William Edward Hickey (September 19, 1927 – June 29, 1997) was an American actor. He is best known for his

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-nominated role as Don Corrado Prizzi in the

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

film ''

Prizzi's Honor ''Prizzi's Honor'' is a 1985 American black comedy crime film directed by John Huston, starring Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner as two highly-skilled mob assassins who, after falling in love, are hired to kill each other. The screenplay co-w ...

'' (1985), as well as Uncle Lewis in ''

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co ...

'' (1989) and the voice of Dr. Finklestein in

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...

's ''

The Nightmare Before Christmas ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (also known as ''Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas'') is a 1993 American stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film directed by Henry Selick (in his feature directorial debut) and produced and ...

'' (1993).

Early life

Hickey was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, the son of Edward and Nora Hickey, both of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

descent. He had an older sister, Dorothy Finn. Hickey began acting on

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

in 1938. He grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and

Richmond Hill, Queens Richmond Hill is a commercial and residential neighborhood located in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens. The area borders Kew Gardens and Forest Park to the north, Jamaica and South Jamaica to the east, South Ozone ...

Career

Hickey had a long, distinguished career in film, television and stage. He began his career as a child actor on the variety stage and made his Broadway debut as a walk-on in the 1951 production of

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

's '' Saint Joan'', starring

Uta Hagen Uta Thyra Hagen (12 June 1919 – 14 January 2004) was a German-American actress and theatre practitioner. She originated the role of Martha in the 1962 Broadway premiere of ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' by Edward Albee, who called her "a ...

. He performed often during the

golden age of television The first Golden Age of Television is an era of television in the Television in the United States, United States marked by its large number of live productions. The period is generally recognized as beginning in 1947 with the first episode of th ...

, including appearances on Studio One and

Philco Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Gold ...

. His most important contribution to the arts, however, remains his teaching career at the

HB Studio The HB Studio (Herbert Berghof Studio) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering professional training in the performing arts through classes, workshops, free lectures, theater productions, theater rentals, a theater artist residency progra ...

in Greenwich Village, founded by

Herbert Berghof Herbert Berghof (13 September 1909 – 5 November 1990) was an Austrian-American actor, director and acting teacher.Kennedy, Dennis. ''The Oxford Companion to Theatre and Performance'', Oxford Univ. Press (2010) p. 61 Early life Born and educ ...

. George Segal, Jeanie Columbo,

Sandy Dennis Sandra Dale Dennis (April 27, 1937 – March 2, 1992) was an American actress. She made her film debut in the drama ''Splendor in the Grass'' (1961). For her performance in the comedy-drama film ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1966), she rec ...

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

, Cyprienne Gabel and Sandra McClain all studied under him. He kept a flask behind the sink in the basement studio of HB where he taught. He stated it helped him cope with bad acting. He was a staple of

Ben Bagley Ben Bagley (October 18, 1933 – March 21, 1998) was an American musical producer and record producer. Career Born in Burlington, Vermont, Bagley moved to New York during the early 1950s, and in 1955, at age 22, he produced his first hit, ''Shoe ...

's New York musical revues, he can be heard on several of the recordings, notably ''Decline and Fall of the Entire World as Seen Through the Eyes of Cole Porter''. Hickey enjoyed a 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, gravelly 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. One of his early roles was a suspect in the 1968 film ''

The Boston Strangler The Boston Strangler is the name given to the murderer of 13 women in the Boston, Massachusetts, area during the early 1960s. The crimes were attributed to Albert DeSalvo based on his confession, details revealed in court during a separate case, ...

''. His most notable onscreen role was that of the gravelly voiced Don Corrado Prizzi in ''

'' (1985), for which he was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role while worki ...

. Hickey portrayed Don Corrado as sharp-witted and cunning, despite his frail physical state, and shared key scenes with Anjelica Huston and

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...

Death

Hickey died from

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...

and

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

in 1997. His remains are interred in the

Cemetery of the Evergreens The Cemetery of the Evergreens, also called Evergreen Cemetery, is a non-denominational rural cemetery along the Cemetery Belt in Brooklyn and Queens, New York. It was incorporated in 1849, not long after the passage of New York's Rural Cemeter ...

. He died during the filming of

Uzo Uzo or Uzō may refer to: People * Uzo Asonye, American attorney * Uzō Nishiyama (1911–1994), Japanese architect * Uzo Egonu (1931–1996), Nigerian artist * Uzo (filmmaker) (born 1957), Nigerian filmmaker * Uzo Iwobi (born 1969), British-Ni ...

's '' Better Than Ever'', and his role was played by the producer in a

pick-up shot In filmmaking, a pick-up is a small, relatively minor shot filmed or recorded after the fact to augment footage already shot. When entire scenes are redone, it is referred to as a re-shoot or additional photography. On set During principal phot ...

depicting his character in the hospital. His final movie, '' Knocking on Death's Door'' (in which he plays the town sheriff), was released nearly two years after his death. The movie ''

Mouse Hunt ''Mouse Hunt'' is a 1997 American slapstick black comedy film written by Adam Rifkin and directed by Gore Verbinski in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, Maury Chaykin, and Christopher Walken. The film foll ...

'' (in which he also appeared) is dedicated to his memory.

Notable credits

New York City theatre

*''

Miss Lonelyhearts ''Miss Lonelyhearts'' is a novella by Nathanael West. He began writing it early in 1930 and completed the manuscript in November 1932. Published in 1933, it is an Expressionist black comedy set in New York City during the Great Depression. It is ...

'' (1957) *''

The Body Beautiful ''The Body Beautiful'' is a musical with a book by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock. The first collaboration by Harnick and Bock, and the only one to have a contemporary setting, its plot focuses ...

'' (1958) *''

Happy Birthday, Wanda June ''Happy Birthday, Wanda June'' is a 1971 American comedy-drama film directed by Mark Robson, based on a 1970 play by Kurt Vonnegut. Plot The opening of this play is "This is a simple-minded play about men who enjoy killing, and those who don't. ...

'' (1970) *''

Small Craft Warnings ''Small Craft Warnings'' is a two-act play by Tennessee Williams, written in late 1971 and early 1972. Williams expanded his two-scene play ''Confessional'' (1970), which had been published in his 1970 compilation ''Dragon Country'', into this ...

'' (1972) *''

Mourning Becomes Electra ''Mourning Becomes Electra'' is a play cycle written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 26 October 1931 where it ran for 150 performances before closing in March 1932, starring Lee Baker ...

'' (1972) *''

Thieves Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

'' (1974) *'' Arsenic and Old Lace'' (1986)

Film

*''

A Hatful of Rain ''A Hatful of Rain'' is a 1957 American drama film about a young married man with a secret morphine addiction, based on a 1955 Broadway play of the same name.Operation Mad Ball ''Operation Mad Ball'' is a 1957 military comedy from Columbia Pictures, produced by Jed Harris, directed by Richard Quine, that stars Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs, Kathryn Grant, Arthur O'Connell, and Mickey Rooney. The screenplay is by Blake E ...

'' (1957) – G.I. Sampson (uncredited) *'' Something Wild'' (1961) – Bit Part (uncredited) *''

Invitation to a Gunfighter ''Invitation to a Gunfighter'' is a 1964 DeLuxe Color Western film directed by Richard Wilson, starring Yul Brynner and George Segal. It was based on a 1957 teleplay by Larry Klein that appeared on ''Playhouse 90''. A lone Creole gunfighter, J ...

'' (1964) – Jo-Jo *'' The Producers'' (1967) – The Drunk in bar (credited as "Bill Hickey") *''

'' (1968) – Eugene T O'Rourke *''

Little Big Man Little Big Man ( Lakota: Wičháša Tȟáŋkala), or Charging Bear, was an Oglala Lakota, or Oglala Sioux, who was a fearless and respected warrior who fought under, and was distant cousin to, Crazy Horse ("His-Horse-Is-Crazy"). He opposed the 186 ...

'' (1970) – Historian *'' A New Leaf'' (1971) – Smith (uncredited) *''The Telephone Book'' (1971) – Man in Bed *''

'' (1971) – Looseleaf Harper *''

92 In The Shade ''92 in the Shade'' is a 1975 American drama film written and directed by Thomas McGuane, based on his 1973 novel of the same name, it stars Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Elizabeth Ashley and Margot Kidder. Plot Tom Skelton, a young man, opens a ch ...

'' (1975) – Mr. Skelton *'' Mikey & Nicky'' (1976) – Sid Fine *'' The Sentinel'' (1977) – Perry, a shady locksmith *'' Nunzio'' (1978) *''

Wise Blood ''Wise Blood'' is the Debut novel, first novel by American author Flannery O'Connor, published in 1952 in literature, 1952. The novel was assembled from disparate stories first published in ''Mademoiselle (magazine), Mademoiselle'', ''Sewanee Rev ...

'' (1979) – Preacher *''

A Stranger Is Watching ''A Stranger Is Watching'' (1977) is a suspense novel by Mary Higgins Clark. Plot summary The main characters in the novel are Steve Peterson, whose wife Nina was murdered two years before, his six-year-old son Neil, who witnessed the murder, a ...

'' (1982) – Maxi *''

'' (1985) – Don Corrado Prizzi *'' Walls of Glass'' (1985) – Papa *'' Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins'' (1985) – The Coney Island Barker *''

One Crazy Summer ''One Crazy Summer'' is a 1986 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Savage Steve Holland, and starring John Cusack, Demi Moore, Bobcat Goldthwait, Curtis Armstrong and Joel Murray. The original film score was composed by Cory Le ...

'' (1986) – Old Man Beckersted *'' Seize the Day'' (1986) – Perls *'' Stranded'' (1986, TV movie) - Mr. Pierson *''

The Name of the Rose ''The Name of the Rose'' ( it, Il nome della rosa ) is the 1980 debut novel by Italian author Umberto Eco. It is a historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327, and an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in ficti ...

'' (1986) – Ubertino da Casale *'' A Hobo's Christmas'' (1987, TV movie) – Cincinnati Harold *'' Bright Lights, Big City'' (1988) – Ferret Man *'' Da'' (1988) – Drumm *''Starlight: A Musical Movie'' (1988) – Billy Davis *'' Pink Cadillac'' (1989) – Mr. Barton *''

Sea of Love Sea of Love may refer to * ''Sea of Love'' (film), a 1989 American thriller film * "Sea of Love" (Phil Phillips song), a 1959 song by Phil Phillips and The Twilights, covered by many performers * "Sea of Love" (The National song), 2013 * ''The S ...

'' (1989) – Frank Keller, Sr. *'' Puppet Master'' (1989) –

André Toulon This is a list of characters from the ''Puppet Master'' series of films. André Toulon André Toulon is the main protagonist of the Puppet Master series. Toulon appeared as a hero in '' Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge'', and a victim in the ...

*''It Had to Be You'' (1989) – Schornberg *''

'' (1989) – Lewis Griswold (Better known as Uncle Lewis) *'' Tales from the Darkside: The Movie'' (1990) – Drogan (in the "Cat From Hell" segment) *''

Any Man's Death ''Any Man's Death'' is a 1990 South African thriller drama film directed by Tom Clegg and starring John Savage, William Hickey, Mia Sara and Ernest Borgnine. Plot An investigative journalist is sent to the volatile frontiers of Angola an ...

'' (1990) – Erich Schiller / Ernst Bauricke *'' My Blue Heaven'' (1990) – Billy Sparrow *''

Mob Boss A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather, crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss typically has absolute or near ...

'' (1990) – Don Anthony *''Sons'' (1990) – Roger *''

The Runestone ''The Runestone'' is an American 1991 adventure/horror film, the first film written and directed by Willard Carroll. The film is an updating of the Ragnarok legend, with Fenrir being found in a runestone in Pennsylvania unearthed by archaeolog ...

'' (1991) – Lars Hagstrom *''

'' (1993) –

Doctor Finklestein This article lists characters seen in the film ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' and two video games: ''The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King'' and ''The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge''. Design The filmmakers construc ...

(voice) *''Hey Stranger'' (1994) – Major-domo *'' The Jerky Boys: The Movie'' (1995) – Don 'Uncle Freddy' Frederico *''

Major Payne ''Major Payne'' is a 1995 American military comedy film directed by Nick Castle and starring Damon Wayans, who wrote with Dean Lorey and Gary Rosen. The film co-stars Karyn Parsons, Steven Martini and Michael Ironside. It is a loose remake of th ...

'' (1995) – Dr. Phillips *''

Forget Paris ''Forget Paris'' is a 1995 American romantic comedy film produced, directed, co-written by and starring Billy Crystal as an NBA referee and Debra Winger as an independent working woman whose lives are interrupted by love and marriage. It also st ...

'' (1995) – Arthur *'' The Maddening'' (1995) – Roy's deceased father *''

Love Is All There Is ''Love Is All There Is'' is a 1996 romantic comedy film written and directed by Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor, who also both star in the film. Plot ''Love Is All There Is'' is a modern retelling of the ''Romeo and Juliet'' story, and it is ...

'' (1996) – Monsignor *'' Twisted'' (1996) – Andre *''

'' (1997) – Rudolf Smuntz (Released posthumously) *''Better Than Ever'' (1997) – Walter (Released posthumously) *''Knocking on Death's Door'' (1999) – Town Sheriff (Released posthumously) *''A tekerölantos naplója'' (1999) (Released posthumously)

Television

*''

Tales from the Darkside ''Tales from the Darkside'' is an American anthology horror TV series created by George A. Romero. Debuting in October 1983 with a pilot episode and then being picked up for syndication in September 1984, the show ran for 4 seasons through Ju ...

'' (Season three, Episode one, "The Circus") *''

Tales From The Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'' (Season Two, "The Switch") – Carlton Webster *''

Baby Talk Baby talk is a type of speech associated with an older person speaking to a child or infant. It is also called caretaker speech, infant-directed speech (IDS), child-directed speech (CDS), child-directed language (CDL), caregiver register, parent ...

'' – Mr. Fogarty *''

Between Time and Timbuktu ''Between Time and Timbuktu'' is a television film directed by Fred Barzyk and based on a number of works by Kurt Vonnegut. Produced by National Educational Television and WGBH-TV in Boston, Massachusetts, it was telecast March 13, 1972 as a NET ...

'' – Stony Stevenson *'' The Equalizer'' – elderly blind con man *''

Moonlighting Moonlighting may refer to: * Side job A side job, also informally called a side hustle or side gig, is an additional job that a person takes in addition to their primary job in order to supplement their income. Side jobs may be done out of nec ...

'' – Mr. Kendall *''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...

'' - (Season 5, "Victims of Circumstance") *'' The Outer Limits'' – (Episode " White Light Fever") *''

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

'' – Carlton Blanchard *''

The Adventures of Pete & Pete ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' is an American comedy television series created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi for Nickelodeon. It centers around two brothers, both named Pete Wrigley, and their humorous and surreal adventures in suburbia ...

'' – Grandpa Wrigley *'' Spenser: For Hire'' – Gus Harley *''The Twilight Zone'' *''Appearances'' in ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

'', ''

The Phil Silvers Show ''The Phil Silvers Show'', originally titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'', is a sitcom which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes were broadcast – all half-a ...

'', ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'', ''

'', '' Crime Story'', ''

The Tracey Ullman Show ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' is an American television variety show starring Tracey Ullman. It debuted on Fox on April 5, 1987, the network's second original primetime series to air following '' Married... with Children'', and ran until May 26, ...

'', ''

'', '' Spenser: For Hire'', ''The Twilight Zone''

Awards

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Briti ...

won both awards for his performances in '' Plenty'' and ''

The Shooting Party ''The Shooting Party'' is a 1984 British drama film directed by Alan Bridges and based on the book of the same name by Isabel Colegate. The film is set in 1913, less than a year before the beginning of the First World War, and shows the soon-t ...

''.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hickey, William 1927 births 1997 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Burials at the Cemetery of the Evergreens Deaths from emphysema American male voice actors American people of Irish descent People from Flatbush, Brooklyn Male actors from New York City 20th-century American male actors People from Richmond Hill, Queens American male child actors