JAMES STACY

(23 December 1936 – 9 September 2016)

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The American actor James Stacy first wanted to be a professional football player but turned to acting at a friend’s suggestion. His first uncredited film appearance was in Sayonara (1957) with Marlon Brando. He was a sailor in South Pacific (1958) and continued in small parts on TV in Cheyenne, The Donna Reed Show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Perry Mason etc and the title role in Lancer, as well as Disney’s Summer Magic.

In the 1970s he was in The Streets of San Francisco, Marcus Welby M.D. and Gunsmoke. However, in 1973 he lost an arm and a leg in a motorcycle accident but returned to work in 1975 in a role created for him by Kirk Douglas in Posse. He continued to work mainly on TV until 1992 but more trouble lay ahead. In 1995 he was arrested for child molestation, but fled and tried suicide. In 1996 he was charged again for child abuse and served six years in jail. Stacy was divorced from both Connie Stevens and Kim Darby. He was Emmy-nominated twice for Just a Little Inconvenience (1977) and Cagney & Lacey (1981).

MICHAEL DARVELL