Jack Palance facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jack Palance
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Born |
Volodymyr Palanyuk
February 18, 1919 Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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Died | November 10, 2006 Montecito, California, U.S.
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(aged 87)
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1947 – 2004 |
Jack Palance (born February 18, 1919) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. While he is best known to modern movie audiences as both the characters of Curly and Duke in the City Slickers movies, his career has spanned half a century of film and television appearances.
Contents
Early life
Of Ukrainian descent, Palance was born in Lattimer Mines, Pennsylvania, the son of a coal miner. In the late 1930s he started a professional boxing career. Fighting under the name Jack Brazzo, Palance reportedly compiled a record of 15 consecutive victories with 12 knockouts before losing a decision to future heavyweight contender Joe Baksi.
With the outbreak of World War II, Palance's boxing career ended and his military career began. Palance's rugged face, which took many beatings in the boxing ring, was disfigured when he bailed out of his burning B-24. Plastic surgeons repaired the obvious damage but left him with a distinctive, somewhat gaunt look. After much reconstructive surgery, he was discharged in 1944.
Palance graduated from Stanford University in 1947 with an AB in drama; during that time he worked as a short order cook, waiter, soda jerk, lifeguard at Jones Beach, and a photographer's model.
Career
In 1947, Palance made his broadway debut, followed three years, later by his screen debut in the movie Panic in the Streets (1950). He was quickly recognized for his skill as a character actor, receiving an Academy Award nomination for only his third film role, as Lester Blaine in Sudden Fear.
The following year, the 6'3" actor was Oscar-nominated again, for his role as the evil gunfighter Wilson in Shane. Several other Western roles followed, but he would also play such varied roles as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, and Attila the Hun.
In 1957, Palance won an Emmy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Mountain McClintock in the Playhouse 90 production of Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight.
While still busy making movies, in the 1980s, Palance also co-hosted (with his daughter Holly Palance), the televison series Ripley's Believe or Not".
Personal life
Palance's first wife was Virginia Baker (1949-1966). They had three children: Holly (born 1950), Brooke (born 1952) and Cody (1955-1998). An actor in his own right, Cody Palance appeared alongside his father in the film Young Guns, and was 42 when he died from malignant melanoma in 1998. His father now hosts The Cody Palance Memorial Golf Classic to raise awareness, and funds, for a cancer center in Los Angeles.
Since May 1987, he has been married to Elaine Rogers.
Death
On November 10, 2006, Palance died of a sudden stroke at age 87 at his daughter Holly's home in Montecito, California.
Legacy
Marvel Comics "Tomb of Dracula" depicted the title character with Jack Palance's features. This may have been due to the Dan Curtis telefilm adaptation of Dracula starring Palance which aired before production of the comic series began.
According to writer Mark Evanier, comic book creator Jack Kirby modeled his character Darkseid on the actor.
The Lucky Luke 1956 comic Lucky Luke contre Phil Defer by Morris features a villain named Phil Defer who is a caricature of Jack Palance.
Jack Palance won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1991 for City Slickers. Stepping onstage to accept the award, he looked at awards host Billy Crystal (who was also his co-star in the movie), he then dropped to the floor and demonstrated his ability, at age 73, to perform one-handed push-ups.
Palance has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6608 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1992, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Palance paints and sells landscape art, with a poem included on the back of each picture. He is also the author of The Forest of Love, a book of poems, published October 1, 1996, by Summerhouse Press.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
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1950 | Panic in the Streets | 'Blackie' | Elia Kazan | |
1951 | Halls of Montezuma | 'Pigeon' Lane | Lewis Milestone | |
1952 | Sudden Fear | Lester Blaine | David Miller | Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
1953 | Shane | Jack Wilson | George Stevens | Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
Second Chance | 'Cappy' Gordon | Rudolph Maté | ||
Arrowhead | Toriano | Charles Marquis Warren | ||
Flight to Tangier | Gil Walker | Charles Marquis Warren | ||
Man in the Attic | Slade | Hugo Fregonese | ||
1954 | Sign of the Pagan | Attila | Douglas Sirk | |
The Silver Chalice | Simon The Magician | Victor Saville | ||
1955 | Kiss of Fire | 'El Tigre' | Joseph M. Newman | |
I Died a Thousand Times | Roy Earle / Roy Collins | Stuart Heisler | ||
The Big Knife | Charles Castle | Robert Aldrich | ||
1956 | Attack | Lieutenant Joe Costa – Fox Company | Robert Aldrich | |
1957 | The Lonely Man | Jacob Wade | Henry Levin | |
House of Numbers | Arnie Judlow / Bill Judlow | Russell Rouse | ||
1958 | The Man Inside | Milo March | John Gilling | |
1959 | Ten Seconds to Hell | Eric Koertner | Robert Aldrich | |
Beyond All Limits | Jim Gatsby | Roberto Gavaldón | ||
1960 | Austerlitz | General Franz Von Weyrother | Abel Gance | |
The Barbarians | Revak | Rudolph Maté | ||
1961 | Sword of the Conqueror | Alboin | Carlo Campogalliani | |
The Mongols | Ogotaï | Andre DeToth | ||
The Last Judgment | Matteoni | Vittorio De Sica | ||
Barabbas | Torvald | Richard Fleischer | ||
1962 | Night Train to Milan | Bauer / Schneider | Marcello Baldi | |
Warriors Five | Jack | Leopoldo Savona | ||
1963 | Contempt | Jeremy Prokosch | Jean-Luc Godard | |
1965 | Once a Thief | Walter Pedak | Ralph Nelson | |
1966 | The Professionals | Raza | Richard Brooks | |
1967 | Kill a Dragon | Rick Masters | Michael Moore | |
1968 | Madigan's Millions | Matteo Cirini | Stanley Prager | (voice of Riccardo Garrone in the English-language version, uncredited) |
They Came to Rob Las Vegas | Douglas | Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi | ||
The Mercenary | 'Curly' Ricciolo | Sergio Corbucci | ||
1969 | The Desperados | Parson Josiah Galt | Henry Levin | |
A Bullet for Rommel | Major John Heston | León Klimovsky | ||
Marquis de Sade: Justine | Father Antonin | Jesús Franco | ||
Che! | Fidel Castro | Richard Fleischer | ||
Legion of the Damned | Colonel Charley MacPherson | Umberto Lenzi | ||
1970 | The McMasters | Kolby | Alf Kjellin | |
Monte Walsh | Chet Rollins | William A. Fraker | ||
Compañeros | John | Sergio Corbucci | ||
1971 | Horsemen | Tursen | John Frankenheimer | |
1972 | It Can Be Done Amigo | 'Sonny' Bronston | Maurizio Lucidi | |
Chato's Land | Captain Quincey Whitmore | Michael Winner | ||
Sting of the West | Buck Santini | Enzo G. Castellari | ||
And So Ends | (Narrator) | Robert Young | Voice | |
1973 | Brothers Blue | Captain Hillman | Luigi Bazzoni | |
Oklahoma Crude | Hellman | Stanley Kramer | ||
1974 | Craze | Neal Mottram | Freddie Francis | |
1975 | The Four Deuces | Victor 'Vic' Morono | William H. Bushnell | |
The Great Adventure | William Bates | Gianfranco Baldanello | ||
Africa Express | Robert Preston / Willaim Hunter | Michele Lupo | ||
L'Infermiera | Mr. Kitch | Nello Rossati | ||
1976 | God's Gun | Sam Clayton | Gianfranco Parolini | |
The Cop in Blue Jeans | Norman Shelley / Richard J. Russo | Bruno Corbucci | ||
Black Cobra Woman | Judas Carmichael | Joe D'Amato | ||
Safari Express | Van Daalen | Duccio Tessari | ||
Mister Scarface | 'Scarface' Manzari | Fernando Di Leo | ||
Blood and Bullets | Duke | Alfonso Brescia | ||
1977 | Welcome to Blood City | Frendlander | Peter Sasdy | |
1978 | The One Man Jury | Lieutenant Wade | Charles Martin | |
1979 | Angels' Brigade | Mike Farrell | Greydon Clark | |
The Shape of Things to Come | Omus | George McCowan | ||
Portrait of a Hitman | Jim Buck | Allan A. Buckhantz | ||
1980 | Without Warning | Joe Taylor | Greydon Clark | |
Hawk the Slayer | Voltan | Terry Marcel | ||
1982 | Alone in the Dark | Frank Hawkes | Jack Sholder | |
1987 | Gor | Xenos | Fritz Kiersch | |
Bagdad Café | Rudi Cox | Percy Adlon | ||
1988 | Young Guns | Lawrence G. Murphy | Christopher Cain | |
Outlaw of Gor | Xenos | John Cardos | ||
1989 | Batman | Carl Grissom | Tim Burton | |
Tango & Cash | Yves Perret | Andrei Konchalovsky | ||
1990 | Solar Crisis | Travis | Richard C. Sarafian | |
1991 | City Slickers | 'Curly' Washburn | Ron Underwood | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor |
1992 | Eli's Lesson | Old Pilot | Peter D. Marshall | |
1993 | Cyborg 2 | Mercy | Michael Schroeder | |
1994 | Cops & Robbersons | Detective Jake Stone | Michael Ritchie | |
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold | Duke Washburn | Paul Weiland | ||
The Swan Princess | Sir Rothbart | Richard Rich | Voice, animated film | |
1998 | The Incredible Adventures of Marco Polo | Beelzebub | George Erschbamer | |
1999 | Treasure Island | Long John Silver | Peter Rowe | |
2001 | Prancer Returns | Old Man Richards | Joshua Butler | Direct to DVD |
2003 | Between Hitler and Stalin | Narrator | Slavko Nowytski | Voice |
Television movies/miniseries
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1956 | Requiem for a Heavyweight | Harlan 'Mountain' McClintock | |
1966 | Alice Through the Looking Glass | Jabberwock | |
1968 | The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde | |
1974 | Bram Stoker's Dracula | Count Dracula | |
The Godchild | Rourke | ||
1975 | The Hatfields and the McCoys | Anderson 'Devil Anse' Hatfield | |
1979 | The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang | Will Smith | |
1980 | The Ivory Ape | Marc Kazarian | |
The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story | 'Whitey' Robinson | ||
1981 | Evil Stalks This House | Stokes | |
1992 | Keep the Change | Overstreet | |
1994 | Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics | Dr. Jeremy Wheaton | (segment "Where the Dead Are") |
1995 | Buffalo Girls | Bartle Bone | |
1997 | I'll Be Home for Christmas | Bob | |
1998 | Ebenezer | Ebenezer Scrooge | |
1999 | Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End | John Witting | |
2001 | Living With the Dead | Allan Van Praagh | |
2004 | Back When We Were Grownups | Paul 'Poppy' Davitch | (final film role) |
Television series
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1950 | Lights Out | Episode: "The Man Who Couldn't Remember" | |
1952 | Westinghouse Studio One | Episode: "The King in Yellow" | |
Curtain Call | Episode: "Azaya" | ||
Westinghouse Studio One | Episode: "Little Man, Big World" | ||
The Gulf Playhouse | Episode: "Necktie Party" | ||
1953 | Danger | Episode: "Said the Spider to the Fly" | |
The Web | Episode: "The Last Chance" | ||
Suspense | Tom Walker | Episode: "The Kiss-Off" | |
The Motorola Television Hour | Scott Malone / Kurt Bauman | Episode: "Brandenburg Gate" | |
Suspense | Episode: "Cagliostro and the Chess Player" | ||
1955 | What's My Line | Himself | Mystery guest |
1956 | Playhouse 90 | Harlan 'Mountain' McClintock | "Requiem for a Heavyweight" Emmy Award for Best Single Performance by an Actor |
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Dan Morgan | Episode: "The Lariat" opposite Constance Ford | |
1957 | Playhouse 90 | Monroe Stahr | "The Last Tycoon" |
Playhouse 90 | Manolete | "The Death of Manolete" | |
1963 | The Greatest Show on Earth | Circus Manager Johnny Slate | Series – top billing, 30 episodes |
1964 | What's My Line | Himself | Mystery guest |
1965 | Convoy | Harvey Bell | Episode: "The Many Colors of Courage" |
1966 | Run for Your Life | Julian Hays | Episode: "I Am the Late Diana Hays" |
Alice Through the Looking Glass | Jabberwock | (Live Theatre) | |
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Louis Strago | 2 episodes "The Concrete Overcoat Affair: Parts I and II" (reedited as The Spy in the Green Hat) |
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1971 | Net Playhouse | President Jackson | "Trail of Tears" |
1973 | The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour | Himself | |
1975–1976 | Bronk | Lieutenant Alex 'Bronk' Bronkov | Series – top billing, 25 episodes |
1979 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | Kaleel | Episode: "Planet of the Slave Girls" |
Unknown Powers | Presenter/Narrator | ||
1981 | Tales of the Haunted | Stokes | Episode: "Evil Stalks This House" |
1982–1986 | Ripley's Believe It or Not! | Himself – Host | Series |
2001 | Night Visions | Jake Jennings | Segment: "Bitter Harvest" |
Awards and nominations
Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
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1953 | Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Sudden Fear | Nominated |
1954 | Shane | Nominated | ||
1992 | City Slickers | Won | ||
1992 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Won | |
1957 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Best Single Performance by an Actor | Playhouse 90 | Won |
1992 | American Comedy Awards | Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | City Slickers | Won |
1992 | Chicago Film Critics Association Award | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |
1993 | Golden Boot Awards | Golden Boot | Won | |
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum | Bronze Wrangler – Factual Narrative | Legends of the West | Won | |
1998 | WorldFest Flagstaff | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | |
2001 | DVD Exclusive Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Prancer Returns | Won |
2004 | Online Film & Television Association Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Back When We Were Grownups | Nominated |
2012 | 20/20 Award | Best Supporting Actor | City Slickers | Nominated |
Discography
- Palance, Warner Bros, 1969
Images for kids
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Palance with Sharon Tate during the filming of Barabbas (1961).
See also
In Spanish: Jack Palance para niños