Jack Nance, Actor, Dies

LOS ANGELES - Actor Jack Nance, who starred in the 1978 cult classic "Eraserhead" and other David Lynch films, was in a fight at a doughnut shop the day before he was found dead, police said yesterday.

The 53-year-old actor was found dead in his South Pasadena home on Monday. A day earlier, Nance had an argument with two men while at a doughnut shop across the street from his home, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Noel Lanier.

During the argument, at least one of the men hit Nance in the head with his fist, Lanier said, adding that detectives have determined that Nance had blunt force trauma to his head. The cause of death, however, has yet to be determined.

In "Eraserhead," Lynch's 1978 feature-film debut, Nance starred as Henry Spencer, a zombielike misfit. Lynch cast him in "Dune" in 1984, "Blue Velvet" in 1986 and "Wild at Heart" in 1990.

In Lynch's television series "Twin Peaks," the Dallas native appeared as Pete Martell, the husband of actress Piper Laurie.