Jack Palance
A craggy-faced actor who brought a simmering, physical menace to Hollywood villains before disarming audiences with a late-career Oscar win.
1919–2006 (age 87)·American actor·Birthday: February 18·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Jack Palance carried the scars of a hard life onto the screen—literally. His famously rugged, almost sculpted face was the result of injuries sustained as a professional boxer and later as a bomber pilot whose plane crashed during World War II. That face became his fortune in Hollywood, where he was typecast as the heavy, a menacing presence in films like 'Sudden Fear' and the iconic gunslinger Jack Wilson in 'Shane.' For decades, he embodied a primal, unsettling threat. Then, in a brilliant act of career reinvention, he played himself in 1991's 'City Slickers' as the impossibly tough cowboy Curly. His one-armed push-ups on the Oscars stage after winning the award became an iconic moment of triumph, proving the villain had a wicked sense of humor all along.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Jack was born in 1919, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jack Was Born
The biggest hits of 1919
Jack's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1919Born
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Started school
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1932Became a teenager
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1935Could drive
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1937Could vote
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1940Turned 21
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1949Turned 30
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 40
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 50
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 60
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 70
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 80
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2006Died at 87
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
Key Achievements
- Won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for 'City Slickers' (1991), famously performing one-armed push-ups on stage.
- Received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for 'Sudden Fear' (1952) and 'Shane' (1953).
- Won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Mountain McClintock in the television production 'Requiem for a Heavyweight' (1956).
- Starred as the villain in the 1960s cult film 'The Professionals' and the 1970s horror movie 'The Omen II'.
Did You Know?
His original surname was Palahnuik, which he changed to Palance early in his career.
He worked as a coal miner and a professional boxer (under the name Jack Brazzo) before acting.
He was a decorated Army Air Forces pilot in WWII, receiving a Purple Heart after being severely burned in a crash.
He published a book of poetry, 'The Forest of Love', in 1996.
“I've never been in a film I liked. I've never seen a film I liked.”
