James Hayden

James Hayden (November 25, 1953 – November 8, 1983) was an American actor from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Apart from starring on Broadway and in various movies, he is perhaps best known for playing Patrick "Patsy" Goldberg in the 1984 film Once Upon a Time in America.

James Hayden
Hayden as Patrick 'Patsy' Goldberg in the film Once Upon a Time in America
Born(1953-11-25)November 25, 1953
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 8, 1983(1983-11-08) (aged 29)
New York City, New York, U.S.

Life and career

Hayden trained and served as a medic in the United States Army during the Vietnam War.[1] Upon his discharge he returned to New York and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and began working as an actor.[1]

In 1983, the year of his death, he portrayed a heroin addict in the critically acclaimed play American Buffalo, co-starring with his close friend Al Pacino.[2][3] On November 8, 1983, hours after a performance of "American Buffalo", Hayden was found dead from an overdose in his Manhattan apartment . The tragedy shocked the New York theatre world. He never saw "Once Upon a Time in America", which was released seven months later; many critics believed it would have been a career breakthrough for him. His other credits include the theatrical features "The First Deadly Sin" (1980) and "The Nesting" (1981), and the TV movies "Marilyn: The Untold Story" (1980), "The Intruder Within" (1981) and "The Patricia Neal Story" (as a young Martin Sheen, 1981). In 1984, during the making of The Pope of Greenwich Village, Mickey Rourke dedicated his performance to the memory of Hayden.

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1980CruisingCockpit Coke Man(scenes deleted)
1980Marilyn: The Untold StoryTV movie
1980The First Deadly SinYoung Policeman
1981The Intruder WithinHarry ColmanTV movie
1981The NestingGI #1
1981The Patricia Neal StoryMartin SheenTV movie
1984Once Upon a Time in AmericaPatrick 'Patsy' GoldbergPosthumous release

References
  1. Staff report (November 21, 1983). Obituary. Time
  2. Rich, Frank (October 28, 1983). Theater: Al Pacino, 'American Buffalo.' New York Times
  3. Nightingale, Benedict (November 6, 1983). Stage View: 'American Buffalo' Proves Its Quality. New York Times


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