Few people know that veteran movie actor Jack Palance was a professional heavyweight boxer in the early 1940s. Fighting under the name Jack Brazzo, Palance a product of Lattimer Mines, Pennsylvania, won his first 15 fights, 12 by knockout before losing a 4th round decision to future heavyweight contender Joe Baksi on Dec. 17, 1940. With the outbreak of World War II, Jack Palance's boxing career ended and his military career began. Wounded in combat, he received the purple heart, good conduct medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. After the war he began his long and famous motion picture career.
Former father-in-law of Roger Spottiswoode. Father-in-law of Michael Wilding Jr.. American actor of Ukrainian origin. Father of Brooke Palance. Father of Holly Palance. Has never watched any of his own movies. 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". He replaced Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski in the Broadway production of "A Streetcar Named Desire". Attended the University of North Carolina. Speaks six languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Italian, Spanish, French and English. Once fell asleep in his square during a taping of The Hollywood Squares. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is in front of the display window of Fredericks of Hollywood, a seller of intimate apparel. Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1992. Graduate of Stanford University in 1949 with an AB in Drama. During the early phases of pre-production for The Day the Earth Stood Still, 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. During his struggling days, he worked as a short order cook, waiter, soda jerk, lifeguard at Jones Beach, and a photographer's model. Son Cody was born in December of 1955. 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. Son of a coal miner. Was forced to decline the role of Gen. Chang in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country due to scheduling conflicts over his work on City Slickers. He went on to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for "City Slickers". Christopher Plummer was eventually cast as Chang. 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. Tough guy Lancaster responded by socking Palance in the gut, causing him to vomit. Despite all of his film work, Palance will forever be remembered for turning an Oscar acceptance speech into an uproarious display of his physical agility. While accepting his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for City Slickers at the 64th Annual Academy Awards (1992) he stumbled through a half-hearted acceptance speech and then, at a loss for anything else to say, flopped down on the floor and began doing a series of one-handed push-ups. Afterwards when he was 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 the The Swan Princess, his character is featured doing one-handed push-ups. Is an avid painter and poet Brother of Ivan Palance. Studied acting with Michael Chekhov in Hollywood.