Renowned American actor Stacy Keach has died at the age of 85. According to international media reports citing his wife, Malgosia Tomassi Keach, the actor died at his home in Poland due to serious heart disease and heart failure.
Keach was considered one of America’s most distinguished stage actors. He gained global fame for playing the detective in the popular American television series “Mike Hammer.”
He built a career spanning several decades across theater, film, and television, and was also widely recognized for his performances in Shakespearean classics.
In 1984, Keach was arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport on charges of attempting to smuggle cocaine, after the drug was found hidden in a can of shaving foam in his luggage. He was sentenced to nine months in prison but was released after roughly six months.
The incident severely damaged his career, but he later returned to acting.
In 1988, Keach won a Golden Globe Award for playing American author Ernest Hemingway in the television miniseries “Hemingway,” and was also nominated for an Emmy Award. He reportedly gained about 16 kilograms for the role.
His last notable role came in George Clooney’s film “Jay Kelly,” in which he appeared as Clooney’s bitter, sharp-tempered father.