Stacy Keach Sr.

Walter Stacy Keach Sr. (May 29, 1914 – February 13, 2003) was an American actor whose screen career spanned six decades.

Stacy Keach Sr.
Born	Walter Stacy Keach (1914-05-29)May 29, 1914 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	February 13, 2003(2003-02-13) (aged 88) Burbank, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1942–1997
Spouse(s)	Mary Cain Peckham ( m. 1937)
Children	Stacy Keach Jr. James Keach

Biography

Keach was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was of English descent. His career ranged from 1942 to 1997, with more than seventy movie and television appearances. He and his wife, the former Mary Cain Peckham, were members of the Peninsula Players summer theater program during the 1930s.[1]

Keach appeared in a 1955 episode of The Lone Ranger. Keach also appeared as Sheriff Ben Mason in the 1957 episode "Last Chance" of the ABC/Warner Brothers western television series, Colt .45.[2] That same year, he was cast as Jed Hammer in the episode "Trail's End" of the ABC/WB western series, Sugarfoot, starring Will Hutchins. Keach was cast in 1957 and 1958 in five episodes of the NBC western series, The Californians as Bill Coleman.

Keach is probably best known for his role as Carlson in the NBC sitcom, Get Smart. Carlson, a CONTROL scientist, was the inventor of such gadgets as an umbrella rifle (with a high-speed camera in the handle) and edible buttons -- a parody of Q, who holds a similar position in the James Bond movies. By the time Keach took the role, however, he was the head of an industrial film company (a position he had held since 1948). Keach eventually gave up the role of Carlson when one too many clients were unable to reach him, and he had to respond, "I've been working in the CONTROL labs."[3]

In 1964 he appeared on Perry Mason in the role of Lt. Gibson in "The Case of the Frightened Fisherman" and in 1965 he again appeared on Perry Mason in the role of the trial court judge in "The Case of the Cheating Chancellor." In 1961, he appeared as Dr. Walter in the very first episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show.[4]

Keach's lookalike son, Stacy Keach Jr. (usually billed as "Stacy Keach," exactly like his father), enjoys an acting career with far greater name recognition than his father's. The younger Keach is perhaps best known for starring in the title role of the Mike Hammer television series in the 1980s and 1990s. Another son, James Keach, an actor, director, and producer, was married to the actress Jane Seymour.

Keach died of congestive heart failure at the age of eighty-eight in Burbank, California[5] and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).[6]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1942	Secret Enemies	Agent on Train with Cigarettes	Uncredited
1943	The Hard Way	First Theatrical Agent in Montage	Uncredited
1943	Truck Busters	Reporter	Uncredited
1950	The Du Pont Story	Pierre S. du Pont
1957	The Big Land	Rebel in Livery Stable	Uncredited
1958	Joy Ride	Wechsler
1959	The FBI Story	Machine Gun Kelly	Uncredited
1963	Island of Love	Doctor	Uncredited
1964	Hamlet	Marcellus / Player #1
1973	Detroit 9000
1974	The Parallax View	Commission Spokesman #1
1976	High Velocity	Carter
1978	Big Wednesday	Old Man
1981	Saturday the 14th	Attorney
1982	Superstition	Rev. Maier
1983	Lies	Uncle Charles
1986	Armed and Dangerous	Judge
1990	Pretty Woman	Senator Adams
1990	False Identity	Irving Campbell
1994	Cobb	Jimmie Foxx

References

1. Peninsula Players 65th Anniversary Program, 1999
2. "Colt .45". ctva.biz. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
3. McCrochan, Donna, "The Life and Times of Maxwell Smart", St. Martin's Press, New York, 1988; p. 76
4. "Stacy Keach Sr". IMDb.
5. Writer, From a Times Staff (14 February 2003). "Stacy Keach Sr., 88; Actor Appeared in Hundreds of TV Shows, Commercials" – via LA Times.
6. Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 24801-24808). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.

External links

• Stacy Keach Sr. on IMDb
• Stacy Keach Sr. at Find a Grave