Stacy Keach, Mike Hammer star and Shakespeare actor, dies at 85 in Poland

Stacy Keach, one of America's finest stage actors, has died at the age of 85. He passed away at his home in Magdalenka, Poland.

His wife, Malgosia Tomassi Keach, said he died after a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure. Keach had previously suffered a heart attack onstage in Chicago in June 2017.

“My objective was to have as varied a selection of roles as possible. It probably did hurt my career.”

Keach became best known for playing scruffy private eye Mike Hammer on television. The character was created by crime novelist Mickey Spillane.

He was also considered a preeminent interpreter of Shakespeare and worked with legendary directors such as John Huston. His stage roles included King Lear and Buffalo Bill.

His film and television credits included The Ninth Configuration, Titus, Nebraska, Blue Bloods, and Jay Kelly. He won a Golden Globe for playing Ernest Hemingway in a six-hour miniseries.

Keach's career was nearly derailed in 1984 after he was imprisoned for trying to smuggle cocaine into Britain. Actor Lou Diamond Phillips described him as a consummate actor and one of the greats.