Marvin John "Jack" Nance (December 21, 1943 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor. A frequent collaborator of filmmaker David Lynch, he starred in Lynch's directorial debut Eraserhead (1977) and continued to work with Lynch throughout his career, including a recurring role as Pete Martell on Twin Peaks (1990–1991).
Early life
Marvin John Nance was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 21, 1943, the son of Agnes (née O'Grady) and Neiman Marcus executive Marvin Hoyt Nance. He grew up in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. During childhood Nance was struck by a car, which injured his back. He graduated from South Oak Cliff High School and studied journalism at North Texas State University where he began acting. Nance dropped out of school to pursue acting full-time and joined the Dallas Theater Center. 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, he spent three days lying in a coffin at the staged wake. which was filmed sporadically over five years due to Lynch's funding problems. Eraserhead was initially unsuccessful but slowly became a midnight movie, leading to its cult classic status. Nance's performance has since been praised. The New York Times wrote in 1980 that his "minimalist features, unchanging expression, tight dark suit, and short, almost crippled steps suggest many silent-film comedians". The film became a favorite of Stanley Kubrick, who required the cast of The Shining to watch it before filming began.
Nance appeared with actress Mary Woronov as a married couple in the music video for the 1983 Suicidal Tendencies song "Institutionalized". 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, he refused a role in Miracle Mile (1988) due to it conflicting with his job schedule.
In 1990, Nance was offered the role of Pete Martell in Lynch's series Twin Peaks, appearing throughout the show's original run. After an addiction relapse in 1993, his life took another turn and he had smaller roles in films that were not as successful. He lived in a hotel, from which he was kicked out for firing a gun at his television. His final performance, in Michael Moriarty's Of Things Past, was filmed in 1985 but not released until 2023.
Personal life
Relationships
Nance married actress Catherine E. Coulson in 1968 and they divorced in 1976.
Nance met and began dating Kelly Jean Van Dyke, the daughter of Jerry Van Dyke and niece of Dick Van Dyke, while in rehab in 1986.
Alcoholism
It is unknown when Nance's alcoholism began. Lynch recalled that, during the filming of Eraserhead, he would send Nance "back to his dressing room to sleep off the booze" and that Nance would "get drunk and sometimes end up sleeping in vacant lots". An autopsy also showed that his blood alcohol content was 0.24% at the time of his death.
I Don't Know Jack, a documentary about Nance funded by Lynch, was released in 2002.