Stacy Keach

He’s been around the acting biz for quite some time now, and it doesn’t look he’s going away anytime soon. Stacy Keach has gone above and beyond to showcase his award-winning acting abilities, but it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows. In 1941, Keach was born in Savannah, Georgia with a cleft lip and partial cleft palate, which were both repaired with surgery. This didn’t get him down, and he continued to pursue his dream of acting. Keach took his craft seriously by studying at the University of California, Berkeley and the Yale University School of Drama. He also received a Fulbright Scholarship and studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. His education definitely helped him further his career. Keach has had some of the greatest roles on the small and big screen. From “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” to “Fat City” to “Mike Hammer, Private Eye” to “Lights Out” to “Titus,” Keach’s work is quite versatile. One of his most popular roles was as Warden Henry Pope on “Prison Break.” Ironically, Keach served time himself. In 1984, he was jailed in a British prison for smuggling cocaine. He spent six months across the pond. In addition to acting, Keach is a pianist, composer and quite the Shakespearean. The stage is like home to Keach, where he’s been able to embrace his Broadway side and his Shakespearean side. He is especially well-known for his role as King Lear in theaters across the country and has won several awards for taking the stage. So far, Keach has been honored with two Lifetime Achievement Awards; once at the 2003 San Diego Film Festival and once at the 2010 St. Louis International Film Festival. He even earned a 1989 Golden Globe for the title role in “Hemingway.” For 25 years, he has been married to wife, Malgosia Tomassi. They met on the set of the 1986 TV movie “The Return of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer.” Today, they have one son, Shannon, and a daughter, Karolina. Prior to Malgosia, Keach was married three times. Speaking of family, his brother, James Keach, is also an actor who used to be married to actress Jane Seymour. Keach’s life doesn’t completely revolve around acting, as he has been giving back to others for years. For many years, Keach has served as an Honorary Chairperson for the Cleft Palate Foundation. In 1995, he received the Celebrity Outreach Award for his selflessness and avid charity work.