Jack Palance exemplified evil incarnate on film -- portraying some of the most intensely despised villains witnessed in 50s westerns and melodrama. He received two Best Supporting Actor nominations early in his career, but it would take a grizzled, eccentric comic performance 40 years later for him to finally grab the coveted statuette. Of Ukrainian descent, Palance was born Volodymyr Jack Palahniuk on February 18, 1919, in Lattimer Mines, Pennsylvania coal country, to Anna -- all dabbled in acting and appeared with their father at one time or another. A man of few words off the set, he owned his own cattle ranch and displayed other creative sides as a exhibited painter and published poet. Jack's last years were marred by failing health and he died at age 87 of natural causes at his daughter Holly's Montecito, California home.
Former father-in-law of Roger Spottiswoode. Father-in-law of Michael Wilding Jr..
American actor of Ukrainian ancestry.
Father of Brooke Palance , Holly Palance and Cody Palance.
Claimed on at least one occasion that he never watched any of his own movies.
According to a website honoring movie celebrities that flew in B-24s, Palance burned his face severely while bailing out of a B-24 which was on fire during a training flight in Tucson in 1942 (that would probably have been the Davis-Monthan Army Air Corps base at that time) and after several surgeries was discharged in 1944. He is described as a "pilot in training".
Attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill but did not graduate.
Spoke six languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Italian, Spanish, French and English.
Once fell asleep in his square during a taping of "The Hollywood Squares" .
He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6608 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1992.
Received his Bachelors degree in Drama from Stanford University in Stanford, California.
During the early phases of pre-production for The Day the Earth Stood Still , 20th Century-Fox studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck suggested Palance for the role of the robot Gort. The role was eventually filled by a much taller non-actor.
During his struggling days, he worked as a short order cook, waiter, soda jerk, lifeguard at Jones Beach, and a photographers model.
While an understudy to Marlon Brando in the Broadway production of "A Streetcar Named Desire", Brando, who was into athletics, rigged up a punching bag in the theaters boiler room and invited Jack to work out with him. One night, Jack threw a hard punch that missed the bag and landed square on Brandos nose. The star had to be hospitalized and understudy Palance created his own big break by going on for Brando. Jacks reviews as Stanley Kowalski helped get him a 20th Century-Fox contract.
His father was an anthracite coal miner.
Was forced to decline the role of General Chang in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country due to scheduling conflicts over his work in City Slickers . He went on to receive the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for City Slickers . Christopher Plummer was eventually cast as Chang.
Was infamous in Hollywood for his Method-style acting, in a time when Marlon Brando was one of its few practitioners. Once, while filming a fight scene with Burt Lancaster , Palance actually punched the unsuspecting Lancaster in the face. Tough guy Lancaster responded by socking Palance in the gut, causing him to vomit.
Despite all of his film work, Palance will forever be remembered for turning an Oscar acceptance speech into an uproarious display of his physical agility. While accepting his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for City Slickers at the 64th Annual Academy Awards he commented on the casting directors thinking they can make a younger guy look older, while they wouldnt know that an old guy did this at nights: he then flopped down on the floor and began doing a series of one-handed push-ups, stood up, spoke calmly further, even adding a slightly risqu joke. Afterwards, when he was asked about the stunt, he simply said, "I didnt know what the hell else to do." A year later, when he provided the voice of Rothbart in The Swan Princess , his character is featured doing one-handed push-ups.
Was an avid painter and poet.
Brother of Ivan Palance , John Palance and Anne Palance.
Studied acting with Michael Chekhov in Hollywood.
Grandfather of Lily Palance, Spencer Palance and Tarquin Palance.
Was a vegetarian but maintained a 1000-acre cattle ranch in Californias Tehachapi Mountains and a 500-acre farm in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. His ranch brand was an "H" with a "B" and a "C" woven around it, the initials of the first names of his children, Holly, Brooke and Cody.
Shortly before his death in 2006, he put his farmhouse near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and its contents up for sale. Thousands of items were auctioned off and more than $700,000 was raised.
On a nationally televised talk show, Palance addressed the oft repeated story about how he supposedly had such damage done to his face that plastic surgery gave him the face we all know. He said, "I know Im no beauty, but these are the Estonian features I was born with.".
Was Stephen King s choice of preference for the (similarly named, coincidentally or not) role of Jack Torrance in The Shining .
Turned down Telly Savalas role in The Dirty Dozen because he believed the film had too much unnecessary violence.
Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Actors Branch).
Was offered the role of Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun , which went to Christopher Lee.
Received a special tribute as part of the Annual Memorial tribute at The 79th Annual Academy Awards .
Desperately wanted the role of Kid Sheleen in Cat Ballou , which he was never offered.
The comic book villain Phil Defer (Phil Wire in the English version) from Lucky Luke contre Phil Defer is based on Palances famous evil gunslinger Jack Wilson from Shane .
Director Elia Kazan promised to cast him as Marlon Brando s brother in Viva Zapata! (1952) , but then changed his mind and cast Anthony Quinn instead. Quinn won a Best Supporting Oscar for the film and Palance never spoke to Kazan again.
In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Palance was a professional boxer in the heavyweight class, fighting under the name Jack Brazzo. He won his first 15 fights, then enlisted in the military when World War II broke out. After the war, he took up acting and never resumed his boxing career.
He pronounced his last name "PAL-unse" not "pah-LAHNSE" as some people believe.
His physical likeness inspired the appearance of DC Comics supervillain Darkseid who regularly fought Superman.
He was a lifelong staunch Republican and conservative.
According to Billy Crystal , Charles Bronson turned down the role of Curly Washburn in City Slickers in an unseemly way which he reveals in his 2013 book "Still Foolin Em". Palance ended up receiving an Academy Award for this role.
In the scene where Palance hits Richard Widmark on the head with a gun in Panic in the Streets , the actors rehearsed it with a rubber gun, but when the cameras rolled Palance substituted a real gun. Widmark, who wasnt expecting it, was out for 20 minutes. Widmark said about the incident, "Why did he switch? Who knows?" In a 1986 interview also recalled how Palance got into the mood of his character by beating on flunky Zero Mostel off-screen. A black-and-blue Mostel had to go to the hospital after his first week on the movie. "They had to soak him in epsom pads.".
Richard Widmark on working with Palance on the latters movie debut in Panic in the Streets : "... the toughest guy I ever met. He was the only actor Ive ever been physically afraid of.".
He has two roles in common with his Evil Stalks This House co-star Christopher Lee : (1) Lee played Count Dracula in ten films from Dracula to Dracula pre et fils while Palance played him in Dracula and Palance played Dr. Edward Hyde / Mr. Henry Jekyll in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde while Lee played renamed versions of the character(s), Dr. Charles Marlowe and Mr. Edward Blake, in I, Monster .
He had two roles in common with his The McMasters co-star John Carradine : (1) Carradine played Count Dracula in House of Frankenstein , House of Dracula , Billy the Kid Versus Dracula and Nocturna while Palance played him in Dracula and Carradine played Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol while Palance played him in Ebenezer .
Jack Palance passed away on November 10, 2006, three months away from what would have been his 88th birthday on February 18, 2007.
The only two things you can truly depend upon are gravity and greed.
One of the most important reasons for living is to do something--live,outside of yourself and put together an idea, an idea that you want to,explore and then complete. Awaken your creative sensitivities!,[on his aircraft accident in World War II when his bomber crashed and,burned, in which he received severe head injuries and required major,facial reconstruction] There are some moments you never get over. That,was one of them.
Most of the stuff I do is garbage.
I go to see maybe seven films a year at the most, and since I only go to,see the best, it follows that I very rarely see my own.
