Jack Palance
Born February 18, 1919
A tip of the hat and a birthday greeting to Walter Jack Palance, born Volodymyr Palahniuk to Ukranian parents in Pensylvania on this day in 1919.
He worked in the Pennsylvania mines in his youth, escaping the fate of black lung disease which killed his father, and boxed for a time before serving as a bomber pilot in WW II. After the war he attended Stanford, studying journalism. He was a sports writer for a San Francisco paper before heading back to the East Coast to pursue an acting career.
He was Marlon Brando's understudy in the part of Streetcar Named Desire's Stanley Kowalkski, taking over the part when Brando left.
Oscar-nominated in his second and third movie roles (playing Shane's arch-villain in one of them), the little gold statue eluded him until the early '90s role of Curly, alongside Billy Crystal in City Slickers, rewarded him. His 73-year-old's one-armed push-ups on stage when accepting the award is one of those Oscar highlights that gets replayed often.
Way to go, Jack.
Peace to all, and remember, "the day ain't over yet."
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