Stacy Keach, the actor behind Mike Hammer who voiced Skipper Riley in Disney’s Planes and narrated The Pixar Story, died Nov. 10 at his home in Poland. He was 85.
Image: Susanne via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Stacy Keach, the stage and screen veteran Disney fans know as the voice of Skipper Riley in Planes, has died. He was 85.
Keach died Tuesday, Nov. 10, at his family home in Magdalenka, Poland, according to his wife, Malgosia Tomassi Keach. She said he died after “a long and difficult battle with a serious heart condition and heart failure.”
She called him “a true warrior.”
Who did Stacy Keach play in Disney’s Planes?
Skipper Riley, the gruff old Navy war plane who trains Dusty Crophopper in Disney’s 2013 animated movie Planes. Skipper becomes Dusty’s mentor, even though he has his own reasons for not flying anymore.
Planes came from DisneyToon Studios and opened in theaters in August 2013 as a spin-off of Pixar’s Cars. Dane Cook voiced Dusty, a crop duster who dreams of racing around the world, with Skipper in his corner.
Keach also narrated The Pixar Story, the 2007 documentary about the rise of Pixar Animation Studios, WDW News Today reported. The film was directed by Leslie Iwerks, granddaughter of Disney animation pioneer Ub Iwerks.
What else was Stacy Keach known for?
Playing tough guys, most famously private eye Mike Hammer. Keach played Mickey Spillane’s detective in a 1983 TV movie, then the CBS series Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer and a late-1990s revival, IndieWire reported.
His long list of credits also includes:
Fat City (1972) and The Long Riders (1980)
Up in Smoke (1978) and American History X (1998)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), as the voice of the Phantasm
Titus on FOX, as Ken Titus
Prison Break, Blue Bloods and The Blacklist
Jay Kelly (2025), as George Clooney’s character’s father
On Blue Bloods, he played the Archbishop of New York opposite Tom Selleck, HELLO! reported. Fans of The Simpsons will know his voice as Duff beer boss H.K. Duff.
Did Stacy Keach win any major awards?
Yes. Keach won a Golden Globe for playing Ernest Hemingway, HELLO! reported, and earned a Tony nomination for his 1969 Broadway debut as Buffalo Bill in Indians.
He also won four Drama Desk Awards and joined the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2015. He got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019. Over a career that ran more than six decades, he moved easily between Shakespeare, action TV and animated voice work.
Where did Stacy Keach grow up?
Keach was born Walter Stacy Keach Jr. on June 2, 1941, in Savannah, Georgia. His father was an actor and drama teacher, and his mother was an actress.
His family later moved to Pasadena, California. Keach studied at UC Berkeley, the Yale School of Drama and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, IndieWire reported.
Was Stacy Keach a stage actor?
A celebrated one. Keach was one of the leading classical stage actors of the 1960s and 1970s, with roles like Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear and Falstaff.
Who survives Stacy Keach?
His wife, Malgosia; his children, Shannon and Karolina; his grandchildren; and his brother, actor and filmmaker James Keach, according to IndieWire.
“His extraordinary spirit, his unforgettable voice and the love he gave so generously will remain with us forever,” his wife said.
Where can you watch Planes?
Planes and its 2014 sequel, Planes: Fire & Rescue, are part of the Cars universe and stream on Disney+.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
WDW News Today (Nov. 11, 2026), Keach’s death, his Planes and Pixar Story work, and his Simpsons and Titus roles
IndieWire via Yahoo, J. Kim Murphy (Nov. 10, 2026), his wife’s statement, career, education and survivors
HELLO!, Faye James (Nov. 11, 2026), the “true warrior” quote, Blue Bloods role, Golden Globe and honors
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