Lt. Colonel Bill Burkett
Stacy Keach has managed the difficult task of maintaining a vibrant series of performances in top motion picture and television projects while continuing to add to his remarkable achievement on the stage, both classical and Broadway. His most recently filmed theatrical motion picture is TRUTH, teamed with Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford, which was filmed in Australia, and he is currently filming director Stephen Gaghan's GOLD, teamed with Matthew McConaughy, Toby Kebrell and Corey Stron.
On television, he is one of the stars of NBC's highly-anticipated upcoming comedy series, "The Crowd," created by Suzanne Martin with James Burrows directing first episodes. Keach was an important part of Alexander Payne's Academy Award nominated big screen drama, NEBRASKA. Other recent performances include Frank Miller's and Robert Rodriguez' SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR and key roles in the soon to be released film adaptation of the Stephen King novel, CELL with John Cusask and Samuel L. Jackson. He also stars in Damian Chapa's true Holocaust drama, FATHER RUPERT MAYA.
Keach's spectacular leading role filmography involves such significant works as THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, END OF THE ROAD, THE NEW CENTURIONS, DOC, FAT CITY, LUTHER, THE LONG RIDERS, THE NINTH CONFIGURATION, UP IN SMOKE, NICE DREAMS, JUDGE ROY BEAN, ESCAPE FROM L.A., AMERICAN HISTORY X, IMBUED (for which he also composed the score), and THE BOURNE LEGACY.
Perhaps best known around the world for his portrayal of hard-boiled detective Mike Hammer, Keach is also known for his performance as Ken Titus in the Fox sitcom "Titus," Warden Henry Pope in the hit series "Prison Break" and Robert "Pops" Leary in the FX series "Lights Out." His frequent television guest appearances number among the many include "Mistral's Daughter," "The Blue and the Gray," "Jennifer Falls," "The Exes," "Two And A Half Men," "Hot In Cleveland," "Anger Management," "Brooklyn 99," "Enlisted," "Law And Order, Special Victims Unit," "NCIS: New Orleans," and guest voice on "The Simpsons" as Don Bookner and HK Duff.
He enjoys prominence as one of the chief voice actors in animated features: his starring character, Skipper, in Disney's PLANES and its sequel, PLANES, FIRE AND RESCUE were both noted boxoffice hits. Keach is currently starring in the second season of "Full Circle" on DirecTV and continues to be the voice of CNBC's "American Greed," now in its ninth season. His original song "Anything for Money" is featured on the show.
Keach has played to grand success in classic and contemporary theater'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 rave reviews, as did his recent performances there as Falstaff in both "Henry IV" Parts I and II. Keach has accepted three Helen Hayes Awards for leading actor. Most recently on Broadway, he and Stockard Channing took their critically acclaimed roles in the Jon Robin Baitz play, "Other Desert Cities" to the Booth Theater. Keach received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for his performance in the Lincoln Center presentation. He also won the 2011 Audie Award for best original work for the Mike Hammer radio novel "The Little Death," in which he reprises his role as Mike Hammer and also composed the musical score.
This life of acclaimed accomplishment in theatre, film, television and spoken-word recordings and the artist's dramatic personal story are the compelling subject of All in All: An Actor's Life On and Off the Stage, Keach's memoir published by Lyons Press, a division of Globe Pequot in late 2013. His award-winning memoir (it was the initial recipient of the Prism Literary Award, first book acknowledgment in the significant award program honoring motion picture, television and stage productions addressing addictive drug behavior) instantly became and continues to be a bestseller among devotees of great acting and the continuity of Shakespearean theatrical performance.
Keach 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. Keach rose to prominence in 1967 in the off-Broadway political satire "MacBird," for which he received the first of his three Obie awards. He played the title roles in "Henry V," "Hamlet" (three times), "Coriolanus," "Richard III," "Macbeth" and "King Lear" in Robert Falls' modern adaptation at Chicago's Goodman Theatre.
His performance honors include Best Actor Golden Globe Award, three Obies, three Vernon Rice Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, three Helen Hayes Awards, and the prestigious Millineum Recognition Award, the Will Award, and has been nominated for Emmy and Tony Awards. Broadway credits include "Other Desert Cities," "Indians," "Deathtrap," "Solitary Confinement" and "The Kentucky Cycle." His extensive credits at the New York Shakespeare Festival include Falstaff in "Henry IV" Parts I and II, which he recently reprised in Washington, DC; and the title roles in "Richard III," "Coriolanus," "Henry V," "Macbeth," "Peer Gynt," "Hamlet," and "King Lear." Other theatre credits include "MacBird," "The Niggerlovers," "Steiglitz Loves O'Keefe," "Long Day's Journey into Night," "Frost/Nixon," "Sleuth," "Barnum," "Camelot," "The King and I," "Art" (West End), "Hughie" (West End), "Cyrano de Bergerac," and "Finishing the Picture." For LA Theatre Works, he has played Proctor in "The Crucible", Bottom in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Brutus in "Julius Caesar", Willy Loman in "Death of A Salesman", the title roles in "Galileo" and "Uncle Vanya."
Keach was a Fulbright scholar to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, attended the University of California at Berkeley and the Yale Drama School. He was recently appointed Heritage Professor by George Mason University, where he taught acting via Skype.
Keach has been married to actress, singer, Yoga instructor Malgosia for 29 years. They have two children, son Shannon, 26, a recent graduate from NYU and USC, who is commencing a career in public relations, and daughter Karolina, 24, graduating this year from Pepperdine University.