Actor Jack Palance (Vladimir Palagnyuk): biography, films

In the city of Latimere, Pennsylvania, February 18, 1919 in the family of workers who came from Ukraine, son Vladimir was born. The father of the future celebrity is Ivan Palagnyuk, a native of the village of Ivan-Zolot, Ternopil region, and his mother is from the Lviv region. Years passed, and Vladimir Palagnyuk became Jack Pelens. Under this name, he went down in the history of American and world cinema.

Jack palance

Youth

When Americans want to celebrate the strength of a person and show respect for a person’s life path, they say: “This person made himself.” Such a statement absolutely correctly characterizes the outstanding American actor. Jack Palance, a biography no less severe than his stage image, really made himself. His difficult life began with a coal mine, where he was forced to go to work to help his parents make ends meet. It was not easy for a guy from a family of poor emigrants to survive on the street among his peers, so he had to wave his fists to protect himself.

Professional boxing

Later, the method of defense grew into a professional boxing occupation. Jack Palance as a boxer reached a fairly high level in the heavy weight category. According to some reports, he broke a boxing record of that time in the number of continuous victories, most of which ended in knockout. At the time of his sports career, Palagniuc was known by the pseudonym Jack Brazzo. In one of the fights, he was seriously injured in the throat, as a result of which actor Jack Palance had a hoarse voice, which later became one of his calling cards.

Vladimir Palagnyuk

War years

When the Second World War began, Jack did not stand aside and went to serve in the US Air Force. During one of the training flights, his bomber suddenly broke out. Escaping from the flames, Jack received serious burns to his face, but still managed to jump with a parachute. Ahead of the hero, painful plastic surgeries and a long treatment awaited. Upon recovery, Jack Palens returned to military service again. He was repeatedly awarded for participation in hostilities, including “Purple Heart”, therefore, having been demobilized in 1944, he returned home as a hero. As the actor himself later recalled, the scars that remained on his face always served as a reminder of that terrible wartime. However, in the eyes of the viewer, they only added masculinity to his image.

Actor Jack Palance

The path to an acting career

In the post-war years, Jack Palens did not return to his sports career, but decided to devote himself to acting. Therefore, taking advantage of the benefits of a war veteran, he received an excellent education at Stanford University at the acting faculty. Earning a living while studying as a simple worker, a security guard, as well as a restaurant clerk, Palance always strove for self-improvement, therefore he was a fully educated man. He was fluent in six languages: native English, Ukrainian, Russian, Italian, French and Spanish.

Broadway

Palans' debut as an actor took place on the Broadway stage in the groundbreaking production of the classic work Desire Tram. At first, he got a small role, and the character of Stanley Kowalski was played by Marlon Brando. Later this character was played by Jack Palance. In 1948, Jack was busy in the performances Temporary Island and All-Night Vigil. After a brilliant acting in these productions, he receives the approval of critics and a leading role in the play “Darkness at Noon”. For his work in it, he received the world theater award “Perspective Actor”. The recognition of theater critics helped Palance sign a lucrative contract with Twentieth Century Fox Studios. Thus began his film career.

Jack palance movies

Image hostage

Despite the fact that Jack was a gentle and kind person, the scars on his face left after the war and a hoarse voice added to his image a certain brutality. Therefore, the directors offered the actor most of the negative roles. The debut in the cinema was the role of a notorious bandit in the film "Panic on the Street." Recognized as an actor in the Western genre, where he had to play mostly creepy gangsters of the Wild West, Palance later regretted that he had few worthy roles in his arsenal and had to play mostly garbage. Viewers, on the contrary, liked the chilling villains performed by him, such as, for example, the vampire Count Dracula in the 1973 film Dracula or the pirate John Silver from the 1999 Treasure Island movie. Palans is also known as a dramatic actor to a European audience. In the film "Cafe Baghdad" he showed his best acting skills as an eccentric inspired artist. This image was completely unlike the cowboy style of the Wild West hero. One of his best works in European cinema is the role of Jeremy Prokosh in the 1963 film "Contempt". In this movie drama, his partner on the set was still a very young actress Brigitte Bardot.

Treasure Island

Jack Palance (films)

Winner of the Golden Globe and Emmy awards, Pelas was repeatedly nominated for an Oscar and received it only in 1992 for his role in the comedy Urban Dudes. In a severe manner peculiar to his image, he played there an elderly, but no less frightening for the city guys resident of the Wild West. As the actor later admitted, he always wanted to star in comedies, so he gladly took up this role and had plenty of fun over his on-screen stereotype. The main works of Palance in the cinema are considered roles in the films "Tango and Cash", "Young Arrows", "Dracula", "War Games", "Treasure Island", "Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow", "Batman", "Che". Until the last, Jack tried to keep in good physical shape, therefore, at the Oscars, he caused a standing ovation when at the age of 72 he squeezed four times on one arm.

Jack Palance biography

last years of life

Until the last days, Palance continued to work. Taking the opportunity to change his role after the film "City dudes", he starred in several more television comedies. He also took part in concerts and events organized by Ukrainian communities in the USA with pleasure. Jack loved the culture of his small homeland and especially Ukrainian folk songs. Therefore, despite his hoarse voice, he gladly performed them. Once, in an interview, he admitted that one of his dreams remained unfulfilled - this is the role of Taras Bulba. The actor died at the age of 87 on November 10, 2006 in the city of Minnesota, California, leaving behind a rich legacy in the form of wonderful roles for all fans of cinema art. Relatives of the actor knew how much creativity meant to him. Therefore, after the death of Palans approved a scholarship of his name for aspiring actors at the University of Pennsylvania.


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