Stacy Keach has played to grand success a constellation of the classic and contemporary stage's greatest roles, and he is considered a pre-eminent American interpreter of Shakespeare. His SRO run as "King Lear" at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. received the best reviews any national leader has earned in that town for decades. Peter Marks of the Washington Post called Mr. Keach's Lear "magnificent". He recently accepted his third prestigious Helen Hayes Award for Leading Actor in 2010 for his stellar performance. His next stage appearance premiering January 13, 2011 at the Lincoln Center in New York is "Other Desert Cities" by Jon Robin Baitz and teaming him with Stockard Channing, Linda Lavin and Elizabeth Marvel. His latest television series, _"Lights Out" .
In 1984 he was jailed in England for nine months for smuggling cocaine. He would later base his performance of the fair-minded Warden Henry Pope in "Prison Break" on the warden of that prison.
Born at 7:15pm-EDT.
Son of Stacy Keach Sr. , older brother of James Keach.
Stacys father started as a community college drama teacher. He then became the director of the Pasadena Playhouse. His mother was Mary Kain Keach.
Studied drama at the University of California - Berkeley, Yale, and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Acted in a number of plays at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC.
He won an Obie in 1967 for his performance in the title role of "MacBird!".
Performed the role of the King of Siam in a touring rendition of "The King and I".
Stacy Keach graduated from Van Nuys High School in June, 1959.
Children: son - Shannon, daughter - Karolina.
Brother-in-law of actress Jane Seymour
Provided the narration for the Submarine ride at Disneyland (in Anaheim, California) - but the ride no longer exists.
Former Fulbright scholar.
Along with Louis Gossett Jr. , he was one of two actors considered for the role of the SGCs new commanding officer, General Hank Landry, on "Stargate SG-1" . The role instead went to Beau Bridges.
Was nominated for Broadways 1970 Tony Award as Best Actor for playing William F. Cody , aka Buffalo Bill, in Arthur Kopit s "Indians."
Was born with a cleft palate. He had it repaired and the scar is on his lip under the right nostril. He hides the scar with his trademark mustache.
Under the then-extant rules, Keach should have been awarded Best Actor honors from the New York Film Critics Circle for his portrayal of Tully in Fat City , as it required only a plurality of the vote and Keach was the top vote-getter in the category. At the time, the NYCC was second in prestige only to the Academy Awards (and some actors and filmmakers considered it a superior honor) and was a major influence on subsequent Oscar nominations. (In the 1976 presidential election year, director Robert Altman characterized the NYFCC Awards as the New York primary leading up to the Oscar election, where the Golden Globes was the California primary.) A vocal faction of the NYFCC, dismayed by the rather low percentage of votes that would have given Keach the award, successfully demanded a rule change so that the winner would have to obtain a majority. In subsequent balloting, Keach failed to win a majority of the vote, and he lost ground to his main rival, Marlon Brando in The Godfather . However, Brando could not gain a majority either, and a compromise candidate, Laurence Olivier in Sleuth , eventually was awarded Best Actor honors. Both Brando, who eventually won the Oscar for his come-back triumph as Don Corleone in the classic gangster picture, and Olivier were nominated for the Academy Award, but Keach was not.
Is often referred to as "The American Olivier".
Credits the sitcom "Titus" for somewhat rejuvenating his career and making him more recognizable to younger audiences.
When he played Ken Titus on the sitcom "Titus" , he would sometimes receive tips from the actual Ken Titus (before he passed away), on how to portray him better.
Hospitalized in a Los Angeles hospital after suffering a minor stroke on March 17, 2009.
Client of Dick Guttman.
Served his prison sentence at Englands Reading Gaol.
Was cast as Ken Titus on "Titus" when, after his audition, Christopher Titus admitted that Keach intimidated him.
Ironically, Stacy Keach - who was fired by Mike Nichols and replaced by Martin Balsam in the role of Colonel Cathcart in the movie Catch-22 - also was replaced in another Joseph Heller work, the play "We Bombed in New Haven", which started out as a dramatization of "Catch-22". Keach, who originated the role of Captain Starkey in the play at the Yale Repertory Theatre, was replaced by Jason Robards when it transitioned to Broadway.
Won a Tony nomination for his Broadway debut as Buffalo Bill in Arthur Kopits "Indians" in 1969.
As of 1983 he had won three Obies for his work in "Long Days Jourbey into Night," "Macbird," and a 1972 revival of "Hamlet.".
The fundamental virtue of success is that it allows you to know the true,significance of what it means to have the freedom to make your dreams,come true.
[on John Huston] John Huston, the director, is a genius and like a lot,of geniuses he can be erratic. But his perception, charm, and warmth,are so extraordinary that you want to give the best of you. He has an,incredible curiosity about life. While cutting one movie he starts,working on another. I think he enjoys the process of work more than the,results.
Historical and contemporary roles both have their virtues. What I like,the most about historical roles is doing the research behind the,character and the period in which they exist. I love imagining what it,must have been like to be in the room with someone like a Buffalo Bill,Cody or a P. T. Barnum when they were alive. The advantage of a,fictional role is that it frees you of the responsibilities of being,historically accurate. You can take more liberties.
You have to look at each character and find something good about them.
