William Edward Hickey (September 19, 1927 - June 29, 1997) was an American character actor. Among his best known roles are the Mafia Don Corrado Prizzi in Prizzi's Honor (his only Oscar nomination), Uncle Lewis in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and the voice of Dr. Finklestein in The Nightmare Before Christmas. His filmography also includes The Producers, Little Big Man, The Name of the Rose, Sea of Love, My Blue Heaven, Puppet Master, and MouseHunt. He made numerous guest appearances on shows such as Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Darkside, L.A. Law, Miami Vice, Moonlighting and Wings and played Grandpa Wrigley in an episode of The Adventures of Pete & Pete.
Hickey was an actor for most of his life, starting out as a child actor on stage and also taught at the HB Studio for the performing arts in Greenwich Village. He passed away in 1997, at the ripe old age of 69, from bronchitis and emphysema while working on a film called Better Than Ever.
Tropes pertaining to this actor:
- Typecasting: In his later years, he basically became The King of Crazy Old Men.
