Danny Hicks of Evil Dead II and Intruder diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Danny Hicks has prominent roles in two of my all-time favorite genre movies, the Sam Raimi classic EVIL DEAD II, in which he is hilarious as the frightened yokel Jake, and EVIL DEAD II co-writer Scott Spiegel's 1989 slasher INTRUDER, where he delivers a fantastic performance as Bill, co-owner of the store where the slashing takes place. Those two movies made me a fan of Hicks, so I've always been happy to see him turn up in other films, whether as the villainous Skip in DARKMAN, the Dirt Farmer in MY NAME IS BRUCE, or even a train passenger in SPIDER-MAN 2. Hicks has thirty-three acting credits to his name, and he's the sort of character actor I would love to see in a lot more movies than that.

When I logged on to Facebook this morning, I was very sad to see a post from Hicks announcing that he has been diagnosed with cancer and isn't expected to live much longer.

Hicks will not be making convention appearances after this, so booking agency Full Empire Promotions is running a sale for fans to get one last chance to get his autograph, with proceeds going toward paying his medical bills. The agency's Dominic Mancini posted the following message: 

It is with sad news that one of the most iconic, lovable, misfit family members are battling real life horror, and needs the horror community and horror con family to bond together to help with medical bills. You may know him as “Jake”, the likeable redneck from EVIL DEAD 2, “Bill Roberts” – the store owner who would KILL to keep his store open in INTRUDER, “Skip” from DARKMAN, or as I know him – my loving friend and client, Danny Hicks. Whether you admire Danny on screen, were lucky enough to meet him in person at a convention, or just talked to him on social media – we can all agree that Danny is one of the most humble, down to earth, funny, talented, and generous people you will ever meet. He always gives 100% to his fans and friends, on screen and off screen. Now, I am kindly asking that we return that favor and help Danny and his family get through some tough times.

Danny is not one to ask for charity, but with that, he brings yet another opportunity to his fans. His days of traveling to conventions are in the past, but he has agreed to partake in one last autograph signing for those fans who never got the chance to get one in person. Whether you need him on a cast piece that you have, or want a signed 8×10 photo, we have your back! Full Empire Promotions will be putting up an online store, where 100% of the proceeds will go to help Danny with his medical expenses.

The store will have the option to buy a signed photo or send in your own item to be signed. The store will be live at www.FullEmpirePromotions.com starting June 4th. The signing will take place early/mid July and all orders will be due by July 6th. This is the last time you will be able to obtain Danny’s autograph personally from him.

Let us all bond together like the horror community always does in the face of real-life horror. Let’s help one of our beloved horror icons of the 80’s, and repay him for all the love, work, and laughs he has brough us, and will bring us forever – through his legacy and footprint in the genre that we all love so much. Let us reassure him what Jake from EVIL DEAD 2 said – “I know it hurts baby, but everything’s going to be fine.”

I really hope Hicks will be able to overcome the odds he has been given and beat this disease so we can look forward to seeing him in more films, and at more conventions, in the future.