LOS ANGELES – 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.
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.
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 series “Lancer,” which ran from 1968 to 1970.
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.
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 Los Angeles 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 prison.
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.
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