Stacy Keach

Stacy Keach was a Fulbright scholar to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and attended the University of California at Berkeley and the Yale Drama School. He was appointed Heritage Professor by George Mason University, where he taught acting via Skype.

He played the role of Ed Pegram in Alexander Payne's "Nebraska," starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte, which garnered six Oscar nominations this year, including Best Motion Picture. He also lent his voice to the hit animated feature "Planes" and its sequel, "Planes: Fire & Rescue." He starred more recently in Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For"; the comedy "Sam," opposite Morgan Freeman; and the sci-fi thriller "Cell."

Among his long list of film credits are Tony Gilroy's "The Bourne Legacy," Oliver Stone's "W.," Tony Kaye's "American History X," Walter Hill's "The Long Riders," "John Huston's "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean," and Robert Altman's "Brewster McCloud" and "Fat City."

Keach is known around the world for his portrayal of hard-boiled detective Mike Hammer in the popular TV series in the '80s, and the ensuing TV movies based on the same character. Keach's other recurring roles include Ken Titus in the Fox sitcom "Titus"; Warden Henry Pope in the hit series "Prison Break"; Robert "Pops" Leary in the FX series "Lights Out"; and, more recently, Lee on ABC's "Sean Saves The World."

His numerous mini-series performances include the title role in "Hemingway," for which he received an Emmy nomination and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Mini-Series. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Mini-Series for "The New Mike Hammer."

Among Keach's long list of television guest appearances are many hit shows, including "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"; the HBO comedy series "Bored to Death"; "30 Rock"; "Two and a Half Men"; "ER"; and "Will & Grace." He also continues to be the voice of CNBC's "American Greed."

He began his professional career with the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1964, doubling as Marcellus and the Player King in "Hamlet," directed by Joseph Papp, with Julie Harris as Ophelia. Among his many other notable performances are the title roles in "Henry 5"; "Hamlet," which he has performed three times; "Coriolanus"; "Richard 3"; "Macbeth"; and "King Lear" in Robert Falls' modern adaptation at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. His SRO run in 2010 as King Lear at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., received rave reviews and earned Keach his third prestigious Helen Hayes Award for Leading Actor. He earned his second Helen Hayes Award for Best Actor in the national touring company cast of "Frost/Nixon," portraying Richard M. Nixon. In 2014, Keach returned to the Shakespeare Theater as Falstaff in both parts of "Henry IV," directed by Michael Kahn.

Keach's illustrious stage career garnered him both a Tony Award for Best Actor and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance for his Broadway debut in "Indians." He received his first Drama Desk Award for "MacBird!" in an off-Broadway production, which also brought him the first of three Obie Awards. He also received Drama Desk Awards for his Broadway roles in "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "Hamlet" and Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Kentucky Cycle," for which he won his first Helen Hayes award as Best Actor.

His other Broadway performances include "Danton's Death"; "The Country Wife"; "The Caucasian Chalk Circle"; "King Lear"; "Deathtrap"; "Solitary Confinement," in which he played seven roles; and, most recently, the 2011 Broadway production of the Jon Robin Baitz play "Other Desert Cities." He previously starred in the Jon Robin Baitz play "Ten Unknowns," at the Mark Taper Forum in 2003.

An accomplished pianist and composer, Mr. Keach composed the music for Rob Nilssen's 2009 "Imbued," a celebrated film festival favorite in which Keach also starred. He also composed the music for the Mike Hammer audio radio series "Encore for Murder," and his original song "Anything for Money" was featured on the show "American Greed."

His memoir, "All in All: An Actor's Life On and Off the Stage," was published in 2013 by Lyons Press.

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