James Keach

James Keach is a popular American actor, who is often seen in movies and TV shows. He has appeared in over 60 different movies and shows. He is also a regular on several made-for-TV movies. He is known for his films Walk the Line, I’ll Be Me, and Waiting for Forever. He has also appeared in several episodes of the show The Young Riders. He belongs to an acting family. His father, Stacy Keach Sr. and his older brother, Stacy Keach Jr., were both actors. Apart from being an actor, James Keach is also an occasional producer and director.

Early Life and Beginning of Career

James Keach was born on December 7, 1947 in Savannah in Georgia. His father was Walter Stacy Keach, a.k.a. Stacy Keach Sr., who was a popular actor himself, known for his role in the titular role in the TV series Mike Hammer. He has an older brother, Stacy Keach Jr., who is also an actor known for The Opie & Antony Show. His mother is Mary Cain who was an actress as well.

Having come from a deep-rooted acting family, it was but natural that Keach also veered in that direction. After completing his under-graduation from the Northwestern University, he also attended the Yale School of Drama. He learned theater quite extensively. He is a formally trained Shakespearean actor.

Acting Career

Keach’s acting career started off well when he played the role of Jesse James in a 1980 film named The Long Riders, for which he drew a small actor’s salary. Apart from acting in the film, he also wrote and produced it. This film was so well-made that it caught the eyes of none other than Johnny Cash who roped in Keach to be a part of his project Walk the Line. During this time, Keach did several supporting acts, most notably in National Lampoon’s Vacation and Moving Violations.

He also did a lot of television roles and directed a few of them too. He directed the film Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. This movie was extra special for him because it featured his wife, Jane Seymour. He also further directed and produced two movies, Waiting for Forever and Blind Dating.

One of his most recent works is the documentary I’ll Be Me, which is a documentary accounting the life and struggle of the country singer Glen Campbell and how he coped with his condition of Alzheimer’s disease.

Personal Life

James Keach has been married twice. His first marriage was to the sister of actress Judy Collins. This wife, Holly Collins, was with him for a brief time and they had a son together, named Kalen Keach. His 1993 marrieage to actress Jane Seymour (also known as Joyce Frankenberg) was much publicized. With her, he has twin sons John Keach and Kristopher Keach. However, they separated too in 2013 and eventually divorced in 2015.

He is known for his work with mental conditions. He is a member of Meningitis UK and his documentary I’ll Be Me features a mental condition as well. In 2010, he was honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Currently his net worth is in the neighborhood of $20 million.

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