William Hickey

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William Edward Hickey (born September 19, 1927 in Brooklyn , New York , † June 29, 1997 in New York City , New York ) was an American film and stage actor .

Life

William Hickey was born in Brooklyn, the youngest child of Edward and Nora Hickey; he also had an older sister. As a child, Hickey was already on stage in a few smaller plays and knew early on that he wanted to be an actor. In 1938, Hickey was hired as a spokesperson for a children's radio show, which meant another leap up the career ladder for the eleven-year-old.

After graduating from school, Hickey began studying acting with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof in their studio in 1948 , and later, when he had already made a name for himself as an actor, returned to that institution as a teacher. With Hagen's support, Hickey received his first engagement on Broadway in May 1952 , although his first stage role in the play Tovarich was only an extra role. Hickey appeared in nine plays on Broadway, the successes of which were varied. Thus, Moon Birds , which celebrated 1959 premiere in October, set after just three performances. It was a different story with Thieves , which premiered in April 1974 and ran 313 times until January 1975. In addition to his engagements on Broadway, Hickey also took up other role offers in other US theaters.

Hickey's career in film and television was no less successful. After making his film debut in 1957 in an episode of the television series Decoy , Hickey appeared in 80 other films and television series in front of the camera. Hickey's best-known film was the 1985 drama Die Ehre der Prizzis , for which Hickey received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1986 . That same year, Hickey also starred in The Name of the Rose . William Hickey was in front of the camera until shortly before his death. One of his last films was the comedy Mice Hunt , produced in 1997 , which, however, only premiered after Hickey's death.

William Hickey was never married, but lived in a relationship with Lilli Afan. He also remained childless throughout his life. He died at the age of 69 of emphysema combined with severe bronchitis .

Filmography (selection)

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personal data
SURNAME Hickey, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hickey, William Edward (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH September 19, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn , New York , USA
DATE OF DEATH June 29, 1997
Place of death New York City , New York , USA