All in All: An Actor's Life On and Off the Stage
Stacy Keach
Language: English
Pages: 0
ISBN: 1452666059
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Stacy Keach is known for movie roles like Fat City, American History X, the television series Titus, and of course Mike Hammer, but he's also revered in the industry as a serious actor who's passionate about his craft. In his long, impressive career, he has been hailed as America's finest classical stage actor, earning acclaim for his portrayals of Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III, and King Lear. He has worked alongside and become friends with the giants of American culture, from Joseph Papp to George C. Scott, from James Earl Jones to Oliver Stone. Keach's memoir begins with the riveting account of his arrest in London for cocaine possession. He takes listeners through his trial and his time at Reading Jail as he battles his drug addiction and then fights to revive his career. Keach poignantly reveals his acting insecurities and relationship struggles. All in All is full of priceless behind-the-scenes Hollywood moments and friendships-from his late-night pool and backgammon showdowns with John Huston to his passionate relationship with Judy Collins. Incidental music composed and performed by Stacy Keach.
Re-viewing Television History: Critical Issues in Television Historiography
Considering David Chase: Essays on The Rockford Files, Northern Exposure and The Sopranos
Hockey Night in Canada: 60 Seasons
The Citizen Machine: Governing By Television in 1950s America
script was a parody of Clint Eastwood’s classic Super Bowl commercial “Halftime in America.” My role was not to rally the nation’s spirit; Stacy Keach’s call to action was to help Jack Donaghy, the ruthless executive played by Alec Baldwin, unload the world’s worst couches. My technique was to bully American viewers into feeling wimpy if they couldn’t handle tough times and uncomfortable seating. “When we get hit and are down we don’t stay down, we get up and we hit back with our fists… or our
1980s after I was arrested for cocaine possession and landed in England’s Reading Jail. I was already plenty busy performing Other Desert Cities on Broadway eight times a week and narrating CNBC’s American Greed series, but I’m always game for more work. When asked what my favorite role is, I invariably answer, “my next one.” And the 30 Rock script was irresistible. So there I was spending my Monday tromping up and down an alleyway in Queens, braving frigid temperatures and brutal winds without
extend himself to anybody. Showing the dishonesty of his facades was tricky on film. When I saw the final version, I noticed Aram had cut the bits of levity I had thought crucial and had fought for, yet he had also made Horner empathetic while remaining representative of our culture. He found the performance I thought I gave and it was one of the best of my career before or since. That taught me a lesson in patience and in believing in your director, even if sometimes the cuts a director and
turned on each other; her producer suggested that Judy calm things down by singing. Into her head popped “Amazing Grace” and when she sang the room was transformed; soon everyone was hugging and kissing. This needed to be recorded. We went to St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University. First, they had tried with backing instruments, but Judy wanted to replicate her encounter performance so she sang a cappella, alone at first and later joined by a chorus of professional singers mixed with friends
the Mike Hammer “radio novels,” which are more ambitious and perhaps even more satisfying than a single song like “Anything for Money.” Of course, my favorite part of the Mike Hammer audiobooks is the chance to pour myself into a dramatic role, even if it’s only with my voice. My producer, Carl Amari, also expanded our horizons with radio adaptations of all the classic Twilight Zone episodes; I handle the narration, trying to find my own voice yet also paying tribute to the great Rod Serling with