Stacy Keach

The son of a drama teacher and dialogue director, American actor Stacy Keach began performing in college productions, then studied at the Yale Drama School. He spent a year at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art on a Fulbright scholarship, then acted in Shakespeare in the Park productions, where he first established his reputation; he soon worked both off and on Broadway, winning a Tony for his work in Indians. Keach debuted onscreen as a drunken drifter in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968), then went on to play leads and supporting roles in a number of films; his screen appearances after 1982, however, have been infrequent. He wrote and directed the short film The Repeater (1972); he also directed a TV version of Pirandello's classic Six Characters in Search of an Author. In 1975 he starred in the short-lived TV series Caribe, and after starring in several TV movies, Keach assumed the title role of the TV series Mike Hammer in 1983. His career came to an abrupt halt in the mid-'80s when he was arrested and imprisoned in England for cocaine possession; after serving nine months and participating in drug rehabilitation, he returned to Mike Hammer. He is the brother of actor James Keach, with whom he co-starred in The Long Riders (1980), a film he also co-wrote and co-produced. He is married to Polish actress Malgosia Tomassi.