Sad news to report this evening, as it’s been announced that Stacy Keach, known for his portrayal of private detective Mike Hammer in television movies and on the television series Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, has died at the age of 85. He died at his family home in Magdalenka, Poland.
In a statement, his wife, Malgosia, said: “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.“
She added, “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.“
Like many actors, Keach got his start on the stage and quickly established himself as one of America’s leading stage actors. Some even called him “one of the great Hamlets of our time” and “the finest American classic actor since John Barrymore.“
From there, he moved to film and television, and my god, what a career. I’d forgotten just how much he was in. On the big screen, Keach made appearances in Brewster McCloud, Doc, Fat City, The New Centurians, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, Luthor, The Duellists, Slave of the Cannibal God, The Ninth Configuration, The Long Riders, Class of 1999, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Escape from L.A., American History X, W., The Bourne Legacy, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Jay Kelly, and so much more.
He also played Sgt. Stedenko in two Cheech and Chong movies, Up in Smoke and Nice Dreams.
And let’s not forget Road Games, the great Australian thriller in which he starred alongside Jamie Lee Curtis as they tried to track down a serial killer.
Keach was just as prolific on television, but many know him best for playing Mike Hammer in a variety of TV movies and TV series. He was a fan of the Mickey Spillane character from a young age, despite his parents telling him to stop reading such trash. “[But I] was always seduced back into Mike Hammer’s world of stone cold violence and hot and heavy sex,” he wrote in his 2013 memoir, All in All: An Actor’s Life On and Off the Stage. “My parents thought Mickey Spillane was cranking out soft-core pornography … I fantasized about being part of the world Mickey Spillane had created. It only took me 30 years to finally get that chance.“
He also appeared in episodes of Touched by an Angel, The Outer Limits, The Simpsons, Will & Grace, ER, Two and a Half Men, 30 Rock, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Hot in Cleveland, NCIS: New Orleans, Ray Donovan, Blue Bloods, The Blacklist, and more.
Keach also starred in several sitcoms, Titus and Man with a Plan, and played Warden Henry Pope in Prison Break.
What an actor, and what a legacy. Our thoughts and condolences go out to Keach’s family, friends, and loved ones. He will be deeply missed.