William Hickey Movies and Career Information

William Edward Hickey (September 19, 1927 – June 29, 1997) was an American actor. He was best known for his Oscar-nominated role as Don Corrado Prizzi in the John Huston 1985 film Prizzi's Honor, as well as the voice of Dr. Finklestein in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Hickey was born in Brooklyn, the son of Nora and Edward Hickey, who were of Irish descent. He had an older sister, Dorothy Finn. Hickey began acting in radio in 1938. 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, gravely 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. Hickey died from emphysema and bronchitis in 1997. He is interred in the Cemetery of the Evergreens in Brooklyn, New York. He died during the filming of Uzo's Better Than Ever, and his role was played by the producer in a pickup shot depicting his character in the hospital. His final movie Knocking on Death's Door