Stacy made his film debut in
Sayonara in 1957, and his television debut in
Highway Patrol. He had a recurring role as "Fred" in
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet from 1958 to 1963. During the 1960s he made guest appearances in television shows, including 5 episodes of
Gunsmoke,
Hazel,
The Donna Reed Show,
Have Gun - Will Travel,
Combat!, and
Perry Mason in the 1964 episode "The Case of the Simple Simon" and the series finale "The Case of the Final Fade-out" in 1966. Stacy is perhaps best remembered as a star of the
western series
Lancer, along with
Andrew Duggan,
Wayne Maunder, and
Paul Brinegar.
Lancer aired on
CBS from 1968 to 1970. Stacy played the character "Johnny Madrid Lancer", a former gunslinger, the son of Duggan's character, Murdoch Lancer. Stacy also acted in several motion pictures from the 1950s through the 1970s, including a minor part in the musical
South Pacific.
Motorcycle accident On September 27, 1973, Stacy was taking his girlfriend, Clara Ann “Paeai-Pai” Cox, for a ride on his motorcycle in the Hollywood Hills when a drunken driver struck them. Cox was killed and Stacy lost his left arm and leg. Stacy's ex-wife, actress and singer
Connie Stevens, organized a 1974 celebrity gala to raise money for his expenses. The gala, whose attendees included
Frank Sinatra and
Barbra Streisand, raised $118,000 ($ today ). In 1976, Stacy won a $1.9 million lawsuit ($ million today ) against the bar that had served the drunk driver.
Comeback After his recovery, Stacy appeared in roles created to accommodate his disability. His comeback film was the 1975
Kirk Douglas Western
Posse, where he played newspaper editor Harold Hellman, a part Douglas had written for him. In 1977, Stacy starred in the TV movie
Just a Little Inconvenience as a double-amputee
Vietnam veteran. It earned him his first
Primetime Emmy Award nomination for
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama or Comedy Special. In 1980, he starred in and produced the TV movie
My Kidnapper, My Love. His brother, Louie Elias, a character actor and stuntman, wrote the screenplay, based on the novel by Oscar Saul, to accommodate Stacy's disability. Elias was also the associate producer. Stacy also played Ed, the Bartender in the Disney film
Something Wicked This Way Comes. Stacy's other TV appearances included
Hotel,
Cagney & Lacey (for which he was nominated for a second Primetime Emmy for
Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series) and
Highway to Heaven. His last TV role was in five 1990 episodes of the cop series
Wiseguy, as Ed Rogosheske. He made final appearance as guest star in episode "Communicable Theater" the sitcom series
Roseanne in 1991. ==Personal life==