[Deathwatch] Stacy Keach Sr., actor, 88

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Actor Stacy Keach Sr. Dies at 88
Fri Feb 14, 9:46 AM ET

BURBANK, Calif. - Stacy Keach (news) Sr., father of actors Stacy and
James Keach and an accomplished character actor in his own right, died
Thursday of complications of congestive heart failure. He was 88.

He had been in declining health for more than a year, said publicist
Dick Guttman.

Keach appeared in hundreds of movies, commercials, and television and
radio shows in a career that spanned more than 50 years.

He had a recurring role as Professor Carlson in television's 1960s spy
spoof "Get Smart" and, more recently, as Judge Webster in "Dr. Quinn,
Medicine Woman," which starred his daughter-in-law Jane Seymour, wife
of James Keach.

He also developed, produced and directed "Tales of the Texas Rangers,"
which began as a radio series in the 1950s, moving to television in
1958. Guttman said the radio version is still heard on hundreds of
stations.

Keach's movie credits included 1990's "Pretty Woman," in which he
played a senator in the Richard Gere-Julia Roberts hit, and 1994's
"Cobb," in which he portrayed baseball great Jimmie Foxx.

He appeared in such television shows as "St. Elsewhere," "Dynasty,
"Baretta," "The Incredible Hulk," "Adam 12," "Barnarby Jones,"
"Kojack," "Mannix," "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "Bonanza," "Wagon Train,"
"Maverick," "77 Sunset Strip" and several episodes of "The Lone
Ranger."

He also appeared in scores of commercials, including more than three
dozen in the year 1980 alone, Guttman said.

Born in Milwaukee, Wis., Keach attended Northwestern University where
he later became a drama instructor. He also taught at Armstrong College
in Georgia, where he founded the Savannah Playhouse.

Keach moved to Los Angeles to direct the Pasadena Playhouse and stayed
on, becoming a contract player at Universal Pictures and later working
as a producer for the RKO film studio.