Jack Palance is an American actor of Ukrainian descent. He is the owner of the Golden Globe, Emmy, Oscar. The performer made his way up from the bottom, literally making himself.
The real name of the actor who played the harsh heroes is Vladimir Palagnyuk (Palahniuk). He was born into a family of immigrants from Ukraine who emigrated to America to find a better life.
Way up
The future famous actor was born in Latimer in 1919, on February 18. Ivan Palagnyuk was a native of the Ternopil region, and Anna was born and lived in the Lviv region.
Vladimir entered the history of cinema as Jack Palance. The road to the cinema passed through a coal mine. Vladimir went there to help his parents.
In a family of practically impoverished emigrant workers, it turned out to be difficult to survive. I had to fight a lot. Later, the ability to swing fists developed into professional boxing.
Boxer Jack Brazzo in the heavyweight division has achieved considerable success. For the number of continuous victories, he broke the record of his time. Most of all battles ended with powerful knockouts.
A young athlete was seriously injured in one of the fights in his throat. Because of this, the actor Palance's voice became hoarse. As a result, the feature turned into his calling card.
During World War II, Jack served in the United States Air Force. His bomber suddenly caught fire during one of the training missions. The pilot's face was seriously burned, but he managed to jump out with a parachute.
Ahead of the pilot, plastic surgery and long-term treatment awaited him. After recovering, the young man returned to duty. During his military service, he received several awards, including the "Purple Heart". After demobilization, Palance returned to his homeland as a hero.
The beginning of an acting career
The actor has always been reminded of his military past by the scars on his face. But, according to viewers, they added masculinity to the performer. After the war, Palance did not return to the sport.
He decided to pursue an artistic career. On veteran benefits, he received an excellent education at Stanford University, where he chose the faculty of acting.
During his studies, the student worked in a restaurant and as a security guard. Palance has always strived to improve itself. He knew six languages. As an actor, Jack made his debut in the groundbreaking production of A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway.
After the premiere, the performer changed his name, becoming Walter Jack Palance. The role he was initially given a subtle one. Stanley Kowalski went to the already famous Marlon Brando.
The character later moved on to Palance. In 1948, Jack was involved in the "Provisional Island", "All-night vigil". He played brilliantly, receiving critical acclaim.
The result was the lead role in Dark at Noon. This work earned Jack the prestigious Worldwide Promising Actor award. The critical acclaim was the backing for a lucrative contract with Twentieth Century Fox.
The film career began successfully.
Popularity and awards
The scars on his face and the hoarse villainous voice added to the hero's brutality. Therefore, the directors offered negative characters to the Palance.
The notorious bandit in "Panic in the Street" became the debut. After being recognized as an artist of the western genre, where the bandits of the Wild West became his characters, there were too few worthy roles.
The audience remembered his bandits even better than the main goodies of other performers. So, Dracula from the movie of the same name in 1973, John Silver from "Treasure Island" 1999 became super popular.
Europa knew Palance as a talented drama actor. In Cafe Baghdad, he reincarnated as a spiritual and eccentric artist. The image turned out to be diametrically opposed to the already familiar villains and bandits of the West.
Some of his best works include Jeremy Prokesha in Contempt in 1963. The budding star Brigitte Bardot became the partner in the film drama. Multiple Oscar-nominated Palance received the coveted statuette in 1992 for City Slickers.
In his usual manner, he played a harsh elderly resident of the Wild West. The performer always wanted to star in a comedy, so he took up work with pleasure.
His main achievements are called activities in "War Games", "Cyborg 2: Shadow of Glass", "Batman", "Tango and Cash".
Film life and family affairs
Jack strove to stay in good physical shape until the end. Therefore, his appearance at the Oscars gave a standing ovation. The seventy-year-old actor managed to do four push-ups on one arm.
Palance continued to work until the very last days. At the first opportunity to leave the usual villainous role after "City Slickers", the actor starred in several more television comedies.
He willingly accepted offers from Ukrainian communities in the United States to participate in concerts and other events. Jack was very interested in the culture of his historical homeland, he especially liked folk songs.
He performed them with pleasure, despite the hoarseness of his voice. The actor admitted in an interview that his main dream remains unfulfilled, to play Taras Bulba.
The performer has been married since 1949 to Virginia Baker, his colleague. The marriage had three children, two daughters, Holly and Brooke, born in 1950 and 1952, and a son, Cody John. The youngest child appeared at the end of 1955.
Family life ended in divorce in 1968. Elani Rogers became the new chosen one of the actor in 1987.
Jack Palance passed away in Minnesota on November 10, 2006. He was eighty-two. After himself, he left remarkably played character roles.
His relatives knew how much he appreciated the art of cinema and creativity. After Palance left, his personal scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania for aspiring artists was approved.
