- Acclaimed American stage and screen actor Stacy Keach, best known for playing private investigator Mike Hammer, has died aged 85 at his home in Magdalenka, Poland, following a battle with a serious heart condition.
- Renowned as a pre-eminent interpreter of Shakespeare who played King Lear, Hamlet, and Richard III, Keach enjoyed a highly diverse career spanning major theatre productions, award-winning miniseries, and film roles in Nebraska and American History X.
- Keach's career was nearly derailed in 1984 when he was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport for attempting to smuggle cocaine into Britain, leading to a sentence of which he served six months at Reading Prison.
- Following his release, he channelled his experience into anti-drug advocacy by testifying before the US Congress on chemical dependency before successfully reviving his acting career, including the return of The New Mike Hammer and a role in Prison Break.
- The actor, who was married four times and previously survived a heart attack on stage in Chicago in 2017, is survived by his wife, Polish actor Malgosia Tomassi Keach, and his children, Shannon and Karolina.
IN FULL
