James Hayden (November 25, 1953 – November 8, 1983) was an American actor from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Apart from starring on Broadway, he was best known for playing Patrick "Patsy" Goldberg in the 1984 film Once Upon a Time in America.
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] Hayden died of a heroin overdose during the production.
In 1984, during the making of The Pope of Greenwich Village, Mickey Rourke dedicated his performance to the memory of Hayden.