Jack Palance
Encyclopedia
Jack Palance was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards
, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role
, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers
.
section of Hazle Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, the son of Anna ( Gramiak) and Ivan Palahniuk, who was an anthracite coal miner. Palance's parents were Ukrainian
immigrants, his father a native of Ivane Zolote in Southwestern Ukraine (Ternopil Oblast
) and his mother from the Lviv
region. He worked in coal mines during his youth before becoming a boxer
.
In the late 1930s, Palance started a professional boxing career. Fighting under the name Jack Brazzo, Palance reportedly compiled a record of 15 consecutive victories with 12 knockout
s before fighting the future heavyweight
contender Joe Baksi
in a "Pier-6" brawl. Palance lost a close decision, and recounted: "Then, I thought, you must be nuts to get your head beat in for $200".
With the outbreak of the Second World War
, Palance's boxing career ended and his military career began as a member of the United States Army Air Forces
. Palance's rugged face, which took many beatings in the boxing ring, was said to have become disfigured while bailing out of a burning B-24 Liberator
bomber during a training flight over southern Arizona
(where Palance was a student pilot
). His distinctive cheekbones and deep-set eyes were said to have been the result of reconstructive surgery. The story behind Palance's face was repeated numerous times (including in respected film reference works), but upon his death, several obituaries of Palance quoted him as saying that the entire story had been contrived: "Studio press agents make up anything they want to, and reporters go along with it. One flack created the legend that I had been blown up in an air crash during the war, and my face had to be put back together by way of plastic surgery. If it is a 'bionic face,' why didn't they do a better job of it?"
Palance reportedly was discharged in 1944. In 1947 he graduated from Stanford University
with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Drama
. During his university years, to make ends meet he also worked as a short order cook, waiter
, soda jerk
, lifeguard
at Jones Beach State Park
, and photographer's model.
's understudy
in A Streetcar Named Desire
, and he eventually replaced Brando on stage as Stanley Kowalski
.
In 1947, Palance made his Broadway
debut, and this was followed three years later by his screen debut in the movie Panic in the Streets (1950). The very same year, he was featured in Halls of Montezuma
about the U.S. Marines in World War II, where he was credited as "Walter (Jack) Palance". Palance was quickly recognized for his skill as a character actor, receiving an Oscar nomination for only his third film role, as Lester Blaine in Sudden Fear
.
The following year, Palance was again nominated for an Oscar, this time for his role as the hired gunfighter Jack Wilson in Shane. Several other Western roles followed, but he also played such varied roles as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula
and Attila the Hun
.
In 1957, Palance won an Emmy
for best actor for his portrayal of Mountain McClintock in the Playhouse 90
production of Rod Serling
's Requiem for a Heavyweight
.
Jean-Luc Godard
persuaded Palance to take on the role of Hollywood producer Jeremy Prokosch in the 1963 nouvelle vague movie Le Mépris
, with Brigitte Bardot
and Michel Piccoli. Although the main dialogue was in French
, Palance spoke mostly English.
In 1969, while still busy making movies, Palance recorded a country music album on Warner Bros. Records
. The album recalled the Lee Hazlewood
music that was popular at the time. Recorded in Nashville
, the album is a playful country rock
romp not unlike other late 60's Nashville recordings and featured Palance's self penned classic song "The Meanest Guy That Ever Lived". The album was re-released in 2003 by the "Walter" label on CD.
Palance also starred the television series Bronk
between 1975 and 1976 for MGM Television
.
Palance received a major career boost when he began hosting a television revival of Ripley's Believe It or Not! in 1982. The weekly series ran from 1982 to 1986 on the American ABC
network. The series was wildly popular during its four-year run, owing a great deal of its success to Palance's eccentric performances. The series also starred three different co-hosts from season to season, including Palance's daughter Holly Palance
, actress Catherine Shirriff
and singer Marie Osmond
. Ripley's Believe It or Not! was rerun in syndication on the Sci-fi Channel (UK) and Sci-fi Channel (US) during the 1990s.
Palance's success on Ripley's Believe It or Not! resulted in a demand for his services. He made memorable appearances in Young Guns
(1988), Tango & Cash
(1989) and Tim Burton
's Batman
(1989), all of which served to reinvigorated his movie career. Palance would be involved in new projects each year right up to the turn of the century.
Palance, at the time chairman of the Hollywood Trident Foundation
, walked out of a Russian Film Festival in Hollywood. After being introduced, Palance said, "I feel like I walked into the wrong room by mistake. I think that Russian film is interesting, but I have nothing to do with Russia or Russian film. My parents were born in Ukraine: I'm Ukrainian. I'm not Russian. So, excuse me, but I don't belong here. It's best if we leave." Palance was awarded the title of "People's Artist" by the President Vladimir Putin
on that occasion, however Palance refused the title.
In 2001, Palance returned to the recording studio as a special guest on friend Laurie Z
's Heart of the Holidays album to narrate the famous classic poem The Night Before Christmas
.
In 2002, he starred in the television movie Living with the Dead opposite Ted Danson
, Mary Steenburgen
and Diane Ladd
. In 2004, he starred in another television production, Back When We Were Grownups
, opposite Blythe Danner
, his performance as Poppy being Palance's last.
According to writer Mark Evanier
, comic book creator Jack Kirby
modeled his character Darkseid
on the actor.
on March 30, 1992, for his performance as cowboy Curly Washburn in the 1991
comedy City Slickers
. Stepping onstage to accept the award, the intimidatingly fit 6' 4" (1.93 m) actor looked down at 5' 7" (1.70 m) Oscar host Billy Crystal
(who was also his co-star in the movie), and joked — mimicking one of his lines from the film — "Billy Crystal... I crap bigger than him." He then dropped to the floor and demonstrated his ability, at age 73, to perform one-handed push-ups.
Crystal turned this into a running gag. At first, he quipped, "I told Jack before the ceremony, 'Decaf, Jack, decaf'". Then, at various points in the broadcast, he announced that Palance had done the following:
At the end of the broadcast, Crystal told everyone he would like to see them again, "but I've just been informed Jack Palance will be hosting next year."
in Santa Barbara County
. His remains were cremated, his ashes retained by family and friends. Jack Palance lived for a number of years around Tehachapi
, near Bakersfield
, in southern California.
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
.
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Palance was married to his first wife, Virginia Baker, from 1949 to 1968. They had three children: Holly
(born in 1950), an actress, Brooke (born in 1952) and Cody (1955–1998).
Daughter Brooke married Michael Wilding, son of Michael Wilding
Sr. (1912–1979) and Elizabeth Taylor
; they have three children as well.
An actor himself, Cody Palance appeared alongside his father in the film Young Guns
, and he died from malignant melanoma at age 42 on July 16, 1998. Palance had hosted The Cody Palance Memorial Golf Classic to raise awareness and funds for a cancer center in Los Angeles
. Besides being an actor, Cody Palance was a musician who performed live with his band.
In May 1987, Palance married Elaine Rogers. On New Year's Day 2003, his first wife Virginia Baker (July 7, 1922 - January 1, 2003) was struck by a car and killed in Los Angeles.
Palance painted and sold 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 in 1996 by Summerhouse Press.
True to his roots, Palance acknowledged a life-long attachment to his Pennsylvania heritage and visited there when able. Shortly before his death, he had placed his Butler Township, Pennsylvania
, Holly-Brooke farm up for sale and his personal art collection up for auction.
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers
City Slickers
City Slickers is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, Helen Slater and Jack Palance. Palance won an Academy Award for his performance....
.
Early life
Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr Palahniuk in the Lattimer MinesLattimer Mines, Pennsylvania
Lattimer Mines, Pennsylvania is a village in Hazle Township, Luzerne County. It was the site of the Lattimer massacre in which Sheriff's deputies gunned down unarmed striking coal miners in 1897. Actor Jack Palance was originally from the village and born there in 1919. It uses the Hazleton zip...
section of Hazle Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, the son of Anna ( Gramiak) and Ivan Palahniuk, who was an anthracite coal miner. Palance's parents were Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
immigrants, his father a native of Ivane Zolote in Southwestern Ukraine (Ternopil Oblast
Ternopil Oblast
Ternopil Oblast is an oblast' of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Ternopil, through which flows the Seret River, a tributary of the Dnister.-Geography:...
) and his mother from the Lviv
Lviv Oblast
Lviv Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Lviv.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on December 4, 1939...
region. He worked in coal mines during his youth before becoming a boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
.
In the late 1930s, Palance started a professional boxing career. Fighting under the name Jack Brazzo, Palance reportedly compiled a record of 15 consecutive victories with 12 knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
s before fighting the future heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
contender Joe Baksi
Joe Baksi
Joe Baksi was a top heavyweight contender who defeated fighters such as Tami Mauriello, Lee Savold, Lou Nova, and Freddie Mills, while losing decisions to Jersey Joe Walcott and Ezzard Charles.-Background:...
in a "Pier-6" brawl. Palance lost a close decision, and recounted: "Then, I thought, you must be nuts to get your head beat in for $200".
With the outbreak of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Palance's boxing career ended and his military career began as a member of the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
. Palance's rugged face, which took many beatings in the boxing ring, was said to have become disfigured while bailing out of a burning B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
bomber during a training flight over southern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
(where Palance was a student pilot
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
). His distinctive cheekbones and deep-set eyes were said to have been the result of reconstructive surgery. The story behind Palance's face was repeated numerous times (including in respected film reference works), but upon his death, several obituaries of Palance quoted him as saying that the entire story had been contrived: "Studio press agents make up anything they want to, and reporters go along with it. One flack created the legend that I had been blown up in an air crash during the war, and my face had to be put back together by way of plastic surgery. If it is a 'bionic face,' why didn't they do a better job of it?"
Palance reportedly was discharged in 1944. In 1947 he graduated from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
. During his university years, to make ends meet he also worked as a short order cook, waiter
Waiter
Waiting staff, wait staff, or waitstaff are those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers — supplying them with food and drink as requested. Traditionally, a male waiting tables is called a "waiter" and a female a "waitress" with the gender-neutral version being a "server"...
, soda jerk
Soda jerk
A soda jerk was a person — typically a youth — who operated the soda fountain in a drugstore, often for the purpose of preparing and serving ice cream soda. This was made by putting flavored syrup into a specially designed tall glass, adding carbonated water and, finally, one or two scoops of ice...
, lifeguard
Lifeguard
A lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...
at Jones Beach State Park
Jones Beach State Park
Jones Beach State Park is a state park of the U.S. state of New York. It is located in southern Nassau County, in the hamlet of Wantagh, on Jones Beach Island, a barrier island linked to Long Island by the Meadowbrook State Parkway, Wantagh State Parkway and Ocean Parkway .The park is renowned for...
, and photographer's model.
Career
Palance's acting break came as Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
's understudy
Understudy
In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...
in A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire (play)
A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The play opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, and closed on December 17, 1949, in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The Broadway production was...
, and he eventually replaced Brando on stage as Stanley Kowalski
Stanley Kowalski
Stanley Kowalski is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire.-In the play:Stanley lives in the working class Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans with his wife, Stella , and is employed as a factory parts salesman. He was an Army engineer in WWII, having...
.
In 1947, Palance made his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut, and this was followed three years later by his screen debut in the movie Panic in the Streets (1950). The very same year, he was featured in Halls of Montezuma
Halls of Montezuma (film)
Halls of Montezuma is a 1951 World War II war film starring Richard Widmark, Jack Palance and Karl Malden. The film, which is about U.S. marines fighting on a Japanese-held island, was directed by academy-award winner Lewis Milestone. It also starred Robert Wagner in his first credited screen role...
about the U.S. Marines in World War II, where he was credited as "Walter (Jack) Palance". Palance was quickly recognized for his skill as a character actor, receiving an Oscar nomination for only his third film role, as Lester Blaine in Sudden Fear
Sudden Fear
Sudden Fear is a 1952 RKO Radio Pictures feature film starring Joan Crawford and Jack Palance in a noir-ish tale about a successful woman who marries a murderous man. The screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee and Robert Smith was based upon the novel by Edna Sherry. Sudden Fear was directed by David...
.
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
and Attila the Hun
Attila the Hun
Attila , more frequently referred to as Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of the Hunnic Empire, which stretched from the Ural River to the Rhine River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. During his reign he was one of the most feared...
.
In 1957, Palance won an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for best actor for his portrayal of Mountain McClintock in the Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...
production of Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
's Requiem for a Heavyweight
Requiem for a Heavyweight
Requiem for a Heavyweight was a teleplay written by Rod Serling and produced for the live television show Playhouse 90 on 11 October 1956. Six years later, it was adapted as a 1962 feature film starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney....
.
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
persuaded Palance to take on the role of Hollywood producer Jeremy Prokosch in the 1963 nouvelle vague movie Le Mépris
Contempt (film)
Contempt is a 1963 film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, based on the Italian novel Il disprezzo by Alberto Moravia. It stars Brigitte Bardot.-Plot:...
, with Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot is a French former fashion model, actress, singer and animal rights activist. She was one of the best-known sex-symbols of the 1960s.In her early life, Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer...
and Michel Piccoli. Although the main dialogue was in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Palance spoke mostly English.
In 1969, while still busy making movies, Palance recorded a country music album on Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. The album recalled the Lee Hazlewood
Lee Hazlewood
Lee Hazlewood , born Barton Lee Hazlewood was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s.Hazlewood had a distinctive baritone voice that added an ominous...
music that was popular at the time. Recorded in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, the album is a playful country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
romp not unlike other late 60's Nashville recordings and featured Palance's self penned classic song "The Meanest Guy That Ever Lived". The album was re-released in 2003 by the "Walter" label on CD.
Palance also starred the television series Bronk
Bronk (TV series)
Bronk was an American television series starring Jack Palance as Detective Lieutenant Alex Bronkov. The series was set in the fictional Ocean City, California....
between 1975 and 1976 for MGM Television
MGM Television
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television is an American television production/distribution launched in 1955 and a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc....
.
Palance received a major career boost when he began hosting a television revival of Ripley's Believe It or Not! in 1982. The weekly series ran from 1982 to 1986 on the American ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network. The series was wildly popular during its four-year run, owing a great deal of its success to Palance's eccentric performances. The series also starred three different co-hosts from season to season, including Palance's daughter Holly Palance
Holly Palance
Holly Palance is an American actress.Palance was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of the actor Jack Palance and his wife Virginia Baker. Holly was the first of three children born to the couple, followed by Brooke Palance in 1952 and Cody Palance in 1955...
, actress Catherine Shirriff
Catherine Shirriff
Catherine Shirriff is a Canadian actress. Her notable roles include the Klingon Valkris in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and co-host with Jack Palance of the first season of the ABC television documentary series Ripley's Believe It or Not!....
and singer Marie Osmond
Marie Osmond
Olive Marie Osmond is an American singer, actress, doll designer, and a member of the show business family The Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a solo country music artist in the 1970s and 1980s...
. Ripley's Believe It or Not! was rerun in syndication on the Sci-fi Channel (UK) and Sci-fi Channel (US) during the 1990s.
Palance's success on Ripley's Believe It or Not! resulted in a demand for his services. He made memorable appearances in Young Guns
Young Guns
Young Guns is a 1988 action/western film, directed by Christopher Cain and written by John Fusco. The film was the first to be produced by Morgan Creek Productions...
(1988), Tango & Cash
Tango & Cash
Tango & Cash is a 1989 American buddy cop film starring Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Jack Palance and Teri Hatcher. It was directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, although Albert Magnoli took over in the later stages of filming....
(1989) and Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
's Batman
Batman (1989 film)
Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Michael Keaton in the title role, as well as Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl and Jack Palance...
(1989), all of which served to reinvigorated his movie career. Palance would be involved in new projects each year right up to the turn of the century.
Palance, at the time chairman of the Hollywood Trident Foundation
Hollywood Trident Foundation
The Hollywood Trident Foundation was formed in 2001 under Jack Palance's leadership to facilitate contact among professionals working in the entertainment industry who are interested in Ukrainian affairs.-Holodomor:...
, walked out of a Russian Film Festival in Hollywood. After being introduced, Palance said, "I feel like I walked into the wrong room by mistake. I think that Russian film is interesting, but I have nothing to do with Russia or Russian film. My parents were born in Ukraine: I'm Ukrainian. I'm not Russian. So, excuse me, but I don't belong here. It's best if we leave." Palance was awarded the title of "People's Artist" by the President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
on that occasion, however Palance refused the title.
In 2001, Palance returned to the recording studio as a special guest on friend Laurie Z
Laurie Z
Laurie Zeluck Carter was an American pianist and electronic musician who recorded under the name Laurie Z. Her music is described as a blend of classical, jazz and contemporary instrumental.-Discography:Laurie Z...
's Heart of the Holidays album to narrate the famous classic poem The Night Before Christmas
A Visit from St. Nicholas
"A Visit from St. Nicholas", also known as "The Night Before Christmas" and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously in 1823 and generally attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, although the claim has also been made that it was written by Henry...
.
In 2002, he starred in the television movie Living with the Dead opposite Ted Danson
Ted Danson
Edward Bridge “Ted” Danson III is an American actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker. He also plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred alongside Glenn Close...
, Mary Steenburgen
Mary Steenburgen
Mary Nell Steenburgen is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Lynda Dummar in Jonathan Demme's Melvin and Howard, which earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.-Early life:...
and Diane Ladd
Diane Ladd
Diane Ladd is an American actress, film director, producer and published author. She has appeared in over 120 roles, on television, and in miniseries and feature films, including Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore , Wild at Heart , Rambling Rose , Ghosts of Mississippi, Primary Colors, 28 Days , and...
. In 2004, he starred in another television production, Back When We Were Grownups
Back When We Were Grownups
Back When We Were Grownups is a 2001 novel written by Anne Tyler in memory of her husband, who died in 1997.Tyler's 15th novel, like most of her work, is set in Baltimore, Maryland...
, opposite Blythe Danner
Blythe Danner
Blythe Katherine Danner is an American actress. She is the mother of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow.-Early life:...
, his performance as Poppy being Palance's last.
According to writer Mark Evanier
Mark Evanier
Mark Stephen Evanier is an American comic book and television writer, particularly known for his humor work. He is also known for his columns and blogs, and for his work as a historian and biographer of the comics industry, in particular his award-winning Jack Kirby biography, Kirby: King of...
, comic book creator Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
modeled his character Darkseid
Darkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
on the actor.
Academy Award
Four decades after his film debut, Palance won an Academy Award for Best Supporting ActorAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
on March 30, 1992, for his performance as cowboy Curly Washburn in the 1991
1991 in film
The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
comedy City Slickers
City Slickers
City Slickers is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, Helen Slater and Jack Palance. Palance won an Academy Award for his performance....
. Stepping onstage to accept the award, the intimidatingly fit 6' 4" (1.93 m) actor looked down at 5' 7" (1.70 m) Oscar host Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
(who was also his co-star in the movie), and joked — mimicking one of his lines from the film — "Billy Crystal... I crap bigger than him." He then dropped to the floor and demonstrated his ability, at age 73, to perform one-handed push-ups.
Crystal turned this into a running gag. At first, he quipped, "I told Jack before the ceremony, 'Decaf, Jack, decaf'". Then, at various points in the broadcast, he announced that Palance had done the following:
- was backstage on the StairmasterStairmasterStairMaster is the name of a line of exercise machines, which includes stepping machines and revolving stairs.StairMaster was founded by Lanny Potts and Jim Walker and introduced by Tri-Tech, Inc. of Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1983 at the National Sporting Goods Association trade show...
; - "...just bungee-jumpedBungee jumpingBungee jumping is an activity that involves jumping from a tall structure while connected to a large elastic cord. The tall structure is usually a fixed object, such as a building, bridge or crane; but it is also possible to jump from a movable object, such as a hot-air-balloon or helicopter, that...
off the Hollywood signHollywood SignThe Hollywood Sign is a landmark and American cultural icon in the Hollywood Hills area of Mount Lee, Santa Monica Mountains, in Los Angeles, California. The sign spells out the name of the area in and white letters. It was created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increasing recognition...
"; - rendezvoused with the Space ShuttleSpace ShuttleThe Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
in orbit; - fathered all the children in a production number;
- been named People magazinePeople (magazine)In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
's Sexiest Man Alive; - had won the New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
primary electionPrimary electionA primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
.
At the end of the broadcast, Crystal told everyone he would like to see them again, "but I've just been informed Jack Palance will be hosting next year."
Death and legacy
On November 10, 2006, Palance died of natural causes at age 87 at his daughter Holly's home in MontecitoMontecito, California
Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...
in Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...
. His remains were cremated, his ashes retained by family and friends. Jack Palance lived for a number of years around Tehachapi
Tehachapi, California
Tehachapi is a city incorporated in 1909 located in the Tehachapi Mountains between Bakersfield and Mojave in Kern County, California. Tehachapi is located east-southeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of...
, near Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
, in southern California.
Palance has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6608 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1992, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
.
Personal life
Holly Palance
Holly Palance is an American actress.Palance was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of the actor Jack Palance and his wife Virginia Baker. Holly was the first of three children born to the couple, followed by Brooke Palance in 1952 and Cody Palance in 1955...
(born in 1950), an actress, Brooke (born in 1952) and Cody (1955–1998).
Daughter Brooke married Michael Wilding, son of Michael Wilding
Michael Wilding (actor)
-Early life:Born in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England, Wilding was a successful commercial artist when he joined the art department of a London film studio in 1933. He soon embarked on an acting career.-Career:...
Sr. (1912–1979) and Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
; they have three children as well.
An actor himself, Cody Palance appeared alongside his father in the film Young Guns
Young Guns
Young Guns is a 1988 action/western film, directed by Christopher Cain and written by John Fusco. The film was the first to be produced by Morgan Creek Productions...
, and he died from malignant melanoma at age 42 on July 16, 1998. Palance had hosted The Cody Palance Memorial Golf Classic to raise awareness and funds for a cancer center in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Besides being an actor, Cody Palance was a musician who performed live with his band.
In May 1987, Palance married Elaine Rogers. On New Year's Day 2003, his first wife Virginia Baker (July 7, 1922 - January 1, 2003) was struck by a car and killed in Los Angeles.
Palance painted and sold 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 in 1996 by Summerhouse Press.
True to his roots, Palance acknowledged a life-long attachment to his Pennsylvania heritage and visited there when able. Shortly before his death, he had placed his Butler Township, Pennsylvania
Butler Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Butler Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,166 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. It is drained by the Nescopeck Creek...
, Holly-Brooke farm up for sale and his personal art collection up for auction.
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 1950 in film The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush... |
Panic in the Streets Panic in the Streets (film) Panic in the Streets is a 1950 film noir directed by Elia Kazan. It was shot exclusively on location in New Orleans, Louisiana and features numerous New Orleans citizens in speaking and non-speaking roles.... |
Blackie | |
| Halls of Montezuma Halls of Montezuma (film) Halls of Montezuma is a 1951 World War II war film starring Richard Widmark, Jack Palance and Karl Malden. The film, which is about U.S. marines fighting on a Japanese-held island, was directed by academy-award winner Lewis Milestone. It also starred Robert Wagner in his first credited screen role... |
Pigeon Lane | ||
| 1952 1952 in film The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.... |
Sudden Fear Sudden Fear Sudden Fear is a 1952 RKO Radio Pictures feature film starring Joan Crawford and Jack Palance in a noir-ish tale about a successful woman who marries a murderous man. The screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee and Robert Smith was based upon the novel by Edna Sherry. Sudden Fear was directed by David... |
Lester Blaine | Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... |
| 1953 1953 in film The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A... |
Shane | Jack Wilson | Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... |
| Man in the Attic Man in the Attic Man in the Attic is a 1953 mystery film directed by Hugo Fregonese. It was released in the United States on December 23 by Twentieth Century Fox... |
Slade | ||
| Second Chance Second Chance (1953 film) Second Chance is a 1953 American color film noir, directed by Rudolph Maté. The picture, shot on location in Mexico in 3-Dimension, features Robert Mitchum, Linda Darnell, and Jack Palance... |
Cappy Gordon | ||
| Arrowhead Arrowhead (film) Arrowhead is a 1953 western film directed by Charles Marquis Warren and starring Charlton Heston and Jack Palance. The film is based on the novel Adobe Walls by W.R.Burnett. The screenplay was also by Charles Marquis Warren.-Plot synopsis:... |
Torinada | ||
| 1954 1954 in film The year 1954 in film involved some significant events and memorable ones.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda... |
The Silver Chalice The Silver Chalice (film) The Silver Chalice is a 1954 historical epic film from Warner Bros., based on Thomas B. Costain's 1952 novel of the same name.-Plot:A Greek artisan is commissioned to cast the cup of Christ in silver and sculpt around its rim the faces of the disciples and Jesus himself. He travels to Jerusalem and... |
Simon Magus Simon Magus Simon the Sorcerer or Simon the Magician, in Latin Simon Magus, was a Samaritan magus or religious figure and a convert to Christianity, baptised by Philip the Apostle, whose later confrontation with Peter is recorded in . The sin of simony, or paying for position and influence in the church, is... |
|
| Sign of the Pagan | Attila the Hun Attila the Hun Attila , more frequently referred to as Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of the Hunnic Empire, which stretched from the Ural River to the Rhine River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. During his reign he was one of the most feared... |
||
| 1955 1955 in film The year 1955 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.* June 27 - The last ever Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released.... |
The Big Knife The Big Knife The Big Knife is a film noir directed and produced by Robert Aldrich from a screenplay by James Poe based on the play by Clifford Odets. The film stars Jack Palance, Ida Lupino, Wendell Corey, Jean Hagen, Rod Steiger, Shelley Winters, Ilka Chase, and Everett Sloane.-Plot:Charlie Castle, a very... |
Charles Castle | |
| I Died a Thousand Times I Died a Thousand Times I Died a Thousand Times is a color film noir directed by Stuart Heisler. The drama features Jack Palance as paroled bank robber Roy Earle, with Shelley Winters, Lee Marvin, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, and Lon Chaney, Jr.... |
Roy Earle aka Roy Collins | ||
| 1956 1956 in film The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by... |
Attack Attack (1956 film) Attack, also known as Attack!, is a 1956 American war film. It was directed by Robert Aldrich and starred Jack Palance, Eddie Albert, Lee Marvin, William Smithers, Robert Strauss, Richard Jaeckel, Buddy Ebsen and Peter van Eyck... |
Lieutenant Costa | |
| Playhouse 90 Playhouse 90 Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California... : Requiem for a Heavyweight Requiem for a Heavyweight Requiem for a Heavyweight was a teleplay written by Rod Serling and produced for the live television show Playhouse 90 on 11 October 1956. Six years later, it was adapted as a 1962 feature film starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney.... |
Harlan 'Mountain' McClintock | (TV) | |
| 1957 1957 in film The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:... |
House of Numbers | ||
| 1958 1958 in film The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946.... |
The Man Inside | ||
| 1959 1959 in film The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters.... |
Flor De Mayo Beyond All Limits Beyond All Limits is a 1959 Mexican drama film directed by Roberto Gavaldón. It was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* María Félix - Magdalena Gombai* Jack Palance - Jim Gatsby* Pedro Armendáriz - Pepe Gamboa... |
||
| 1959 1959 in film The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters.... |
Ten Seconds to Hell Ten Seconds to Hell Ten Seconds To Hell is a 1959 British, American and German film directed by Robert Aldrich and based upon Lawrence P. Bachmann's novel, The Phoenix... |
Erik Koertner | |
| 1960 1960 in film The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I... |
Austerlitz Austerlitz (film) Austerlitz is a 1960 film directed by Abel Gance and starring Jean Marais, Rossano Brazzi, Jack Palance, Claudia Cardinale, Vittorio de Sica, Orson Welles, Leslie Caron and Elvire Popesco. Pierre Mondy portrays Napoleon in this film about one of his greatest victories at the Battle of Austerlitz... |
General Weirother | |
| The Barbarians Revak the Rebel Revak the Rebel is a 1960 film set in Iberia in the days leading up to the outbreak of the Second Punic War... |
Revak | ||
| 1961 1961 in film The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB... |
Barabbas | Torvald | |
| 1961 1961 in film The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB... |
Warriors Five | Jack | |
| 1963 1963 in film The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City.... |
Contempt Contempt (film) Contempt is a 1963 film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, based on the Italian novel Il disprezzo by Alberto Moravia. It stars Brigitte Bardot.-Plot:... |
Jeremy Prokosch | |
| 1965 1965 in film The year 1965 in film involved some significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:... |
Once a Thief Once a Thief (1965 film) Once a Thief is a 1965 film directed by Ralph Nelson. It was written by Zekial Marko, based on his novel Scratch A Thief. Nelson won the OCIC award at the 1965 San Sebastián International Film Festival for the film.-Plot:... |
Walter Pedack | |
| 1966 1966 in film The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer... |
The Professionals | Jesus Raza | |
| 1967 1967 in film The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:* December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television.... |
Kill a Dragon | Rick Masters | |
| 1968 1968 in film The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :... |
The Mercenary The Mercenary (film) The Mercenary , also known as A Professional Gun, is a 1968 spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Corbucci. The film stars Franco Nero, Jack Palance, Tony Musante and Giovanna Ralli, and features a musical score by Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai... |
Curly | |
| 1969 1969 in film The year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980... |
Justine Marquis de Sade: Justine Marquis de Sade: Justine is a 1969 Italian drama film, directed by Jesús Franco and starring Klaus Kinski. It is based on the novel Justine by Marquis de Sade.-Plot:... |
Antonin | |
| Legion of the Damned | Colonel Charley MacPherson | ||
| Che! Che! Che! is an American Biographical film starring Omar Sharif as Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara. It follows Guevara from when he first landed in Cuba in 1956 to his death in Bolivia in 1967, although the film does not portray the formative pre-Cuban revolution sections of Che's life as... |
Fidel Castro Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011... |
||
| 1970 1970 in film The year 1970 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 9 - Larry Fine, the second member of The Three Stooges, suffers a massive stroke, therefore ending his career.... |
Compañeros Compañeros Compañeros is an Italian Zapata-themed spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Corbucci in 1970. The film stars Franco Nero, Tomas Milian, Jack Palance and Fernando Rey... |
John | |
| Monte Walsh Monte Walsh Monte Walsh is taken from the title of a 1963 western novel by Jack Schaefer. The movie has little to do with the plot of Schaefer's book. It was directed in 1970 by cinematographer William A. Fraker in his directorial debut, and starred Lee Marvin, Jeanne Moreau and Jack Palance. The movie was set... |
Chet | ||
| 1971 1971 in film The year 1971 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music... |
Horsemen The Horsemen (1971 film) The Horsemen is a 1971 film starring Omar Sharif, directed by John Frankenheimer; screenplay by Dalton Trumbo. Based on a novel by French writer Joseph Kessel, Les Cavaliers shows Afghanistan and its people the way they were before the wars that wracked the country, particularly their love for... |
Tursen | |
| 1972 1972 in film The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB... |
Chato's Land Chato's Land Chato's Land is a 1972 American western film directed by Michael Winner, starring Charles Bronson and Jack Palance. It falls more closely into the revisionist Western genre, which was at its height at the time... |
Captain Quincy | |
| Si può fare... amigo | Sonny Bronston | ||
| 1973 1973 in film The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra.... |
Father Jackleg (Originally Tedeum) | Buck Santini | "Oklahoma Crude" Hellman |
| 1974 1974 in film The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J... |
Craze | Neil Mottram | |
| 1976 1976 in film The year 1976 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film... |
God's Gun God's Gun God's Gun is a 1975 Italian / Israeli Spaghetti western directed by Gianfranco Parolini and starring Lee Van Cleef... |
Ben Haenni | |
| 1977 1977 in film The year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network.... |
Portrait of a Hitman Portrait of a Hitman Portrait of a Hitman is a 1977 film directed by Allan A. Buckhantz and written by Yabo Yablonsky. Although the film was shot in 1977 and featured actors such as Jack Palance and Rod Steiger, it did not receive domestic distribution until 1984.... |
Jim Buck | |
| 1977 1977 in film The year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network.... |
Welcome To Blood City Welcome to Blood City Welcome to Blood City is a 1977 film directed by Peter Sasdy. It stars Jack Palance and Keir Dullea.-Cast:*Jack Palance as Frendlander*Keir Dullea as Lewis*Samantha Eggar as Katherine*Barry Morse as Supervisor*Hollis McLaren as Martine... |
Frendlander | |
| 1978 1978 in film The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California.... |
The One Man Jury The One Man Jury -Cast:* Jack Palance ... Lieutenant Wade* Christopher Mitchum ... Sergeant Blake* Pamela Susan Shoop ... Wendy Sommerset* Jeff McCracken ... Billy Joe Kerman-External links:*... |
Lieutenant Wade | |
| 1979 1979 in film The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released.... |
Angels' Brigade Angels Revenge Angels Revenge is a 1979 American film directed by Greydon Clark and distributed by Arista Films. It is also known as Angels' Brigade and Seven from Heaven.... |
Mike Farrell | |
| 1980 1980 in film - Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year .... |
Hawk the Slayer Hawk the Slayer Hawk the Slayer is a sword and sorcery movie directed by Terry Marcel and starring John Terry and Jack Palance. The protagonist is Hawk, a hero in the Dark Age, where the Evil ruled the world.-Plot summary :... |
Voltan | |
| Without Warning Without Warning (1980 film) Without Warning is a 1980 science fiction horror film starring Jack Palance, Martin Landau, Tarah Nutter, and Kevin Peter Hall , directed by Greydon Clark... |
Taylor | ||
| 1987 1987 in film -Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records.... |
Bagdad Café Bagdad Café Bagdad Café is a 1987 German film directed by Percy Adlon.The film is a comedy set in a remote truck-stop café and motel in the Mojave Desert. The plot is centered around two women who have recently separated from their husbands, and the blossoming friendship which ensues. It ran 95 minutes in... |
Rudi Cox | |
| 1988 1988 in film -Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice... |
Gor Gor Gor , the Counter-Earth, is the alternate-world setting for a series of 30 novels by John Norman that combine philosophy, erotica and science fiction... |
Xenos | |
| Young Guns Young Guns Young Guns is a 1988 action/western film, directed by Christopher Cain and written by John Fusco. The film was the first to be produced by Morgan Creek Productions... |
Lawrence G. Murphy | ||
| 1989 1989 in film -Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million... |
Batman Batman (1989 film) Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Michael Keaton in the title role, as well as Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl and Jack Palance... |
Carl Grissom | |
| Outlaw of Gor Outlaw of Gor Outlaw of Gor is a 1989 American film directed by John Cardos. It is loosely based on the Gor novel series by John Norman, but has strong plot differences from the original book Outlaw of Gor . It is the sequel to Gor , and is also known as "Gor II". It was parodied on the television show Mystery... |
Xenos | ||
| Tango & Cash Tango & Cash Tango & Cash is a 1989 American buddy cop film starring Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Jack Palance and Teri Hatcher. It was directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, although Albert Magnoli took over in the later stages of filming.... |
Yves Perret | ||
| 1990 1990 in film The year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2.... |
Solar Crisis Solar Crisis (film) Solar Crisis is a 1990 science fiction film from Japan America Picture Company. The screenplay was written by Joe Gannon and Tedi Sarafian , based on the novel Kuraishisu niju-goju nen by Takeshi Kawata, and directed by Richard C. Sarafian credited as Alan Smithee... |
Travis | |
| 1991 1991 in film The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November... |
City Slickers City Slickers City Slickers is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, Helen Slater and Jack Palance. Palance won an Academy Award for his performance.... |
Curly Washburn | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previous year.... |
| 1993 1993 in film The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:... |
Cyborg 2 Cyborg 2 Cyborg 2, released in some countries as Glass Shadow, is a 1993 science fiction action film directed by Michael Schroeder. It is an unrelated sequel to the 1989 film Cyborg, although footage from the original is used in a dream sequence... |
Mercy | |
| 1994 1994 in film 1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time... |
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold is a 1994 comedy film directed by Paul Weiland. It is the sequel to City Slickers and stars Billy Crystal, Jack Palance, Jon Lovitz and Daniel Stern.... |
Duke Washburn | |
| The Swan Princess The Swan Princess The Swan Princess is a 1994 American animated film based on the ballet "Swan Lake". Starring the voice talents of Jack Palance, John Cleese, Steven Wright, and Sandy Duncan, the film is directed by a former Disney animation director, Richard Rich, with a music score by Lex de Azevedo... |
Lord Rothbart | Voice | |
| Cops and Robbersons Cops and Robbersons Cops & Robbersons is a 1994 American crime comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie, and starring Chevy Chase, Jack Palance, Dianne Wiest, and Robert Davi.-Plot:... |
Jake Stone | ||
| 1997 1997 in film -Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*... |
Ebenezer | Ebenezer Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge is the principal character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol. At the beginning of the novel, Scrooge is a cold-hearted, tight-fisted and greedy man, who despises Christmas and all things which give people happiness... |
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| 1999 1999 in film The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep... |
Treasure Island Treasure Island (1999 film) Treasure Island is a 1999 film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island. It was directed by Peter Rowe, and starred Kevin Zegers as Jim Hawkins and Jack Palance as Long John Silver in his final film appearance.... |
Long John Silver Long John Silver Long John Silver is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of the novel Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Silver is also known by the nicknames "Barbecue" and the "Sea-Cook".- Profile :... |
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| 2002 2002 in film The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of... |
Talking To Heaven |
Television movies/mini-series
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde |
| 1973 | Dracula | Count Dracula |
| 1974 | The Godchild | Rourke |
| 1975 | The Hatfields and the McCoys | 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 | The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics | Dr. Jeremy Wheaton (segment "Where the Dead Are") |
| 1995 | Buffalo Girls Buffalo Girls Buffalo Girls is a 1990 novel written by American author Larry McMurtry about Calamity Jane . It is written in the novel prose style mixed with a series of letters from Calamity Jane to her daughter. In her letters, Calamity describes herself as being a drunken hellraiser but never an outlaw... |
Bartle Bone |
| 1997 | I'll Be Home for Christmas | Bob |
| Ebenezer | Ebenezer Scrooge | |
| 1999 | Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End is the third of three television films based on the trilogy of children's books by Patricia MacLachlan. The first was Sarah, Plain and Tall and its sequel was Skylark... |
John Witting |
| 2001 | Living With the Dead | Allan Van Praagh |
| 2004 | Back When We Were Grownups | Paul 'Poppy' Davitch |
Television shows
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Lights Out | Episode "The Man Who Couldn't Remember" | |
| 1952 | Westinghouse Studio One | Episode "The King in Yellow" | |
| Curtain Call Curtain call A curtain call occurs at the end of a performance when individuals return to the stage to be recognized by the audience for their performance. In musical theater, the performers typically recognize the orchestra and its conductor at the end of the 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 TV Hour | Scott Malone/Kurt Bauman | Episode "Brandenburg Gate" | |
| Suspense | Episode "Cagliostro and the Chess Player" | ||
| 1956 | Playhouse 90 Playhouse 90 Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California... |
Harlan "Mountain" McClintock | "Requiem for a Heavyweight Requiem for a Heavyweight Requiem for a Heavyweight was a teleplay written by Rod Serling and produced for the live television show Playhouse 90 on 11 October 1956. Six years later, it was adapted as a 1962 feature film starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney.... " Emmy Award for Best Single Performance by an Actor Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming... |
| Zane Grey Theatre | Dan Morgan | Episode "The Lariat" | |
| 1957 | Playhouse 90 Playhouse 90 Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California... |
Monroe Stahr | "The Last Tycoon" |
| Playhouse 90 Playhouse 90 Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California... |
Manolete | "The Death of Manolete" | |
| 1963 | The Greatest Show on Earth The Greatest Show on Earth (TV series) The Greatest Show on Earth is an American drama series starring Jack Palance about the American circus, which aired on ABC from September 17, 1963, to April 28, 1964... |
Circus Circus A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists... manager Johnny Slate |
Series - top billing |
| 1965 | Convoy | Harvey Bell | Episode "The Many Colors of Courage" |
| 1966 | Run for Your Life Run for Your Life (TV series) Run for Your Life is an American television drama series starring Ben Gazzara as a man with only a short time to live. It ran on NBC from 1965 to 1968. The series was created by Roy Huggins, who had previously explored the "man on the move" concept with The Fugitive.-Synopsis:Gazzara plays lawyer... |
Julian Hays | Episode "I Am the Late Diana Hays" |
| Alice Through the Looking Glass Through the Looking-Glass Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a work of literature by Lewis Carroll . It is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland... |
Jabberwock | (Live Theatre) | |
| The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement... |
Louis Strago | 2 episodes "The Concrete Overcoat Affair: Parts I and II" | |
| 1968 | They Came to Rob Las Vegas They Came to Rob Las Vegas They Came to Rob Las Vegas is a 1968 crime film directed by Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi and starring Gary Lockwood, Elke Sommer and Lee J. Cobb. A crime outfit plan a heist to rob a truck containing $7 million in Las Vegas. Its Spanish title was Las Vegas 500 Milliones.-Cast:* Gary Lockwood - Tony... |
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| 1971 | Net Playhouse | President Jackson | "Trail of Tears" |
| 1973 | The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour is an American variety show based on the married couple of American pop-singer Cher and her husband, Sonny Bono. The show ran on CBS in the United States, when it premiered in August 1971... |
Himself | |
| 1975 | Bronk Bronk (TV series) Bronk was an American television series starring Jack Palance as Detective Lieutenant Alex Bronkov. The series was set in the fictional Ocean City, California.... |
Det. Lt. Alex 'Bronk' Bronkov | Series |
| 1979 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series) Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired.... |
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! Ripley's Believe It or Not! Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims... |
Himself - Host | Series |
| 2001 | Night Visions Night Visions Night Visions is an American television anthology series created in the style of The Twilight Zone. Each 43 minute episode was made up of two 21 to 22 minutes stories that dealt with themes of the supernatural or simply explored the dark side of human nature. Henry Rollins was the uncredited host... |
Jake Jennings | Episode "Bitter Harvest" |