Jack Nance
updated in RED Oct 2002
This guy is probably best known for the role of Henry Spencer, pictured above, in the David Lynch film, Eraserhead. Does anyone else think that David Lynch is a euphemism for, "Huh?" He also played the part of Pete Martell in Twin Peaks. I did watch Twin Peaks, and aside from Sherilyn thingy tying a cherry stem with her mouth (thanks Outi). The other thing I remember is that Bob guy jumping out from behind the chair and scaring the bejesus out of me. I hear that the guy made a living jumping out of birthday cakes at parties after that. I would scream. Hell yes, I would scream. Anyway…he's dead too.
One thing I learned about Jack Nance was that he was married to Kelly Jean Van Dyke, Jerry (the original choice for Gilligan, and one of the stars of Coach) Van Dyke’s daughter. Findadeath.com friend Tara informed me that Kelly was a porn actress who starred in such memorable epics as Catfighting Students, Enemates 4 , Rump Roasts and Coach's Daughter (that had to hurt). She committed suicide by hanging herself, six months into their marriage. Issues much? Interestingly, Kelly was found hanging by none other than Wednesday Addams herself, Lisa Loring!
In 1996, Jack was living in South Pasadena, on
S. Fair Oaks. His number was 505, and this is his apartment building. Very convenient to the Winchell’s donut shop across the street, which apparently was a hangout of his. Mine too. When I was in LA last week, I got my morning diet coke there, before heading into the Kinko’s next door, to check my emails (at 12 bucks an hour, thanksalot).On the Sunday night of December 29, 1996, Jack was in the
donut shop, and he got into a heated argument with two men. The argument turned into a full-fledged fight, in which Jack got conked on the head, pretty badly. He must have felt well enough after that, because he sauntered across the street, and back to his apartment, through these doors.The next day, a friend stopped by to check on him, and found him dead. Homicide detectives said that he had blunt-force head injuries, and during the autopsy it was confirmed that he suffered acute subdural hematoma, which lead to his death.
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David Lynch said of Nance, "Sometimes people irritated Jack, so he’s be verbally abusive. "He was in poor physical shape (he drank), and Jack always said that he wouldn’t be hard to kill." Ah, light dinner conversation at the Lynch’s.
His body was cremated, and he was scattered off the coast of Orange County.
OCTOBER 2002: Findadeath.com friend Michelle
sends us this: This really has nothing to do with Nance, but I was reading
your info on him and you make a reference to Frank Silva, the guy that played Bob
-- the spooky one. He worked in the AD and, as the legend goes, he accidentally
got in a shot (reflected in a mirror). It freaked Lynch out (imagine, there's
actually something that can give D.L. the creeps) and Lynch decided to use him
for that sole purpose. Personally, I thought Eraserhead was much creepier than
Twin Peaks. Another
bit of trivia, Eraserhead took 5 years to film and was financially backed by
D.L.'s family and friends.
Thanks, Michelle!