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James Stacy

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James Stacy
Stacy in 1968
Born
Maurice William Elias

(1936-12-23)December 23, 1936
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedSeptember 9, 2016(2016-09-09) (aged 79)
Ventura, California, U.S.
Other namesJim Stacey, Jim Stacy
OccupationActor
Years active1957–1991
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1963; div. 1966)​

​
​
(m. 1968; div. 1969)​
Children1
Websitewww.jamesstacy.com

Maurice William Elias (December 23, 1936 – September 9, 2016), better known as James Stacy, was an American film and television actor.

In 1973, Stacy was hit by a drunk driver while driving his motorcycle, resulting in the amputation of his left leg and arm and the death of his girlfriend. He returned to acting in 1975 before retiring in 1991.

Early life

Stacy was born Maurice William Elias on December 23, 1936,[1] in Los Angeles to an Irish-Scottish waitress and a Lebanese-American bookmaker.[2]

Career

Stacy made his film debut in Sayonara in 1957, and his television debut in Highway Patrol. He had a recurring role as "Fred" in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet from 1958 to 1963. During the 1960s he made guest appearances in television shows, including Gunsmoke, Hazel, The Donna Reed Show, Have Gun - Will Travel, and Combat!. In 1966, he appeared in the final episode of Perry Mason as actor and murder victim Barry Conrad in "The Case of the Final Fade-Out".

Stacy is perhaps best remembered as a star of the western series Lancer, along with Andrew Duggan, Wayne Maunder, and Paul Brinegar. Lancer aired on CBS from 1968 to 1970. Stacy played the character "Johnny Madrid Lancer", a former gunslinger, the son of Duggan's character, Murdoch Lancer. Stacy acted in several motion pictures from the 1950s through the 1970s, including a minor part in the musical South Pacific.

Motorcycle accident

On September 27, 1973, Stacy was taking Claire Cox[3][4] for a ride on his motorcycle in the Hollywood Hills when a drunken driver struck them. She died and Stacy lost his left arm and leg. Stacy's ex-wife, actress and singer Connie Stevens, organized a 1974 celebrity gala to raise money for his expenses. The gala, whose attendees included Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand, raised $118,000 for his expenses.[2] In 1976, he won a $1.9 million lawsuit against the bar that had served the drunk driver.[2][3]

Comeback

After his recovery, Stacy appeared in roles created to accommodate his disability. His comeback film was the 1975 Kirk Douglas Western Posse, in which he was cast as newspaper editor "Harold Hellman", a part Douglas had written for him. In 1977, he starred in the TV movie Just a Little Inconvenience, playing a double-amputee Vietnam veteran. The role earned him his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama or Comedy Special. In 1980, Stacy starred in and produced the TV movie, My Kidnapper, My Love. His brother, Louie Elias, a character actor and stuntman, wrote the screenplay, based on the novel by Oscar Saul, to accommodate Stacy’s disability. Elias was also the associate producer.

Other television appearances included Hotel, Cagney & Lacey (for which he was nominated for a second Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series), and Highway to Heaven. His last TV role was in five 1990 episodes of the cop series Wiseguy, playing "Ed Rogosheske".

Personal life

Marriages

Stacy has been married twice. He married actress and singer Connie Stevens on October 12, 1963, in Hollywood.[5] They were divorced in November 1966.[6] Stacy's second marriage was to actress Kim Darby in 1968. They had a daughter, Heather, before divorcing in 1969.[7][8]

Arrest and conviction

In November 1995, Stacy pleaded no contest to a charge of molesting an 11-year-old girl.[9] On December 7, 1995, he failed to appear for sentencing in Ventura County Superior Court and was arrested the next day in a Honolulu, Hawaii, hospital after having fled California. He attempted suicide by jumping off a cliff. After recovering, Stacy waived extradition and returned to California. On March 5, 1996, he received a six-year prison sentence. The prosecutor in the case initially said she believed Stacy might have been eligible for probation for the molestation, but his post-arrest behavior, coupled with two arrests in June 1995 for prowling at the homes of other girls,[2] led her to seek a prison sentence.[10][11] He served his sentence at the California Institution for Men at Chino.[2] He was placed on the list of California's registered sex offenders.[12]

Death

Stacy died on September 9, 2016, in Ventura, California, at the age of 79 from an allergic reaction to medication.[13]

TV and filmography

Film and television
Year Title Role Notes
1956–63 The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Fred 19 episodes
1957 Highway Patrol Young Man in Car Episode: "Female Hitchhiker"
1957 Sayonara Reporter Uncredited
1958 South Pacific Sailor/Seabee Credited as Jim Stacey
1958 Lafayette Escadrille Alan Nichols Uncredited
1962 Shannon Cracker Coe Episode: "The Jungle Kid"
1962 Have Gun – Will Travel Johnny Tully Episode: "Man in an Hourglass"
1962 The Donna Reed Show Danny
Steve 		2 episodes
1962 Cheyenne Luther James Episode: "Showdown at Oxbend"
1963 Summer Magic Charles Bryant
1963 Hazel Episode: "The Baby Came C.O.D."
1964–66 Perry Mason Scott Everett
Barry Conrad 		2 episodes
1964–73 Gunsmoke Various roles 5 episodes
1965 A Swingin' Summer Mickey
1965 Like Father, Like Son Art Credited as Jim Stacey
1965 Winter A-Go-Go Danny Frazer
1965 Mister Roberts Episode: "Just Getting There Is Half the Fun"
1966 Baby Makes Three Dr. Peter Cooper Television movie
1966 The Monroes Perry Hutchins Episode: "Ride with Terror"
1966 Combat! Farley Episode: "The Bankroll"
1968 Premiere Andrew Bass Episode: "The Freebooters"
1968 Cimarron Strip Joe Bravo Episode: "The Judgment"
1968–70 Lancer Johnny Madrid Lancer 51 episodes
1969 Flareup Joe
1971 Paper Man Jerry Television movie
1972 Love, American Style Segment: "Love and the Alibi"
1972 Heat of Anger Gus Pride Television movie
1972 Medical Center Neil Episode: "Cycle of Peril"
1972 The Streets of San Francisco Peter Forrest Episode: "Whose Little Boy Are You?"
1972 Marcus Welby, M.D. Phil Darrow Episode: "Jason Be Nimble, Jason Be Quick"
1972 Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law Episode: "Starting Over Again"
1973 Ordeal Andy Folsom Television movie
1975 Posse Harold Hellman
1977 Just a Little Inconvenience Kenny Briggs Television movie
1980 My Kidnapper, My Love Denny Television movie
1983 Double Exposure B.J. Wilde Alternative title: Model Killer
1983 Something Wicked This Way Comes Ed, the Bartender
1985 Hotel Jeremy Hale Episode: "Saving Grace"
1986 Cagney & Lacey Ted Peters Episode: "The Gimp"
1987 Highway to Heaven Joe Mason Episode: "The Hero"
1990 Wiseguy Ed Rogosheske 5 episodes
1990 Matters of the Heart Glen Harper Television movie
1991 F/X2 Cyborg Alternative title: F/X 2: The Deadly Art of Illusion

References

  1. ^ "James Stacy: An Update". Toledo Blade. October 14, 1985. pp. P–2. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Hitting Bottom". People. 45 (19): 62. May 13, 1996. ISSN 0093-7673.
  3. ^ a b Weller, W. Robert (May 6, 1976). "Tavern Liable in Fatal Accident". The Evening News.
  4. ^ "Screen capture of Claire A. Cox being listed in the California Death index as dying on the same day as the motorcycle accident".
  5. ^ "Actor, Actress Are Married". The Spokesman-Review. October 13, 1969. p. 1. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  6. ^ "Connie Stevens Divorces Hubby". Gettysburg Times. November 3, 1966. p. 10. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  7. ^ Morehouse, Rebecca (June 4, 1969). "'True Grit' Makes Kim Darby a Star". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 61. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  8. ^ Scott, Vernon (June 29, 1977). "Actress Kim Darby Is Growing Up". The Telegraph. p. 49. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  9. ^ "James Stacy: TV Actor Sought By Court". Star-News. December 9, 1995. p. 2A. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  10. ^ "Actor Stacy Sentenced in Molestation". Los Angeles Times. March 6, 1996. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
  11. ^ "Actor receives six year sentence". The Hour. March 6, 1996. p. 6. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  12. ^ http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/cgi/prosoma.dll?w6=362294&searchby=offender&id=18699266D5534
  13. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/19/arts/television/james-stacy-dead.html
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