JACK PALANCE
Feb. 18, 1918 (or Feb. 18
1920) - Nov. 10, 2006
For most of his career, Jack Palance was cast as the heavy, his rugged
profile, deep-set eyes and imposing height adding to the menace transmitted by
his signature sneer. Yet it was Palance's sinister presence that
identified him
with such memorable villains as black-garbed gunfighter Jack Wilson in the
classic 1953 western, Shane, or Joan Crawford's homicidal husband in 1952's "Sudden Fear" (both Oscar-nominated performances), the
Pennsylvania native always thought he'd be good at comedy. The son of Ukrainian
immigrants, he grew up in a coal mining town and worked in the mines himself
before escaping through a series of diverse jobs. He took up acting while
attending Stanford Univ. on the G. I. Bill following military service during
World War II. Palance would enjoy the last laugh, however, when his long-delayed
comedy career began nearly 40 years later. As the leathery trail boss, Curly, he
herded greenhorn cowboy wannabes Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern and the late Bruno Kirby in 1991's "City Slickers," winning his first and only Oscar and
stealing the telecast itself from host Crystal with his acceptance speech and an
impromptu volley of push-ups. Palance also won an Emmy for his performance in
the 1956 live TV drama, "Requiem for a Heavyweight."
(Image: Jim Spellman/Retna Ltd.)
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