English
Stacy Keach, the veteran actor best known for his starring role in the CBS detective series The New Mike Hammer, died Tuesday at his family home in Magdalenka, Poland. He was 85.
His wife, Małgosia Tomassi, confirmed his death to Variety. She said he died “after a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure.” In a statement, she described him as “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.”
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A Career Spanning Stage, Film and Television
Keach remained active well into his eighties. His later credits include The Bourne Legacy, Nebraska, Two and a Half Men, Ray Donovan and a recurring voice role on The Simpsons. He also played Cardinal Kevin Kearns on Blue Bloods. His final screen role came in 2025, playing the father of George Clooney’s character in Jay Kelly.
Earlier in his career, Keach earned a Tony nomination for playing Buffalo Bill in the 1969 Broadway production Indians. He also received a Helen Hayes Award in 2010 for his performance as King Lear with the Shakespeare Theatre Company. On television, he earned an Emmy nomination in 1988 for playing Ernest Hemingway in a miniseries of the same name.
His stage work was extensive. Keach made his Broadway debut in 1965 and appeared twice Off Broadway as Hamlet. He won two Obie Awards during his career. In 2008, he played Richard Nixon in the touring production of Frost/Nixon, during which he suffered a series of strokes in March 2009. He recovered and returned to the stage that same summer.
The Mike Hammer Years and a Personal Crisis
Keach’s most recognized television role was the hard-boiled private detective Mike Hammer. The CBS series ran from 1984 to 1987. He later reprised the role in the 1989 TV movie Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All and again in the syndicated series Mike Hammer, Private Eye from 1997 to 1998.
However, his time as Hammer came with serious personal difficulties. In 1984, police arrested Keach at London’s Heathrow Airport for cocaine possession. He pleaded guilty and served six months at Reading Prison. Because Keach also narrated the show in character, impressionist Rich Little stepped in as narrator during his imprisonment.
In a 2014 interview, Keach called his prison time the lowest point of his life. He also said a friendship with a priest during that period led to his conversion to Roman Catholicism.
Early Life and Film Work
Walter Stacy Keach Jr. was born in Savannah, Georgia. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1963 and later earned a graduate degree from the Yale School of Drama. He also studied as a Fulbright Scholar at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
His film credits include John Huston’s boxing drama Fat City (1972), the stoner comedy Up in Smoke (1978) and Oliver Stone’s W. (2008). He also narrated the CNBC series American Greed.
Keach is survived by his wife Małgosia Tomassi, son Shannon, daughter Karolina and his brother, actor and director James Keach.
