Jack Palance
Actor
Biography
Jack Palance (born Volodymyr Palahniuk; February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American actor. Known for playing tough guys and villains, he was nominated for three Academy Awards, all for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, receiving nominations for his roles in Sudden Fear (1952) and Shane (1953) and winning almost 40 years later for his role in City Slickers (1991).
Born in Lattimer Mines, Pennsylvania, the son of Ukrainian immigrants, Palance served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He went on to briefly attend Stanford University before pursuing a career in the theatre. He made his film acting debut in Panic in the Streets (1950). Following his roles in Sudden Fear and Shane, Palance starred as Count Dracula in the 1974 television film Bram Stoker's Dracula, and played crime lord Yves Perret in Tango & Cash (1989). He also served as the host of the ABC television series Ripley's Believe It or Not! (1982–1986). In 2006, Palance died of natural causes at the home of his daughter Holly in Montecito, California.
Filmography
Tango & Cash
as Yves Perret 1989
Young Guns
as L. G. Murphy 1988
The Swan Princess
as Lord Rothbart (voice) 1994
Contempt
as Jeremy Prokosch 1963
City Slickers
as Curly Washburn 1991
Shane
as Jack Wilson 1953
Bagdad Cafe
as Rudi Cox 1987
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold
as Duke Page 1994
The Professionals
as Jesus Raza 1966
Barabbas
as Torvald 1961
Alone in the Dark
as Frank Hawkes 1982
Panic in the Streets
as Blackie 1950
The Mercenary
as Ricciolo ("Curly") 1968
Chato's Land
as Quincey Whitmore 1972
Cyborg 2
as Mercy 1993
Sudden Fear
as Lester Blaine 1952