Jack Nance | |
|---|---|
 Nance inEraserhead (1977) | |
| Born | Marvin John Nance (1943-12-21)December 21, 1943 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | December 30, 1996(1996-12-30) (aged 53) |
| Other names | John Nance |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1970–1996 |
| Spouses | |
Marvin John Nance (December 21, 1943 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor. A longtime collaborator of filmmakerDavid Lynch, Nance portrayed the lead in Lynch's directorial debutEraserhead (1977). He continued to work with Lynch throughout his career, which included a recurring role asPete Martell onTwin Peaks (1990–1991).
Marvin John Nance was born on December 21, 1943, inBoston to Agnes (née O'Grady) and Marvin Hoyt Nance. He grew up in theOak Cliff neighborhood ofDallas.[2][3] Hoyt Nance was aNeiman Marcus executive.[4] In early childhood, Nance was struck by a car, injuring his back.[5] He graduated fromSouth Oak Cliff High School and attended theNorth Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) studying journalism. He took up acting at university and later left to concentrate on acting; he joined theDallas Theater Center. He was a student of Paul Baker, the theater's founder.[3]
In 1964, Nance headed forCalifornia and worked for some time with theAmerican Conservatory Theater inSan Francisco. He had success and landed the lead role in a play based on the life ofThomas Paine which was directed by David Lindemann.[5]
Nance was considered for the role of Benjamin inThe Graduate (1967), a role which went toDustin Hoffman,[5] and for the role of Perry Smith inRichard Brooks' crime filmIn Cold Blood (1967), which went to Robert Blake.[6] He played twin brothers Benny and Tony Rebozo in the Doo Dah Gang, a performance group that staged 1920s-style gang fights at nontraditional venues. When one of his characters died, Nance spent three days lying in a coffin at the staged wake.[6]
Nance metDavid Lynch in 1972 after an introduction by Lindemann. Lynch was a fellow at theAmerican Film Institute and creating a $10,000, 20 minute short film inBeverly Hills. Lindemann had recommended Nance for the role of Henry Spencer inEraserhead (1977).[5][7] Filming occurred sporadically over five years due to funding problems.[8]
Eraserhead was initially unsuccessful. However, the film became amidnight movie, leading to itscult classic status.[9] Nance's performance has since been praised for its theatrics.The New York Times wrote in 1980, "[Nance's] minimalist features, unchanging expression, tight dark suit, and short, almost crippled steps suggest many silent-film comedians."[10] The film became a favorite ofStanley Kubrick, and he required the cast ofThe Shining to watch it before filming.[8]
AfterEraserhead, Lynch and Nance remained on good terms. The actor appeared in most of Lynch's subsequent projects during Nance's lifetime:Dune (1984),Blue Velvet (1986),The Cowboy and the Frenchman (1988),Wild at Heart (1990),Twin Peaks (1990–91),Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), andLost Highway (1997). While none of Nance's scenes filmed forFire Walk with Me appeared in the theatrical cut, they were later compiled in the feature-lengthTwin Peaks: The Missing Pieces (2014).[11]
Nance appeared with actressMary Woronov as a married couple in the music video for the 1983Suicidal Tendencies song “Institutionalized".[12]
After gaining sobriety in 1986 and needing a steady salary, Nance took courses in hotel management. He began working as a clerk at Hotel Hollywood. While there, Nance refused a role inMiracle Mile (1988), due to it conflicting with his job schedule.[5][7]
Dennis Hopper hired him to appear inColors (1988), after they both performed inBlue Velvet. He also had a brief appearance as the doctor inChuck Russell's 1988 sci-fi horror film,The Blob.[13] In 1990, Nance was offered the role ofPete Martell in Lynch'sTwin Peaks, appearing throughout the show's original run.[14][15]
After an addiction relapse in 1993, Nance's life took another turn. He had smaller roles in films that did not perform as successfully. He lived in a hotel and was kicked out for firing a gun at the television.[4] He guest-starred on a 1995 episode ofMy So-Called Life entitled "Weekend", in which he played an innkeeper. Nance continued in smaller roles until his death in 1996.
Nance appeared inTwin Peaks: The Return (2017) in footage featuring Pete Martell from thepilot episode of the original series. "Part 17" ofThe Return was dedicated in his memory.[16]
His final film,Michael Moriarty'sOf Things Past, was released in 2023. The original filming took place in 1985 and includes additional footage shot in 2022.[17]
Nance marriedCatherine E. Coulson in 1968; they divorced in 1976.[1]
Nance met his second wife, Kelly Jean Van Dyke, the daughter ofJerry Van Dyke and niece ofDick Van Dyke, in 1986 while in rehab. They married in May 1991.
It is unknown when Nance's alcoholism began, but Lynch recalled that during the filming ofEraserhead, he would send Nance "back to his dressing room to sleep off the booze. He'd get drunk and sometimes end up sleeping in vacant lots."[4] Lynch claimed that he once had to drive Nance to the emergency room for adistended abdomen.[6]
Lynch gave Nance the incidental role of Nefud inDune (1984). The minor role afforded Nance a lot of spare time during filming inMexico City, much of which he spent drinking.[7]
In 1986, while filmingBlue Velvet, Nance told the newly soberDennis Hopper that if he did not help him, he would jump from the window. Hopper traveled back toLos Angeles with Nance, tempting him with alcohol and drugs. When the two arrived, Hopper checked Nance into arehabilitation centre, where Nance wentcold turkey. Nance met Van Dyke there and the two began a relationship, with Nance believing he could help her, in turn, become clean.[7][18]
Nance started drinking again in 1993, after adepressive episode following Van Dyke's death, and suffered twostrokes from 1995 to 1996.[4] He was cast in the filmJoyride (1997) but sent home after one day of filming due to drunkenness on set.[18]
Nance's wife Kelly Jean Van Dyke committedsuicide on November 17, 1991. Nance, who was inBass Lake, California, filmingMeatballs 4 at the time, called her to tell her that he was thinking of leaving her due to her drinking and drug-taking. She threatened to kill herself if he hung up on her, and at that moment a lightning storm knocked out the phone lines in Bass Lake. Nance and the director,Bobby Logan, found a deputy sheriff who contacted theLos Angeles Police Department. They broke in and found that she had hanged herself. Nance claimed she was four months pregnant.[18]
On December 29, 1996, Nance lunched with friends Leo Bulgarini and Catherine Case. Nance had a visible "crescent-shaped bruise" under his eye; and, when asked about it, he relayed to them a story about a brawl outside aWinchell's Donuts store that morning.[1][18] He went home, complaining of a headache.
Nance had developed asubdural hematoma, resulting in his death the following morning. Bulgarini found his body on the bathroom floor of his apartment inSouth Pasadena, California, later that day. Anautopsy revealed that hisblood alcohol content was 0.24% at the time of his death. His death was initially ruled as resulting fromblunt force trauma.[7][14][18]
The song "I Gotta Move" byFrank Black and the Catholics, from their 1997eponymous debut album, refers to the circumstances of Nance's death and the murder ofPeter Ivers, who composed and performed the song "In Heaven" fromEraserhead (which Black's previous bandPixies had covered).[19]
A documentary about Nance funded by Lynch, titledI Don't Know Jack, was released in 2002.[5]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Fools | Hippie | |
| 1971 | Jump | Ace | |
| Bushman | Felix | ||
| 1977 | Eraserhead | Henry Spencer | |
| Breaker! Breaker! | Burton | ||
| 1982 | Hammett | Gary Salt | |
| 1984 | Ghoulies | Wolfgang | |
| Dune | Nefud | ||
| City Heat | Aram Strossell | ||
| Johnny Dangerously | Priest | ||
| 1986 | Blue Velvet | Paul | |
| 1987 | Barfly | Detective | |
| 1988 | Colors | Officer Samuels | |
| The Blob | Doctor | ||
| 1990 | Wild at Heart | 00 Spool | |
| The Hot Spot | Julian Ward | ||
| 1991 | Whore | Man who helps Liz | |
| Motorama | Motel Clerk | ||
| 1992 | Meatballs 4 | Neil Peterson | |
| Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me | Pete Martell | Deleted scenes | |
| 1994 | Love and a .45 | Justice Thurman | |
| Across the Moon | Old Cowboy | ||
| 1995 | The Demolitionist | Father McKenzie | |
| Voodoo | Lewis | ||
| 1996 | The Secret Agent Club | Doc | |
| Little Witches | Father Michael | ||
| 1997 | Lost Highway | Phil | Posthumous release |
| 2023 | Of Things Past | Earl Delaney | Posthumous release; filmed in 1985 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Bet | TV film | |
| 1987 | Crime Story | Charlie Green | Episode: "Little Girl Lost" |
| 1988 | The French as Seen by... | Pete | Episode: "The Cowboy and the Frenchman" |
| Tricks of the Trade | Al | TV film | |
| 1990–1991 | Twin Peaks | Pete Martell | 24 episodes |
| 1994 | Another Midnight Run | Reilly | TV film |
| 1995 | My So-Called Life | Warren | Episode: "Weekend" |
| Fallen Angels | Sheriff | Episode: "Tomorrow I Die" | |
| 1996 | Assault on Dome 4 | Mellow / Dome 4 Oldtime | TV film |
| 2017 | Twin Peaks: The Return | Pete Martell | Episode "Part 17"; posthumous release; archived footage |
| Year | Title | Artist | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Institutionalized | Suicidal Tendencies | Father |
