James Stacy

Infobox actor


imagesize = 150px
name = James Stacy
birthname = Maurice William Elias
birthdate = birth date|1936|12|23|mf=n
birthplace = Los Angeles, California
deathdate =
deathplace =
restingplace =
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occupation = Actor
yearsactive = 1957-1991
spouse = Kim Darby (1968-1969)
Connie Stevens (1963-1966)
website = http://www.jamesstacy.com/

James Stacy (born Maurice William Elias on December 23, 1936), is a former American actor whose career was effectively ended in a motorcycle crash which left him an amputee and took the life of his girlfriend. Returning to acting after his recovery, Stacy retired from acting in 1991. He was arrested and convicted of child molestation in 1995, serving a six year sentence in California Institution for Men, at Chino.

Biography

Stacy was born in Los Angeles, California to an Irish-Scottish waitress and a Lebanese-American bookmaker. [ [http://www.jamesstacy.com/credits.html "James Stacy Biography"] . James Stacy.com.]

Early career

Stacy made his 1957 film debut in "Sayonara", which starred Marlon Brando, and his televison debut in "Highway Patrol" starring Broderick Crawford. He had a recurring role as "Fred" in "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" from 1958-1963.

In the 1960s he sporadically appeared in TV shows, including "Gunsmoke", "Hazel", "The Donna Reed Show", "Perry Mason", "Have Gun - Will Travel", and "Combat!" As an actor, Stacy is best remembered as a star of the 51-episode Western series "Lancer" on CBS from 1968-1970. He played the character "Johnny Madrid Lancer", a former gunslinger. His costars were Andrew Duggan, Wayne Maunder, and Paul Brinegar. Stacy was also 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 lost his left arm and leg, and his girlfriend, waitress Claire Cox, was killed when they were struck by a drunk driver while riding on a motorcycle. A 1974 celebrity gala, whose attendees included Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand, raised $118,000 for his expenses, and in 1976, he won a $1.9 million landmark lawsuit against the bar that had served the drunk driver. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,947672,00.html "Misery Worth Millions"] . Time Magazine. 31 May 1976.]

Comeback

After his recovery, Stacy appeared in roles created to accommodate his handicap. 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, and in Walt Disney Pictures 1983 fantasy film "Something Wicked This Way Comes".

Stacy starred in and produced the TV movie, "My Kidnapper, My Love", in 1980. His brother, Louie Elias, a bit actor and stuntman, wrote the screenplay, based on the novel by Oscar Saul, to accommodate Stacy’s handicap. Elias was also the associate producer.

Other television appearances included "Cagney & Lacey" on CBS, "Hotel" on ABC, and "Highway to Heaven" on NBC. His last TV role was in five 1990 episodes of the cop series "Wiseguy", playing "Ed Rogosheske." After that Stacy was reportedly too inebriated to work and retired. Elias was twice nominated for an Emmy Award: for "Just a Little Inconvenience" (1978: Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series) and the "Cagney & Lacey" episode "The Gimp," (1986: Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series).

Personal life

Stacy has married twice, to actress and singer Connie Stevens (1963-1966) and actress Kim Darby (1968-1969), with whom he had a daughter named Heather.

Arrest and conviction

On November 9, 1995, under his birth name of Maurice Elias, he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under fourteen years for having fondled the genitals of an 11-year-old-girl. [ [http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/ "California's Registered Sex Offenders"] . Meganslaw.ca.gov.]

On December 7, 1995, he failed to appear for sentencing in Ventura County Superior Court. He was arrested the next day in a Honolulu, Hawaii, hospital after having fled. He attempted suicide by downing a pint of whiskey and leaping off a convert|1200|ft|m|sing=on cliff. He landed on a ledge just convert|45|ft|m from the top. By the end of December he had waived extradition and was returned to California. On March 5, 1996, he was sentenced to a six-year prison term. The prosecutor in the case said initially that she believed he might have been eligible for probation for the molestation, but his behavior after his arrest, coupled with two arrests in June 1995 for prowling at the homes of other girls, led her to seek a prison sentence. [Elias, Paul. [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/16678389.html?dids=16678389:16678389&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+6%2C+1996&author=PAUL+ELIAS&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=1&desc=Actor+Stacy+Sentenced+in+Molestation "Actor Stacy Sentenced in Molestation"] . L.A. Times. 6 March 1996.] As a result, 150 concurrently served days were added for one prowling charge, while several others were dismissed. He served his sentence at the California Institution for Men, at Chino.

References

External links

*
* [http://u.webring.com/hub?ring=jamesstacy James Stacy Web Ring]
* [http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800053735/bio Yahoo Movies James Stacy]
* [http://www.vh1.com/movies/person/59468/personmain.jhtml?personid=59468 VH1 Movies biography]