Oscar-winning actor Jack Palance dies

[NedNickerson]

Oscar-winning actor Jack Palance dies

Photo slideshow:
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/en/111006jackpalance

Jack Palance, the craggy-faced menace in "Shane," "Sudden Fear" and other films who turned to comedy at 70 with his Oscar-winning self-parody in "City Slickers," died Friday.

Palance died of natural causes at his home in Montecito, Calif., surrounded by family, said spokesman Dick Guttman. Palance was 85 according to Associated Press records, but his family gave his age as 87.

When Palance accepted his Oscar for best supporting actor he delighted viewers of the 1992 Academy Awards by dropping to the stage and performing one-armed push-ups to demonstrate his physical prowess.

"That's nothing, really," he said slyly. "As far as two-handed push-ups, you can do that all night, and it doesn't make a difference whether she's there or not."

That year's Oscar host, Billy Crystal, turned the moment into a running joke, making increasingly outlandish remarks about Palance's accomplishments throughout the night's awards presentations.

It was a magic moment that epitomized the actor's 40 years in films. Always the iconoclast, Palance had scorned most of his film roles.

"Most of the stuff I do is garbage," he once told a reporter, adding that most of the directors he worked with were incompetent.

Movie audiences, however, were electrified by the actor's chiseled face and hulking presence, and a calm, low voice that made him all the more chilling.

 

[Croynan]

Random Thoughts from the local village idiot.

Tis sad to read that another major name from the world of motion pictures has now gone.

Yesterday, we lost the brilliant broadcast jounalist Ed Bradley - no one will replace him.

Now one wonders will there be a number three as so often happens.

People with names who meant and represented many things over the last 50-60 years in so many fields of the arts have and are disappearing - and the horizon just does not look the same as it did for so many glorious years.

We are coming to an end of an era of some of the most greatest and most talented artists in this country and whether our current and or future generations will have the opportunity to see such talents as those is a sadness I do not like thinking about. All generations deserve to see and hear and experience the best, finest, remarkable, and unique artists in their country and culture - but whether we have allowed this to happen with our current generations is truly open to question.

Personally, the local village idiot thinks WE HAVE FAILED. We destroyed art and music programs in our schools in the 60's and 70's and 80's because we voted we could not afford for our schools to have such non-necessities. And now we are paying the price for what was done. It will take at least two generations to repair the damage that was done, by us not willing to support the arts on all levels as a part of the personalities of our children. SHAME ON US.



eM.

 

[Rand]

Random Thoughts from the local village idiot.

Personally, the local village idiot thinks WE HAVE FAILED. We destroyed art and music programs in our schools in the 60's and 70's and 80's because we voted we could not afford for our schools to have such non-necessities. And now we are paying the price for what was done. It will take at least two generations to repair the damage that was done, by us not willing to support the arts on all levels as a part of the personalities of our children. SHAME ON US.



eM.

Michael, thank you for these words. I think you are correct - we have failed my generation and the next to come. We have instilled values that I do not understand and yet am following too.

Keep after us, we need to be reminded of higher standards.

 

[Paladin]

We destroyed art and music programs in our schools in the 60's and 70's and 80's because we voted we could not afford for our schools to have such non-necessities. And now we are paying the price for what was done. It will take at least two generations to repair the damage that was done, by us not willing to support the arts on all levels as a part of the personalities of our children.

How AWFULLY true... And yet our society reveres sports figures to an obscene degree.

 

[Nonimus]

I'll miss you, Sparticus .

 

[buzzj]

One of the articles I read about him pointed out the irony of the fact that the only oscar he won was for City Slickers, in which he played the role of.......Jack Palance!

 

[Ben1]

Sad! His face was/is movie-history!RIP, Jack!

 

[none_2362]

Tragic! He will be remembered.

 

[NedNickerson]

Jack Palance win his Oscar



Happy Trails, Jack Palance



And BrokeJack Palance (check out 11-year-old Jake Gyllenhaal!)