Jack Nance

Actor

December 21, 1943 (53 years)

† December 30, 1996

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Biography

Marvin John Nance (December 21, 1943 – December 30, 1996), known professionally as Jack Nance and occasionally credited as John Nance, was an American actor of stage and screen, primarily starring in offbeat or avant-garde productions. He was known for his work with director David Lynch, particularly for his roles in Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks.

Filmography

8.3

Twin Peaks

Pete Martell

The body of Laura Palmer is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate her strange demise only to uncover a web of mystery that ultimately leads him deep into the heart of the surrounding woodland and his very own soul.

6.5

Fallen Angels

Sheriff

A neo-noir anthology television series, set in somber Los Angeles right after World War II and before the election of American President John F. Kennedy. The episodes, although filmed in color, mimicked what had been done by Hollywood filmmakers during the film noir era of the 1940s and 1950s in terms of tone, look, and story content.

6.2

Dune

Nefud

In the year 10,191, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice Melange. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital to space travel. The spice exists on only one planet in the entire universe, the vast desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. Its native inhabitants, the Fremen, have long held a prophecy that a man would come, a messiah who would lead them to true freedom.

7.6

My So-Called Life

Warren

The life of a 15 year-old high school student, whose angst-ridden journey through adolescence, friendship, parents, and life teaches her what it means to grow up.

7.6

Blue Velvet

Paul

The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.

7.5

Lost Highway

Phil

A tormented jazz musician finds himself lost in an enigmatic story involving murder, surveillance, gangsters, doppelgängers, and an impossible transformation inside a prison cell.

6.3

The Hot Spot

Julian Ward

Upon arriving to a small town, a drifter quickly gets into trouble with the local authorities — and the local women — after he robs a bank.

6.9

The Blob

Doctor

In Arborville, California, three high school students try to protect their hometown from a gelatinous alien life form that engulfs everything it touches.

7.0

Wild at Heart

00 Spool

Young lovers Sailor and Lula hit the road to start a new life together away from the wrath of Lula’s deranged, disapproving mother, who has hired a team of hitmen to cut the lovers’ surreal honeymoon short.

7.3

Eraserhead

Henry Spencer

First-time father Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.

6.5

Colors

Officer Samuels

A confident young cop is shown the ropes by a veteran partner in the dangerous gang-controlled barrios of Los Angeles, where the gang culture is enforced by the colors the members wear.

8.5

Twin Peaks

Pete Martell

An idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks. (This standalone version of the series pilot was produced for the European VHS market and has an alternate, closed ending.)

5.3

Whore

Man Who Helps Liz

This melodrama investigates the life of a sex worker, in a pseudo-documentary style.

5.5

City Heat

Aram Strossell

Set in Kansas City in 1933, Eastwood plays a police lieutenant known simply by his last name, Speer. Reynolds plays a former cop turned private eye named Mike Murphy. Both Speer and Murphy served on the force together and were once good friends, but are now bitter enemies. When Murphy's partner is slain they team up again to fight the mob.

7.2

Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces

Pete Martell

A feature-length compilation of deleted and alternate takes from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, assembled by David Lynch to continue the story of the final week of Laura Palmer’s life.

6.3

Johnny Dangerously

Priest

An honest, goodhearted man is forced to turn to a life of crime to finance his neurotic mother's skyrocketing medical bills.

6.9

Barfly

Detective

Downtrodden writer Henry and distressed goddess Wanda aren't exactly husband and wife: they're wedded to their bar stools. But, they like each other's company—and Barfly captures their giddy, gin-soaked attempts to make a go of life on the skids.

4.9

Ghoulies

Wolfgang

A young man and his girlfriend move into the man's old mansion home, where he becomes possessed by a need to control ancient demons.

5.8

Love and a .45

Justice Thurman

Small-time criminal Watty Watts attempts to rob a convenience store with his drug-addict buddy, Billy Mack Black. The robbery, however, leads to murder, and soon Watty leaves Billy behind and goes on the run with his beloved girlfriend, Starlene. Heading toward Mexico, the fugitive couple gets plenty of media coverage, until there are even more people on their trail. Can Watty and Starlene make it south of the border without getting caught?

5.0

Breaker! Breaker!

Burton

Truck driver searches for his brother, who has disappeared in a town run by a corrupt judge.