William Hickey (actor) 1394966 219524975 2008-06-15T17:20:46Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other {{Infobox actor | name = William Hickey | image = Replace this image male.svg | caption = | birthdate = {{birth date|1927|9|19|mf=y}} | birthplace = [[Brooklyn, New York]], [[New York City]], [[United States]] | deathdate= {{death date and age|1997|6|29|1927|9|19}} | deathplace = [[New York City, New York]] }} '''William Edward Hickey''' ([[September 19]], [[1927]] – [[June 29]], [[1997]]) was an [[United States|American]] actor. He was known for his Oscar-nominated role as Don Corrado Prizzi in the John Huston 1985 film ''[[Prizzi's Honor]]''. Hickey was born in [[Brooklyn]], the son of Nora and Edward Hickey, who were of Irish descent.<ref>[http://www.buckscountyplayhouse.com/playhouse/Celeb%20Pages/hickey.html William Hickey - Bucks County Playhouse roles<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> He had an older sister, Dorothy Finn. Hickey began acting in [[radio]] in 1938.<ref>[http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800011762/bio William Hickey Biography - Yahoo! Movies<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Hickey enjoyed a long and successful career in [[film]], [[television]] and [[theater]]. In addition to his work as an actor, he was a respected teacher of the craft. Notable for his unique, gravely voice and somewhat offbeat appearance, Hickey, in his later years, was often cast in "cantankerous-but-clever old man" roles. His characters, who sometimes exuded an underlying air of the macabre, usually had the last laugh over their more sprightly co-stars. Hickey died from [[emphysema]] and [[bronchitis]] in 1997. He is interred in the Cemetery of the Evergreens in [[Brooklyn, New York]]. ==Notable credits== ===New York City theatre=== *''[[Miss Lonelyhearts]]'' (1957) *''[[The Body Beautiful]]'' (1958) *''[[Happy Birthday, Wanda June]]'' (1970) *''[[Small Craft Warnings]]'' (1972) *''[[Mourning Becomes Electra]]'' (1972) *''[[Thieves (play)|Thieves]]'' (1974) *''[[Arsenic and Old Lace]]'' (1986) ===Film=== *''[[Twisted (1997 film)|Twisted]]'' (1997): Andre *''[[Mousehunt]]'' (1997): Rudolf Smuntz *''[[Jerky Boys: The Movie|The Jerky Boys]]'' (1995): "Uncle Freddy" *''[[Forget Paris]]'' (1995): Arthur *''[[Major Payne]]'' (1995): School Dean *''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'' (1993): voice of [[Doctor Finklestein]] *''[[My Blue Heaven]]'' (1990): Billy Sparrow *''[[Tales from the Darkside: The Movie]]'' (1990): Drogan (in the "Cat From Hell" segment) *''[[Sea of Love (film)|Sea of Love]]'' (1989): Frank Keller, Sr. *''[[National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation]]'' (1989): Uncle Lewis *''[[Puppet Master (film)|Puppet Master]]'' (1989): Andre Toulon *''[[Bright Lights, Big City]]'' (1988): Ferret Man *''[[A Hobo's Christmas]]'' (1987): Cincinnati Harold *''[[One Crazy Summer]]'' (1986): Old Man Beckersted *''[[The Name of the Rose (film)| The Name of the Rose]]'' (1986): [[Ubertino da Casale]] *''[[Prizzi's Honor]]'' (1985): Don Corrado Prizzi ([[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nomination for Best Supporting Actor) *''[[The Sentinel (1977 film)|The Sentinel]]'' (1977) Perry, a shady locksmith *''[[Little Big Man]]'' (1970) Historian *''[[The Boston Strangler]]'' (1968) Eugene T O'Rourke *''[[The Producers (1968 film)|The Producers]]'' (1968): Drunk *''[[A Hatful of Rain]]'' (1957): Apples (film debut) ===Television=== *''[[Baby Talk (TV series)|Baby Talk]]'' – Mr. Fogarty *''[[Between Time and Timbuktu]]'' – Stony Stevenson *''[[The Equalizer]]'' – elderly blind con man *Appearances in ''[[The Outer Limits]]'' (1990s version), ''[[Wings (TV series)|Wings]]'', ''[[L.A. Law]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Pete & Pete]]'', ''[[Tales from the Crypt (TV series)|Tales from the Crypt]]'', ''[[Miami Vice]]'', ''[[The Tracey Ullman Show]]'', ''[[Tales from the Darkside]]'', and ''[[Hallmark Hall of Fame]]''. ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *{{imdb name|id=0382676|name=William Hickey}} *[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=19969 William Hickey's Gravesite] {{DEFAULTSORT:Hickey, William}} [[Category:1927 births]] [[Category:1997 deaths]] [[Category:American film actors]] [[Category:American television actors]] [[Category:Deaths from emphysema]] [[Category:Irish-Americans]] [[Category:People from Brooklyn]] [[de:William Hickey]] [[fr:William Hickey]] [[nl:William Hickey]] [[ja:ウィリアム・ヒッキー]]