James Stacy obit

Actor James Stacy, star of 1960s Western 'Lancer,' dies.
He was not on the list.

Actor James Stacy, best known for portraying the title role in the late 1960s Western TV series “Lancer,” has died in Ventura. He was 79 years old.

The actor died Sept. 9 from an allergic reaction to medication, Variety reported.

Born Maurice W. Elias in Los Angeles, Stacy worked steadily in television during the 1960s. His career was interrupted by a serious motorcycle accident that resulted in the loss of his left arm and left leg. He also encountered a variety of legal problems.

Stacy appeared on “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” “Gunsmoke” and “Perry Mason” before being cast in the role of Johnny Madrid Lancer, a half-Mexican gunman, in the 20th Century Fox series “Lancer,” which ran from 1968 to 1970.

During the early 1960s, Stacy was married to actress Connie Stevens, after the two met on the set of the film “Summer Magic.” They divorced in 1966 after three years. A later marriage to Kim Darby (“True Grit”) lasted just a year, ending in divorce in 1969.

After “Lancer” ended, Stacy appeared on other series, including “The Streets of San Francisco” and “Marcus Welby, M.D.” before being struck by a drunk driver in 1973. The accident resulted in the death of his then-girlfriend, Claire Cox, and the loss of his left arm and left leg.

Stacy was bound to a wheelchair after the collision, which led to a lawsuit in which he received damages from a bar that served the driver who struck him.

He returned to acting in the 1975 Kirk Douglas film “Posse” and received an Emmy nomination for the 1977 TV movie “Just a Little Inconvenience,” in which he portrayed a disabled Vietnam veteran. He also appeared in the 1990s on several TV shows, including “Cagney and Lacey,” “Highway to Heaven” and “Wiseguy.”

“I don't need the money, but I do need the challenge," Stacy told The Times in a 1990 interview.

In 1996, Stacy was convicted of molesting an 11-year-old girl in the first of a series of legal troubles that included allegations of prowling while he was on bail for those charges.The actor attempted suicide after fleeing to Hawaii before sentencing. He eventually served six years in the men’s prison in Chino.

Stacy is survived by his partner, Antigoni Tsamparlis, as well as a daughter, Heather Elias, from his marriage to Darby, a grandson, great-grandson and a brother and sister.

Filmography

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1957      Sayonara              Reporter              Uncredited

1958      South Pacific      Sailor / Seabee Credited as Jim Stacey, Uncredited

1958      Lafayette Escadrille         Alan Nichols       Uncredited

1961      Like Father, Like Son       Art          Credited as Jim Stacey

1963      Summer Magic Charles Bryant  

1965      Winter A-Go-Go               Danny Frazer     

1965      A Swingin' Summer         Mickey

1969      Flareup                 Joe        

1975      Posse    Harold Hellman                

1983      Double Exposure              B.J. Wilde            Alternative title: Model Killer

1983      Something Wicked This Way Comes         Ed, the Bartender            

1991      F/X2       Cyborg Alternative title: F/X 2: The Deadly Art of Illusion

Television Year Title       Role       Notes

1956–63               The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet        Fred       19 episodes

1957      Highway Patrol Young Man in Car             Episode: "Female Hitchhiker"

1962      Shannon              Cracker Coe        Episode: "The Jungle Kid"

1962      Have Gun – Will Travel   Johnny Tully       Episode: "Man in an Hourglass"

1962      The Donna Reed Show   Danny

Steve     2 episodes

1962      Cheyenne           Luther James      Episode: "Showdown at Oxbend"

1963      Hazel                     Episode: "The Baby Came C.O.D."

1964–66               Perry Mason       Scott Everett

Barry Conrad      2 episodes

1964–73               Gunsmoke          Various roles      5 episodes

1965      Mister Roberts                  Episode: "Just Getting There Is Half the Fun"

1966      Baby Makes Three           Dr. Peter Cooper              Television movie

1966      The Monroes     Perry Hutchins   Episode: "Ride with Terror"

1966      Combat!               Farley    Episode: "The Bankroll"

1968      Premiere             Andrew Bass      Episode: "The Freebooters"

1968      Cimarron Strip   Joe Bravo             Episode: "The Judgment"

1968–70               Lancer   Johnny Madrid Lancer    51 episodes

1971      Paper Man          Jerry      Television movie

1972      Love, American Style                      Segment: "Love and the Alibi"

1972      Heat of Anger    Gus Pride             Television movie

1972      Medical Center Neil        Episode: "Cycle of Peril"

1972      The Streets of San Francisco        Peter Forrest      Episode: "Whose Little Boy Are You?"

1972      Marcus Welby, M.D.       Phil Darrow         Episode: "Jason Be Nimble, Jason Be Quick"

1972      Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law                             Episode: "Starting Over Again"

1973      Ordeal Andy Folsom      Television movie

1977      Just a Little Inconvenience           Kenny Briggs      Television movie

1980      My Kidnapper, My Love                 Denny   Television movie

1985      Hotel     Jeremy Hale        Episode: "Saving Grace"

1986      Cagney & Lacey                 Ted Peters          Episode: "The Gimp"

1987      Highway to Heaven         Joe Mason           Episode: "The Hero"

1990      Wiseguy               Ed Rogosheske 5 episodes

1990      Matters of the Heart       Glen Harper        Television movie