays a Texas preacher whose spiritual guidance begins with George W. Bush's AA experience, but extends long thereafter.
Keach also starred in the TV film Ring of Death playing a sadistic prison warden who runs an underground fight club where prisoners compete for their lives. He had also starred in the movie Planes as Skipper Riley, main character Dusty Crophopper's flight instructor. He reprised the role in .
In 2012, Keach had a supporting role in The Bourne Legacy, and in the 2013 Alexander Payne film Nebraska. In the 2017 film Gotti, Keach played the part of Neil Dellacroce, the underboss of the Gambino crime family.
In 2000, he played Ken Titus, the sarcastic, chain-smoking, five-times-divorced functional alcoholic father of the title character in Fox's sitcom Titus. Cast members of Titus have commented they enjoyed working with Keach because he would find a way to make even the driest line funny.Commentary found in Titus Season 1&2 DVD.
Keach lent his voice to The Simpsons episodes "Hungry, Hungry Homer", "Old Yeller-Belly", "Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play", and "Waiting for Duffman", portraying Duff Brewery President Howard K. Duff VIII, and the Batman Beyond episode "Lost Soul" as Robert Vance, a deceased businessman resurrected as an artificial intelligence. He also guest starred in a 2005 episode of the sitcom Will & Grace, and had a recurring role as Warden Henry Pope in the Fox drama Prison Break. Keach was in an episode of Perry Mason.
In 2006, he acted in the mini-series Blackbeard, made for the Hallmark Channel. It was directed by Kevin Connor, and starred Angus Macfadyen, with Richard Chamberlain, David Winters, and Jessica Chastain. In 2011, Keach co-starred as "Pops", the father of the main character in the short lived boxing drama series Lights Out.
In November 2013, Keach appeared on the Fox comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, in the episode "Old School". In February 2015, Keach started guest appearing in as Cassius Pride, father of NCIS Agent Dwayne Pride. He played the elderly father Bob on the 2016 sitcom Crowded. Beginning in 2016, Keach occasionally appears on CBS's drama Blue Bloods as Archbishop Kevin Kearns. In 2017, Keach started guest appearing in Man with a Plan as Joe Burns, father of Adam Burns (played by co-star Matt LeBlanc) and was later promoted to series regular status for season three. He played the role of Robert Vesco, Raymond Reddington's former mentor and criminal muse, on the TV series The Blacklist.
Beginning in 1999, he served as the narrator for the home video clip show World's Most Amazing Videos, which is now seen on Spike TV. He currently hosts The Twilight Zone radio series. Keach can also be heard narrating the CNBC series American Greed, from its 2007 inception to the 2022-23 season. For the PBS series American Experience, he narrated The Kennedys, among others.
In 2008, Keach once again reprised his famous role as Mike Hammer in a series of full-cast radio dramatizations for Blackstone Audio. (He also arranged and performed the music for the audio dramas. His wife, Malgosia Tomassi, also starred in the dramas, playing Maya Ricci, a yoga instructor.) Keach has also read many of Mickey Spillane's original Mike Hammer novels as Audiobooks.
Keach played the role of John in The Truth & Life Dramatized Audio Bible, a 22-hour audio version of the RSV-CE translation of the New Testament. He also voiced both Job and Paul the Apostle in The Word of Promise, a 2007 dramatic audio presentation based on the New King James Version.
On January 6, 2014, Keach became the official voice of The Opie and Anthony Channel on SiriusXM Satellite Radio (Sirius Channel 206, XM Channel 103). Keach is the voice of CNBC's American Greed, now on their thirteenth season.
His brother James Keach is an actor and television director.
Keach is a Roman Catholic.
Film
Keach played a rookie policeman in The New Centurions (1972), opposite George C. Scott. That year he also starred in Fat City, a boxing film directed by John Huston. He was the first choice for the role of Damien Karras in the 1973 movie The Exorcist, but he did not accept the role. He went on to play Kane in the 1980 movie The Ninth Configuration, written and directed by Exorcist author William Peter Blatty; this role was itself intended for Nicol Williamson.
Television
Keach's first-ever experience as a series regular on a television program was playing the lead role of Lieutenant Ben Logan in Caribe in 1975. He played Barabbas in 1977's Jesus of Nazareth, and portrayed Jonas Steele, a psychic and Scout of the United States Army in the 1982 CBS miniseries, The Blue and the Gray. He later portrayed and is best known as Mike Hammer in the CBS television series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer and The New Mike Hammer from 1984 to 1987. He returned to the role of Hammer in Mike Hammer, Private Eye, a new syndicated series that aired from 1997 to 1998. In 1988, he starred as Ernest Hemingway in the made-for-TV movie Hemingway. He also hosted segments for the Encore Mystery premium cable network in the late 1990s and 2000s.
Narrator
Keach narrated several episodes of Nova, National Geographic, and various other informational series. From 1989 to 1992, he was host of the syndicated informational reenactment show, Missing Reward, which had a similar format to the popular Unsolved Mysteries at the time. From 1992 to 1995, he became the voice-over narrator for the paranormal series .
Music
Keach is an accomplished pianist and composer. He sang backing vocals on the Judy Collins hit song "Amazing Grace". He is also credited with co-writing a song, "Easy Times", on the Judy Collins live album Living.
He provided music for the film Imbued, directed by Rob Nilssen. He has also completed composing the music for the Mike Hammer audio radio series, "Encore For Murder", written by Max Collins, directed by Carl Amari, and produced by Blackstone Audio.
Personal life
Keach has been married four times: to Kathryn Baker in 1964, to Marilyn Aiken in 1975, to Jill Donahue in 1981, and to Małgorzata Tomassi in 1986. "Malgosia Tomassi was born in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.... She has been married to Stacy Keach since June 22, 1986." IMDb He has two children by adoption with Małgorzata: son Shannon Keach and daughter Karolina Keach. In 2015, Keach became a Polish citizen.
Legal issues
In 1984, Customs & Excise officers arrested Keach at Heathrow Airport for importation of cocaine. Keach pleaded guilty, and served six months at Reading Prison. Keach stated that his time in prison, which he described as the lowest point of his life, and the friendship he formed with a priest during that time led to his conversion to Catholicism. Subsequently, he and his wife met Pope John Paul II. His wife, Małgorzata Tomassi, had attended the same school in Warsaw as the pope.
Honors
In 2015, Keach was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. In 2019, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Partial stage credits
10/13/1969-01/03/1970 Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway 05/20/1972-07/16/1972 Delacorte Theater, Off-Broadway 11/14/1993-12/12/1993 Royale Theatre, Broadway 11/03/2011-06/17/2012 Booth Theatre, Broadway 07/10/2018-08/10/2018
Other stage credits
Filmography
Film
1968
! scope="row" Blount Credited as 'Stacy Keach Jr.' 1970
! scope="row" End of the Road Jacob Horner 1971
! scope="row" Doc Doc Holliday 1972
! scope="row" Fat City Billy Tully 1973
! scope="row" Luther Martin Luther 1974
! scope="row" The Gravy Train Calvin 1975
! scope="row" Conduct Unbecoming Cpt. Harper 1976
! scope="row" Street People Charlie Hanson 1977
! scope="row" Jim Naboth 1978
! scope="row" Maj. Mannfred Roland 1980
! scope="row" Col. Vincent "Killer" Kane 1981
! scope="row" Roadgames Patrick Quid 1982
! scope="row" Butterfly Jess Tyler 1990
! scope="row" Class of 1999 Dr. Bob Forest 1993
! scope="row" Sunset Grill Harrison Shelgrove 1994
! scope="row" Raw Justice Deputy Mayor Bob Jenkins 1996
! scope="row" Escape from L.A. Cdr. Mac Malloy 1997
! scope="row" The Sea Wolf Cpt. Wolf Larsen 1998
! scope="row" American History X Cameron Alexander 1999
! scope="row" Dr. Michaels 2000
! scope="row" Unshackled Warden Kelso 2001
! scope="row" Sunstorm General John Parker 2003
! scope="row" When Eagles Strike General Thurmond 2004
! scope="row" The Hollow Claus Van Ripper 2005
! scope="row" Man with the Screaming Brain Dr. Ivanov 2006
! scope="row" Come Early Morning Owen Allen 2007
! scope="row" Honeydripper Sheriff 2008
! scope="row" W. Earle Hudd 2009
! scope="row" Chicago Overcoat Ray Berkowski 2010
! scope="row" Grandpa Sammy/Narrator (voice, American version) 2011
! scope="row" Weather Wars Marcus Grange 2012
! scope="row" The Great Chameleon Max 2013
! scope="row" Ooga Booga Judge Marks Tom Stinger Polish language dubbing; guest cameo 2014
! scope="row" Skipper Riley 2015
! scope="row" Truth Lt. Col. Bill Burkett 2016
! scope="row" Cell Charles Ardai 2017
! scope="row" Girlfriend's Day Gundy 2018
! scope="row" Gotti Aniello Dellacroce 2020
! scope="row" Survival Skills The Narrator 2025
! scope="row" Jay Kelly Post-production TBA
! scope="row" Lost & Found in Cleveland TBA
! scope="row" Death of a Witch Dr. Buckland
Television
1964
! scope="row" Channing The Colleague Episode: "The Face in the Sun" 1967
! scope="row" The Winter's Tale Autolycus Television film 1968
! scope="row" Macbeth Banquo 1971
! scope="row" NET Playhouse Wilbur Wright Episode: "The Wright Brothers" 1973
! scope="row" Incident at Vichy Television play, director 1974
! scope="row" All the Kind Strangers Jimmy Wheeler 1975
! scope="row" Caribe Lieutenant Ben Logan 13 episodes 1976
! scope="row" Dynasty Matt Blackwood Television film 1977
! scope="row" Jesus of Nazareth Barabbas 2 episodes 1978
! scope="row" The Fitzpatricks Unnamed Character Episode: "The New Fitzpatrick" 1980
! scope="row" A Rumor of War Major Ball 2 episodes 1982
! scope="row" The Blue and the Gray Jonas Steele 3 episodes 1983
! scope="row" Princess Daisy Prince Alexander 'Stash' Valensky 2 episodes 1984
! scope="row" Mistral's Daughter Julien Mistral 4 episodes 1984–1987
! scope="row" Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer 48 episodes 1986
! scope="row" The Return of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Television film 1988
! scope="row" Hemingway Ernest Hemingway 4 episodes 1989
! scope="row" The Forgotten Adam Roth Television film 1989–1992
! scope="row" Missing: Reward Himself (host) Documentary series 1991
! scope="row" The Mysteries of the Dark Jungle Col. Edward Corishant 3 episodes 1992
! scope="row" Lincoln George McClellan (voice) Television film 1993
! scope="row" Rio Diablo 'Kansas' 1994
! scope="row" Against Their Will: Women in Prison Jack Devlin Television film 1995
! scope="row" Young Ivanhoe Pembrooke 1996
! scope="row" The Pathfinder Compte Du Leon 1997
! scope="row" Promised Land Ned Bernhart Episode: "Downsized" 1997–1998
! scope="row" Mike Hammer, Private Eye Mike Hammer 26 episodes; also executive producer 1997, 2003
! scope="row" Touched by an Angel Ty Duncan / Maury Hoover 2 episodes 1998
! scope="row" Planet of Life Narrator (voice) 7 episodes 1998–2001
! scope="row" Rugrats Marvin Finster (voice) 3 episodes 1999
! scope="row" Batman Beyond Robert Vance (voice) Episode: "Lost Soul" 2000
! scope="row" The Courage to Love Jean Baptiste Television film 2000–2002
! scope="row" Titus Ken Titus 54 episodes 2001
! scope="row" Lightning: Fire from the Sky Bart Pointdexter Television film 2001–2016
! scope="row" The Simpsons Various (voice) 6 episodes 2002
! scope="row" The Santa Trap Max Hurst Television film 2003
! scope="row" Miracle Dogs C.W. Aldrich Television film 2003–2005
! scope="row" What's New, Scooby-Doo? Harold Lind / The Mayor (voice) 2 episodes 2005
! scope="row" George Lopez Blaine McNamara Episode: "George Stare-oids Down Jason" 2005–2007
! scope="row" Prison Break Henry Pope 23 episodes 2006
! scope="row" Desolation Canyon Samuel Kendrick Television film 2007
! scope="row" ER Mike Gates 3 episodes 2007–present
! scope="row" American Greed Narrator (voice) 198 episodes 2008
! scope="row" Lone Rider Robert Hattaway Television film 2009
! scope="row" Meteor Sheriff Crowe 2010
! scope="row" Two and a Half Men Tom 4 episodes 2011
! scope="row" Lights Out 'Pops' Leary 13 episodes 2012
! scope="row" 30 Rock Himself Episode: "Murphy Brown Lied to Us" 2012–2013
! scope="row" The Neighbors Dominick Weaver 3 episodes 2013
! scope="row" Sean Saves the World Lee Thompson 3 episodes 2014
! scope="row" Orion Bauer Episode: "American Disgrace" 2015
! scope="row" Hot in Cleveland Alex 2 episodes 2015–2019
! scope="row" Cassius Pride 6 episodes 2016
! scope="row" Crowded Bob Moore 13 episodes 2016–2024
! scope="row" Blue Bloods Archbishop Kevin Kearns 11 episodes 2017
! scope="row" Tokyo Trial Narrator (voice) 4 episodes 2017–2020
! scope="row" Man with a Plan Joe Burns 48 episodes 2019–2023
! scope="row" The Blacklist Robert Vesco 6 episodes 2020
! scope="row" Kidding Himself Episode: "The Death of Fil"
Awards and nominations
CableACE Award 1994 Actor in a Dramatic Program Body Bags Drama Desk Award 1967 Outstanding Performance MacBird! 1970 Indians 1971 Long Day's Journey into Night 1973 Hamlet 1994 Outstanding Actor in a Play The Kentucky Cycle Golden Globe Award 1985 Best Actor – Television Series Drama Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer 1989 Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film Hemingway Helen Hayes Award 1996 Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play Macbeth 2009 Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Play Frost/Nixon 2010 Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play King Lear Hollywood Film Award 2016 Ensemble of the Year Gold Jeff Award 2018 Outstanding Solo Performance Pamplona Laurel Awards 1971 Star of Tomorrow, Male End of the Road Obie Award 1967 Distinguished Performance by an Actor MacBird! 1973 Hamlet Primetime Emmy Award 1988 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Hemingway Satellite Awards 2001 Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy Titus 2019 Mary Pickford Award Tony Awards 1970 Best Actor in a Play Indians
Critics awards
Kansas City Film Critics Circle 1972 Best Actor Fat City Outer Critics Circle 2011 Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Other Desert Cities Seattle Film Critics Society 2014 Best Ensemble Cast Nebraska
Film festivals
Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2020 Best Actor in a Feature Film Survival Skills Oldenburg International Film Festival 2007 Star of Excellence Honorary Award San Diego International Film Festival 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award St. Louis International Film Festival 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award
Notes
External links
Categories: Official Website, 1941 Births, Living People, 20th-century Roman Catholics, 21st-century Roman Catholics, 20th-century American Criminals, 20th-century American Male Actors, 21st-century American Male Actors, 20th-century Polish Criminals, 20th-century Polish Male Actors, 21st-century Polish Male Actors, Alumni Of The London Academy Of Music And Dramatic Art, American Expatriate Male Actors, American Expatriates In England, American Male Film Actors, American Male Shakespearean Actors, American Male Stage Actors, American Male Television Actors, American Male Voice Actors, American People Convicted Of Drug Offenses, American Roman Catholics, Best Miniseries Or Television Movie Actor Golden Globe Winners, Catholics From Georgia, Converts To Roman Catholicism, David Geffen School Of Drama At Yale University Alumni, Keach Family, Male Actors From Savannah, Georgia, Naturalized Citizens Of Poland, Obie Award Recipients, Polish Expatriates In England, Polish Male Film Actors, Polish Male Stage Actors, Polish Male Television Actors, Polish Male Voice Actors, Polish People Of American Descent, Polish Roman Catholics, University Of California, Berkeley Alumni, Van Nuys High School Alumni, Polish Expatriates In The United States
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