William Edward Hickey is a famous theater, film and television actor of the last century. Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actor in The Honor of the Prizzi Family and an Emmy for Tales from the Crypt as Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
The actor's creative biography includes 97 roles in television and film projects, including participation in the Oscar awards. Since 1952 he has worked on the theater stage and has played many roles on Broadway, including in performances: "Miss Lonelyhearts", "The Body Beautiful", "Mourning Becomes Electra", "Thieves".
For several years he taught at the Herbert Berghof Studio (HB Studio), founded in 1945 by G. Berghoff and located in New York. The studio prepares young talents and offers professional training in the areas of the performing arts, including acting, directing, speech and voice production, and stage movement.
William made a huge contribution to the development of art. Among the students who studied acting with Hickey, there were future celebrities: J. Segal, J. Nicholson, B. Streisand, Sandy Dennis, S. McClain.
Biography facts
William was born in the United States in the fall of 1927. His parents, Nora and Edward, emigrated to America from Ireland. William was the youngest of 2 children. His older sister was called Dorothy.
The boy spent his childhood in one of Brooklyn's districts - Flatbush. The family then moved and settled in the Richmond Hill area of New York.
From an early age, William became interested in creativity and reading. He liked to retell the books he had read, portraying his favorite characters. At the age of 10, the boy went to audition for one of the local radio stations and soon made his debut in a radio play.
During his school years, he performed on stage in pop performances and concerts. Even then, he decided that he would certainly become a professional actor and devote his life to art.
After completing his primary education, Hickey went to enroll in the HB Studio in New York and was immediately enrolled in the ranks of students.
Theatrical career
Hickey made his theater debut in 1951. He starred on Broadway in one of the most famous plays of the B. Shaw "Saint Joan" along with the famous actress Uta Hagen in the title role. Then he got a small role in the play "Tovarich".
He played in the popular play by W. Shakespeare "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Hanna Theater along with famous actors B. Lar, M. Agrus, R. Allen. The play was shown at the Cleveland Shakespeare Theater Festival.
In 1957, Hickey starred in the play "Miss Lonelyhearts" directed by Alan Schneider at the Music Box Theater. The play went on with consistent success on Broadway, with 12 performances given in just one month.
Over the next years, the actor played a huge number of roles on the Broadway stage. Having started acting in films, he began to appear less often in the theater, and then began to devote more time to teaching.
Hickey last appeared on stage in 1986 in the comedy "Arsenic and Old Lace".
Film career
The actor got his first role on television in the comedy "Operation Crazy Ball" in 1957. The film tells about the life of an American military hospital, deployed in France after the end of the war, and about the adventures of Private Hogan, who threw a fun party at the clinic.
In the same year, Hickey starred in Fredd Zinneman's drama A Hat Full of Rain, which tells the story of a Korean War veteran who is addicted to potent drugs. This addiction caused a difficult relationship in his family and led to unhappiness.
The film was screened at the 1958 Venice Film Festival, was nominated for the Golden Lion Grand Prize and won 3 special awards. The leading actor E. Franchoso became an Oscar and Golden Globe nominee. Actress Eva Marie Saint has been nominated for a Golden Globe and a British Academy Award. The film's director was also nominated for a Golden Globe.
In the following years, the actor played in many famous projects: "First Studio", "Armstrong Theater", "Phil Silvers Show", "How the World Turns", "DuPont Month Show", "Art Carney Show".
In the early 1960s, William joined the cast of The Defenders, a drama series about lawyer Lawrence Preston and his son working in a law firm, ready to tackle any complex or scandalous case.
The film won three Emmy awards, and in 1963 won a Golden Globe for Best Drama Series.
The actor played the following roles in the films: "Work for the Shooter", "NYPD", "Producers", "One Life to Live", "Boston Strangler", "Little Big Man", "Mickey and Nicky", " Sentinel "," Wise Blood "," Miami Police: Department of Morals "," Moonlight Detective Agency ".
One of the most significant works of William was the image of Don Corrado Prizzi in the crime drama "The Honor of the Prizzi Family" directed by John Huston. Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner also starred in the film.
For his role as Don Corrado, Hickey was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category. The film itself received 7 Oscar nominations, and actress Angelica Houston won this prestigious award.
The painting won the Golden Globe Award. This award was also received by actors J. Nicholson, K. Turner and director D. Houston.
After being nominated for an Oscar, Hickey was increasingly invited to new projects. He played in the films: "The Equalizer", "Spencer", "One Crazy Summer", "Seize the Day", "Crime Story", "Los Angeles Law", "The Name of the Rose", "Bright Lights, Big City", " Pink Cadillac”,“The Sea of Love”,“The Puppet Master”,“Tales from the Dark Side”.
On the hit TV series Tales from the Crypt, William guest-starred Carlton Webster in season 2 and was nominated for an Emmy. But he never managed to win the prestigious award. Patrick McGuen became the winner.
In the 1990s, the artist played in the films: "My Blue Paradise", "Mafia Leader", "The Adventures of Pete and Pete", "The Magic Stone", "Jokers", "Major Payne", "Beyond the Possible." He also took part in the voiceover for the animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Hickey's last work was the role in the film "Knocking at the gates of death." The film was released only in 1999, 2 years after the death of the actor.
Personal life
Little is known about William's personal life. He never married, devoted his entire life to creativity and teaching.
Hickey passed away in the summer of 1997 in a New York clinic. The cause of death was pulmonary emphysema and a complicated form of bronchitis. The famous actor was buried at the Cemetery of the Evergreens in Brooklyn.
