William Hickey
His stooped posture, desiccated appearance, and frog-like speaking voice made William Hickey a natural to play weirdoes in Hollywood films - a résumé that belied his distinguished career in theatre. Developing a taste for performing as a child at the Henry Street Settlement on Manhattan's Lower East Side, Hickey began teaching acting after World War II and joined the staff of Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof's acclaimed HB Studio in Greenwich Village in 1957. Better known as an acting coach than as an actor, Hickey guided the likes of Steve McQueen and Barbra Streisand while playing bits in such films as "The Boston Strangler" (1968), "Little Big Man" (1970), and "Mikey and Nicky" (1976). John Huston had cast him in a small role in "Wise Blood" (1979) but called the 57-year-old actor back to play an octogenarian Mafia don in "Prizzi's Honor" (1985), which earned Hickey an Oscar nomination and a measure of popular appeal. For horror movie fans, he was unforgettable as the "Puppetmaster" (1989), as the millionaire who hires a hitman to kill his cat in "Tales from the Darkside: The Movie" (1990), and as the voice of the mad Dr. Finkelstein in Tim Burton's stop-motion fantasia "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993). Diagnosed with emphysema, Hickey continued to work exhaustively in films and television. He was teaching up to two weeks before his death in July 1997, showing his commitment to the craft that had changed his life and enabled him to make a living.
Photos
William Hickey
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Puppet Master: Blitzkrieg Massacre | Andre Toulon (Character) | - | 2018 |
44% |
|
Mouse Hunt | Rudolph Smuntz (Character) | $61.8M | 1997 |
No Score Yet |
|
Love Is All There Is | Monsignor (Character) | $61.3K | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Better Than Ever | Walter (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Maddening | Daddy (Character) | - | 1995 |
17% |
|
The Jerky Boys | Don 'Uncle Freddy' Frederico (Character) | $7.6M | 1995 |
50% |
|
Forget Paris | Arthur (Character) | $32.0M | 1995 |
29% |
|
Major Payne | Dr. Phillips (Character) | $29.4M | 1995 |
95% |
|
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas | Evil Scientist (Voice) | $6.1M | 1993 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Nightmare Before Christmas | Evil Scientist (Voice) | - | 1993 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Runestone | Lars Hagstrom (Character) | - | 1992 |
71% |
|
My Blue Heaven | Billy Sparrow (Character) | $22.8M | 1990 |
46% |
|
Tales From the Darkside: The Movie | Drogan (segment "Cat From Hell") (Character) | $15.4M | 1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Tales From the Darkside | Unknown (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Any Man's Death | Unknown (Character) | - | 1990 |
No Score Yet |
|
Mob Boss | Don Anthony (Character) | - | 1990 |
50% |
|
Puppet Master | Andre Toulon (Character) | - | 1989 |
75% |
|
Sea of Love | Frank Keller Sr. (Character) | $56.6M | 1989 |
72% |
|
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation | Uncle Lewis (Character) | $70.0M | 1989 |
No Score Yet |
|
Sons | Roger (Character) | - | 1989 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | It Had to Be You | Schornberg (Character) | - | 1989 |
57% |
|
Bright Lights, Big City | Ferret Man (Character) | $15.7M | 1988 |
64% |
|
Da | Drumm (Character) | $3.3M | 1988 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Starlight: A Musical Movie | Billy Davis (Character) | - | 1988 |
No Score Yet |
|
A Hobo's Christmas | Cincinnati Harold (Character) | - | 1987 |
75% |
|
The Name of the Rose | Ubertino da Casale (Character) | $5.2M | 1986 |
45% |
|
One Crazy Summer | Old Man Beckersted (Character) | $13.4M | 1986 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Stranded | Mr. Pierson (Character) | - | 1986 |
41% |
|
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins | The Coney Island barker (Character) | $14.4M | 1985 |
85% |
|
Prizzi's Honor | Don Corrado Prizi (Character) | $26.6M | 1985 |
88% |
|
Wise Blood | Preacher (Character) | - | 1979 |
45% |
|
The Sentinel | Perry (Character) | - | 1977 |
88% |
|
Mikey and Nicky | Sid Fine (Character) | - | 1976 |
No Score Yet |
|
92 in the Shade | Mr. Skelton (Character) | - | 1975 |
No Score Yet |
|
Happy Birthday, Wanda June | Looseleaf Harper (Character) | - | 1971 |
91% |
|
Little Big Man | Historian (Character) | - | 1970 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Sandman | Unknown (Character) | - | 1970 |
88% |
|
The Boston Strangler | Eugene T. O'Rourke (Character) | - | 1968 |
No Score Yet |
|
Invitation to a Gunfighter | Jo-Jo (Character) | - | 1964 |
50% |
|
Something Wild | Bit Part (Character) | - | 1961 |
No Score Yet |
|
A Hatful of Rain | Apples (Character) | - | 1957 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Elvira's 10 Nights of Halloween | Andre Toulon (Character) | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Outer Limits | Harlan Hawkes (Character) | 1995 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Wings | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1992-1994 |
0% | No Score Yet | Baby Talk | Mr. Fogarty (Character) | 1991 |
82% | 90% | Tales From the Crypt | Unknown (Character) | 1990 |
71% | 89% | Miami Vice | Hans Kozak (Guest Star) | 1989 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Spenser: For Hire | Unknown (Character) | 1987 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Equalizer | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1985-1986 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Startime | Unknown (Character) | 1960 |