JACK PALANCE BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Jack Palance born with the birth name Voldymyr Palahniuk on February 18th, 1919 in Lattimer Mines, PA USA was one of the screen's most veteran actors.  He was the son of a Ukrainian immigrant coal miner, John and Anna Palahnuik.  During his teenage years he supported himself holding various jobs as a miner, professional boxer, cook, fashion model, life guard and a radio repairman.  He enlisted in World War II in the AAC and pilot bombers.  One of the planes he was in crashed causing sever injury to his face.  He had to undergo facial surgery giving his facial features the character definition that actually helped him with his acting career.
 
He attended University on the GI bill at the university of North Carolina and also at Stanford.  He began with a goal of a career in journalism, but then rethought his goal and moved into acting due mostly at the time to what would earn a larger income.
 
Palance began working on stage first as a understudy for the touring production of, "A Street Car Named Desire".  His first film was, "Panic in the Streets" (1950) starring Richard Widmark and Edmond O'Brien.  This film helped him to land other villainous roles including, Jack the Ripper in, "Man in the Attic" (1953), "The Silver Chalice" (1954) starring Paul Newman, "Sign of the Pagan" (1954), "Sudden Fear" (1952) and "Shane" (1953) starring Alan Ladd, Van Heflin, Jean Arthur, Brandon De Wilde and Elisha Cook Jr., both for which he received Best Supporting Oscar nominations for.  One of his more outstanding performances in a film was his appearance on, "Attack" (1956).
 
In the late 50's, Palance decided to relocate temporarily to Europe and appear in some films over there.  One of the more popular films was,"Le Mepreis/Contempt" (1963).  He continued to work back in the US on various films throughout the 70's such as, "The Torture Garden" (1967), "Justine" (1969), "Che" (1969), playing Fidel Castro, "Monte Walsh" (1970), "Chato's Land" (1971) starring Charles Bronson and Jim Buck in "Portrait of a Hitman" (1977).

As the 80's arrived, Palance was mostly only getting cast in B and C grade films.  Luckily, in the late 80's he redeemed himself with a role as a love struck painter in the hit, "Bagdad Cafe" (1987).  Other successful films during this time of his career included, "Young Guns" (1988), "Batman" (1989) and "City Slickers" (1991) co-starring Billy Crystal in which he won an Oscar and Golden Globe for his performance.  The inevitable sequel, "City Slickers II: The Search for Curly's Gold" (1994), followed.  Since the first film killed off Palance's character, Curly, this film featured the feisty actor as Curly's brother.
 
Over the years, Palance also starred in the TV series, "The Greatest Show on Earth" (ABC, 1963-64), and "Bronk" (CBS, 1975-76), as well as in numerous TV dramas, notably "Requiem for a Heavyweight" (1956), a fine Emmy-winning turn as an unfortunate boxer.

Between 1982-1986, he hosted, "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" and also made it known to the public that he was an author too by publishing the 1996 prose-poem, "Forest of Love". 
 
Jack Palance continued to work as an actor throughout his entire life span, but on November 10, 2006 he passed away at his daughters home in Montecito, California at the age of 87.  He had been married and divorced twice, first to Virginia Baker from 1949-1966, with whom he had three children and then to Elaine Rogers in 1987.  He was an amazing actor and also owned his own cattle ranch and was an exhibited painter and published poet. 
 

Filmography
 
2000   Marco Polo
2000   Ready to Rumble
1999   Treasure Island
1998   Ebenezer
1994   City Slickers II: the Legend of Curly s Gold
1994   Cops and Robbersons
1994   The Swan Princess
1993   Cyborg II: Glass Shadows
1992   Horror of the Hungry Humongous Hungan
1992   Solar Crisis
1991   Battle of the Commandos 
1991   City Slickers
1989   Batman
1989   Tango & Cash
1988   Bagdad Cafe
1988   Young Guns
1988   The Big Boss
1987   Bloody Avenger
1987   Gor 
1987   Outlaw of Gor
1987   The Black Cobra
1985   George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey 
1982   Alone in the Dark
1980   God's Gun
1980   Hawk The Slayer
1980   Hell's Brigade - The Final Assault
1980   Without Warning
1979   Angel's Brigade
1979   Cocaine Cowboys
1979   The Last Ride Of The Dalton Gang
1979   The Sensuous Nurse
1979   The Shape of Things to Come
1978   One Man Jury 
1977   Mister Scarface
1977   Welcome to Blood City
1976   Africa Express
1976   Black Cobra Woman
1976   Eva Nera
1976   The Four Deuces
1976   The Squadra antiscippo
1975   The Great Adventure
1974   Dracula 
1964   The Hatfields and the McCoys
1973   Craze
1973   Oklahoma Crude
1971   Chato's Land (1971)
1971   It Can Be Done, Amigo (1971)
1971   The Horsemen (1971)
1970   Monte Walsh
1970   The McMasters
1970   The Mercenary
1969   Che!
1969   Las Vegas 500 Milliones
1969   Marquis de Sade's Justine
1969   The Desperados
1968   L' Urlo dei Giganti
1968   Torture Garden
1968   The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1967   Kill a Dragon
1966   Alice Through the Looking Glass
1966   The Professionals
1966   The Spy in the Green Hat
1965   Once a Thief 
1964   Contempt
1962   Barabbas
1961   The Last Judgement
1960   The Austerlitz
1960   The Mongols
1959   Flor de Mayo
1959   Ten Seconds to Hell
1958   The Man Inside
1957   House of Numbers
1957   The Lonely Man
1956   Attack!
1956   Requiem for a Heavyweight
1955   I Died a Thousand Times
1955   Kiss of Fire
1955   The Big Knife
1954   Sign of the Pagan
1954   The Silver Chalice
1953   Arrowhead
1953   Flight to Tangier
1953   Man in the Attic
1953   Second Chance
1953   Shane
1950   Panic in the Streets