Jack Palance born Volodymyr Palahniuk February 18 1919 November 10 2006 was an American actor Known for playing tough guys and villains he was nominated for three Academy Awards all for Best Actor in a Supporting Role receiving nominations for his roles in Sudden Fear 1952 and Shane 1953 and winning almost 40 years later for his role in City Slickers 1991 Born in Lattimer Mines Pennsylvania the son of Ukrainian immigrants Palance served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II He went on to briefly attend Stanford University before pursuing a career in the theatre He made his film acting debut in Panic in the Streets 1950 Following his roles in Sudden Fear and Shane Palance starred as Count Dracula in the 1974 television film Bram Stokers Dracula and played crime lord Yves Perret in Tango Cash 1989 He also served as the host of the ABC television series Ripleys Believe It or Not 19821986 In 2006 Palance died of natural causes at the home of his daughter Holly in Montecito California Description above from the Wikipedia article Jack Palance licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia