Stacy Keach Sr.

Racking up a staggering number of small-screen credits over the course of his impressive 50-year career, Stacy Keach Sr. also appeared in countless television commercials in addition to feature roles in The Parallax View (1974), Pretty Woman (1990), and Cobb (1994), among many others. Born Walter Stacy Keach in Chicago, IL, in May of 1914, the future star earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Northwestern and impressed teachers so much that he was appointed a Dramatic Arts instructor as a graduate student. Keach would subsequently teach at Armstrong College and founded the Savannah Playhouse, later relocating to the West Coast for a stint at the Pasadena Playhouse. It was there that Keach was signed by Universal Studios as an actor/director/writer, and though he would stay there for nearly five years he would eventually relocate to RKO as a producer. During his stint at RKO, Keach would produce and direct the popular radio series Tales of the Texas Rangers. Keach was widely recognized for his roles on such popular television series as The Lone Ranger, Mannix, and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. In addition to his work in the entertainment industry, Keach also founded Kayden Records, an award-winning education company, and proved an early developer of industrial films. The father of actors Stacy and James, Keach married Mary Cain Peckham in June of 1937 and remained wed until his death resulting from heart failure in early 2003. He was 88.

~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide