Trivia

Palance, a boxer before he became an actor, was born Volodymyr Palahniuk of Ukrainian, Polish and Estonian descent. One of six children born to an anthracite coal miner who would die from black lung disease, and his wife (Ivan and Anna [née Gramiak] Palahniuk), Palance reportedly spoke six languages : Ukrainian, Russian, Italian, Spanish, French and English.

While an understudy to Marlon Brando in the Broadway production of "A Streetcar Named Desire", Brando, who was into athletics, rigged up a punching bag in the theater's boiler room and invited Jack to work out with him. One night, Jack threw a hard punch that missed the bag and landed square on Brando's nose. The star had to be hospitalized and understudy Palance created his own big break by going on for Brando. Jack's reviews as Stanley Kowalski helped get him a 20th Century-Fox contract.

Was infamous in Hollywood for his Method-style acting, in a time when Marlon Brando was one of its few practitioners. Once, while filming a fight scene with Burt Lancaster, Palance actually punched the unsuspecting Lancaster in the face. Lancaster responded in kind, by socking Palance in the gut, causing him to vomit.

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Palance was a professional boxer in the heavyweight class, fighting under the name Jack Brazzo. He won his first 15 fights, then enlisted in the military when World War II broke out. After the war, he took up acting and never resumed his boxing career.

During his struggling days, he worked as a short order cook, waiter, soda jerk, lifeguard at Jones Beach, and a photographer's model.

Director Elia Kazan promised to cast him as Marlon Brando's brother in Viva Zapata ! (1952), but then changed his mind and cast Anthony Quinn instead. Quinn won a Best Supporting Oscar for the film and Palance never spoke to Kazan again.

According to a website honoring movie celebrities that flew in B-24s, Palance burned his face severely while bailing out of a B-24 which was on fire during a training flight in Tucson in 1942 (that would probably have been the Davis-Monthan Army Air Corps base at that time) and after several surgeries was discharged in 1944. He is described as a "pilot in training".

According to Billy Crystal, Charles Bronson turned down the role of Curly Washburn in La vie, l'amour... les vaches (1991) in an unseemly way which he revealed in his 2013 book, "Still Foolin' Em". Palance ended up receiving an Academy Award for this role.

Was a vegetarian but maintained a 1000-acre cattle ranch in California's Tehachapi Mountains and a 500-acre farm in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. His ranch brand was an "H" with a "B" and a "C" woven around it, the initials of the first names of his children, Holly, Brooke and Cody.

Attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill but did not graduate. Later received his Bachelor's degree in Drama from Stanford University in Stanford, California in 1949.

Once fell asleep in his square during a taping of The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965).

An avid painter and poet, Palance studied acting with Michael Chekhov in Hollywood..

Claimed on at least one occasion that he never watched any of his own movies.

Was Stephen King's choice of preference for the (similarly named, coincidentally or not) role of Jack Torrance in Shining (1980).

Received a special tribute as part of the Annual Memorial tribute at The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007).

While accepting his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for La vie, l'amour... les vaches (1991) at the 64th Annual Academy Awards telecast (in 1992) he commented on the casting directors thinking they can make a younger guy look older, while they wouldn't know that an old guy did this at nights: he then flopped down on the floor and began doing a series of one-handed push-ups, stood up, spoke calmly further, even adding a slightly risqué joke. Afterwards, when asked about the stunt, he simply said, "I didn't know what the hell else to do." A year later, when he provided the voice of Rothbart in Le cygne et la princesse (1994), his character is featured doing one-handed push-ups.

Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum (1992).

He pronounced his last name "PAL-unse" (rhyming with "balance") not "pah-LAHNSE" as some people believe.

Richard Widmark, on working with the powerfully built and imposing former boxer [Palance] on the latter's film debut in Panique dans la rue (1950), called Palance " . . . the toughest guy I ever met. He was the only actor I've ever been physically afraid of". In that film, a scene called for Palance to hit Widmark on the head with a gun. The actors rehearsed it with a rubber gun, but when the cameras rolled Palance substituted a real gun. The other actor, who wasn't expecting it, was knocked out for 20 minutes and later said of the incident, "Why did he switch? Who knows?" A 1986 interview recalled how Palance got into the mood of his character in the same film offscreen by beating on Zero Mostel, who played Palance's character's flunky. A black-and-blue Mostel had to go to the hospital after his first week on the film set where "[t]hey had to soak him in epsom pads.".

Shortly before his death in 2006, he put his farmhouse near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and its contents up for sale. Thousands of items were auctioned off and more than $700,000 was raised.

Legally adopted the name Walter Jack Palance, according to his Santa Barbara, California-issued death certificate (#3200642002390).

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6608 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.

On a nationally televised talk show, Palance addressed the oft repeated story about how he supposedly had such damage done to his face that plastic surgery gave him the face we all know. He said, "I know I'm no beauty, but these are the Estonian features I was born with.".

The comic book villain Phil Defer (Phil Wire in the English version) from Lucky Luke contre Phil Defer (1956) is based on Palance's famous evil gunslinger Jack Wilson from L'Homme des vallées perdues (1953).

Desperately wanted the role of Kid Sheleen in Cat Ballou (1965), which he was never offered.

Declined the role of Francisco Scaramanga in L'Homme au pistolet d'or (1974), which went to Christopher Lee.

Had a reputation for displaying a quick temper on set and would intimidate other actors on the set, according to eyewitnesses. Richard Widmark, on working with Palance on the latter's movie debut in Panique dans la rue (1950), called Palance " . . . the toughest guy I ever met. He was the only actor I've ever been physically afraid of".

Father of Brooke Palance, Holly Palance and Cody Palance. Former father-in-law of Roger Spottiswoode. Father-in-law of Michael Wilding Jr.. Grandfather of Lily, Spencer, and Tarquin Palance. His siblings included Ivan Palance, John Palance, and Anne Palance.

Was forced to decline the role of General Chang in Star Trek VI : Terre inconnue (1991) due to scheduling conflicts over his work in La vie, l'amour... les vaches (1991). He went on to receive the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for La vie, l'amour... les vaches (1991). Christopher Plummer was eventually cast as Chang.

He had two roles in common with his Evil Stalks This House (1981) co-star Christopher Lee: (1) Lee played Count Dracula in ten films from Le Cauchemar de Dracula (1958) to Dracula père et fils (1976) while Palance played him in Dracula et ses femmes vampires (1974) and (2) Palance played Dr. Edward Hyde / Mr. Henry Jekyll in Dr Jekyll et Mr Hyde (1968) while Lee played renamed versions of the character(s), Dr. Charles Marlowe and Mr. Edward Blake, in Je suis un monstre (1971).

During the early phases of pre-production for Le Jour où la Terre s'arrêta... (1951), 20th Century-Fox studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck suggested Palance for the role of the robot Gort. The role was eventually filled by a much taller non-actor.

His physical likeness reportedly inspired the appearance of DC Comics' supervillain Darkseid who regularly fought Superman.

On February 12, 2019, he was honored with a sketch of the day caricature on the Greg Joens website.

Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) (Actors Branch).

He had two roles in common with his Le clan des Mac Masters (1970) co-star John Carradine: (1) Carradine played Count Dracula in La Maison de Frankenstein (1944), La maison de Dracula (1945), Billy the Kid Versus Dracula (1966) and Nocturna (1979) while Palance played him in Dracula et ses femmes vampires (1974) and (2) Carradine played Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (1947) while Palance played him in Ebenezer (1998).

He also served as the host of the ABC television series Ripley's Believe It or Not! (1982).