View source for Jack Nicholson

{{Short description|American actor and filmmaker (born 1937)}}
{{About|the American actor|the footballer|Jack Nicholson (footballer)}}
{{Pp-sock|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Jack Nicholson
| image              = Jack Nicholson 2001.jpg
| caption            = Nicholson in 2001
| birthname          = John Joseph Nicholson
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1937|4|22}}
| birth_place        = [[Neptune City, New Jersey]], U.S.
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = 
| occupation         = {{flatlist|
* Actor
* filmmaker
}}
| years active       = 1955–2010
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Sandra Knight]]|1962|1968|end=divorced}}
| partner            = {{plainlist|class=nowrap|
* [[Anjelica Huston]] (1973–1990)
* [[Rebecca Broussard]] (1989–1994)
* [[Lara Flynn Boyle]] (1999–2004)
}}
| children           = 6, including [[Lorraine Nicholson|Lorraine]] and [[Ray Nicholson|Ray]]
| works              = [[Jack Nicholson filmography|Filmography]]
| awards             = [[List of awards and nominations received by Jack Nicholson|Full list]]
| signature          = Jack Nicholson Signature.png
}}
{{Jack Nicholson sidebar}}
'''John Joseph Nicholson''' (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Fear |first1=David |title=Jack Nicholson: 25 Essential Movies |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-lists/jack-nicholson-25-essential-movies-986764/ |access-date=September 12, 2021 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=April 22, 2021}}</ref> Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure.<ref name="Katz" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Ross|first=Graeme|date=April 20, 2017|title=Jack Nicholson's twelve greatest performances|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/jack-nicholson-s-twelve-greatest-performances-a7692461.html|work=Independent|location=London|access-date=July 6, 2020|archive-date=December 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052216/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/jack-nicholson-s-twelve-greatest-performances-a7692461.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Chilton|first=Charlotte|date=May 8, 2020|title=Jack Nicholson's Life in Photos|url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/g32301691/jack-nicholson-life-in-photos/|work=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]|location=New York City|access-date=July 6, 2020|archive-date=July 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712181442/https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/g32301691/jack-nicholson-life-in-photos/|url-status=live}}</ref> Over his five-decade-long career, he received [[List of awards and nominations received by Jack Nicholson|numerous accolades]], including three [[Academy Awards]], three [[British Academy Film Awards]], six [[Golden Globe Awards]], and a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]].

Nicholson won Academy Awards for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] for playing [[Randle McMurphy]] in ''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]'' (1975) and a man with [[Obsessive–compulsive disorder|OCD]] in ''[[As Good as It Gets]]'' (1997), as well as for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] for playing an aging playboy in ''[[Terms of Endearment]]'' (1983). He received further Oscar nominations for ''[[Easy Rider]]'' (1969), ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]'' (1970), ''[[The Last Detail]]'' (1974), ''[[Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]]'' (1974), ''[[Reds (film)|Reds]]'' (1981), ''[[Prizzi's Honor]]'' (1985), ''[[Ironweed (film)|Ironweed]]'' (1987), ''[[A Few Good Men]]'' (1992), and ''[[About Schmidt]]'' (2002). 

Nicholson's other notable roles were in ''[[Carnal Knowledge (film)|Carnal Knowledge]]'' (1971), ''[[The Shining (film)|The Shining]]'' (1980), ''[[Heartburn (film)|Heartburn]]'' (1986), ''[[Broadcast News (film)|Broadcast News]]'' (1987), ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' (1989), ''[[Hoffa (film)|Hoffa]]'' (1992), ''[[Mars Attacks!]]'' (1996), ''[[Anger Management (film)|Anger Management]]'' (2003), ''[[Something's Gotta Give (film)|Something's Gotta Give]]'' (2003), ''[[The Departed]]'' (2006), and ''[[The Bucket List]]'' (2007). Nicholson has directed three films, ''[[Drive, He Said]]'' (1971), ''[[Goin' South]]'' (1978), and ''[[The Two Jakes]]'' (1990). He retired from acting after starring in ''[[How Do You Know]]'' (2010). 

Nicholson is one of three [[List of actors with two or more Academy Awards in acting categories|male actors to win three Academy Awards]] and one of only two actors to be nominated for an Academy Award for acting in films made in every decade from the 1960s to the 2000s (alongside [[Michael Caine]]). His 12 Academy Award nominations make him [[List of actors with more than one Academy Award nomination in the acting categories|the most nominated male actor in the Academy's history]]. He was honored with the [[AFI Life Achievement Award|AFI Life Achievement Award]] in 1994, the [[Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award|Cecil B. DeMille Award]] in 1999 and the [[Kennedy Center Honors|Kennedy Center Honor]] in 2001.

==Early life and education==
John Joseph Nicholson was born on April 22, 1937, in [[Neptune City, New Jersey]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Jack Nicholson Biography Film Actor (1937–)|url=http://www.biography.com/people/jack-nicholson-9423081|publisher=Biography.com|access-date=August 7, 2015}}</ref><ref name="1993interview">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/interview--great-film-jack-now-lets-talk-about-you-jack-nicholson-1474720.html|title=INTERVIEW / Great film, Jack, now let's talk about you: Jack Nicholson|location=London|work=The Independent|first=Hunter|last=Davies|date=February 23, 1993}}</ref> the son of a [[showgirl]], June Frances Nicholson (stage name June Nilson; 1918–1963).<ref name="cigar">{{cite web|author=Marx, Arthur|url=http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Profiles/People_Profile/0,2540,21,00.html|title=On His Own Terms|author-link=Arthur Marx|work=[[Cigar Aficionado]]|date=Summer 1995|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100331152748/http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Profiles/People_Profile/0,2540,21,00.html|archive-date=March 31, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Douglas|first=Edward|title=Jack: The Great Seducer – The Life and Many Loves of Jack Nicholson|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|location=New York|year=2004|page=[https://archive.org/details/jackgreatseducer00doug/page/14 14]|isbn=978-0-06-052047-2|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/jackgreatseducer00doug/page/14}}</ref> Nicholson's mother was of Irish, English, German, and Welsh descent. Nicholson has identified as Irish, comparing himself to the playwright [[Eugene O'Neill]], whom he played in the film ''[[Reds (film)|Reds]]'' (1981): "I'm not saying I'm as dark as he was ... but I am a writer, I am Irish, I have had problems with my family."<ref>Dennis McDougal, ''Five Easy Decades: How Jack Nicholson Became the Biggest Movie Star in Modern Times'' (Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2008), p. 229</ref> His mother married [[Italian Americans|Italian-American]] showman Donald Furcillo (stage name Donald Rose; 1909–1997) in 1936, before realizing that he was already married.<ref name="McDougal">{{cite book|last=McDougal|first=Dennis|title=Five Easy Decades: How Jack Nicholson Became the Biggest Movie Star in Modern Times|publisher=Wiley|date=October 2007|isbn=978-0-471-72246-5}}</ref>{{rp|8}}<ref>Berliner, Eve. [http://www.evesmag.com/jackmarriage.htm Marriage certificate of June Nilson and Donald Furcillo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011021928/http://www.evesmag.com/jackmarriage.htm |date=October 11, 2008 }}. ''Young Jack Nicholson: Auspicious Beginnings''. Evesmag.com. 2001.</ref> Biographer [[Patrick McGilligan (biographer)|Patrick McGilligan]] stated in his book ''Jack's Life'' that Latvian-born Eddie King (originally Edgar A. Kirschfeld),<ref name="bookbio1">{{cite book|last=McDougal|first=Dennis|title=Five Easy Decades: How Jack Nicholson Became the Biggest Movie Star in Modern Times|publisher=Wiley|date=October 2007|pages=8, 278|isbn=978-0-471-72246-5}}</ref> June's manager, may have been Nicholson's biological father, rather than Furcillo. Other sources suggest June Nicholson was unsure of the father's identity.<ref name="cigar"/>

As June was only 17 and unmarried, her parents{{refn|John Joseph Nicholson (1898–1955, a department store window dresser in [[Manasquan, New Jersey]]) and Ethel May ([[married and maiden names|''née'']] Rhoads; 1898–1970, a hairdresser, beautician and amateur artist in Manasquan)|group=note}} agreed to raise Nicholson as their own child without revealing his true parentage, with June acting as his sister.<ref name="bio">[http://www.biography.com/people/jack-nicholson-9423081 Jack Nicholson Biography], ''Biography.com''</ref> In 1974, ''Time'' magazine researchers learned, and informed Nicholson, that his "sister", June, was actually his mother, and his other "sister", Lorraine, was really his aunt.<ref name="seducer">Collins, Nancy. [https://web.archive.org/web/20081021095326/http://www.jacknicholson.org/1984RollingStone.html ''The Great Seducer: Jack Nicholson'']. ''Rolling Stone'', March 29, 1984,</ref> By this time, both his mother and grandmother had died (in 1963 and 1970, respectively). On finding out, Nicholson said it was "a pretty dramatic event, but it wasn't what I'd call traumatizing ... I was pretty well psychologically formed".<ref name="bio" />

Nicholson grew up in Neptune City, New Jersey.<ref name="McDougal" />{{rp|7}} Before starting high school, his family moved to an apartment in [[Spring Lake, New Jersey]].<ref name="McDougal" />{{rp|16}}<ref>Nicholson, Jack. [http://njmonthly.com/articles/lifestyle/people/no-getting-away-from-nj.html "No Getting Away From NJ: Hollywood legend Jack Nicholson attempts to elucidate the definitive quality of New Jersey"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324203614/http://njmonthly.com/articles/lifestyle/people/no-getting-away-from-nj.html|date=March 24, 2012}}, ''[[New Jersey Monthly]]'', November 15, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2011. "I grew up on the Shore ... in Neptune, Neptune City, Manasquan, and Spring Lake. Graduated from Manasquan [High School]. No offense to Atlantic City, but, where we grew up, we called it 'The Shore'."</ref> "Nick", as he was known to his high school friends, attended nearby [[Manasquan High School]], where he was voted "Class Clown" by the Class of 1954. He was in detention every day for a whole school year.<ref name="1993interview" /> A theatre and a drama award at the school are named in his honor. In 2004, Nicholson attended his 50-year [[Class reunion|high school reunion]] accompanied by his aunt Lorraine.<ref name="McDougal" />

==Military service==
In 1957, Nicholson joined the [[California Air National Guard]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Cumming|first=Calum|url={{Google books|L-YXAwAAQBAJ|page=PA18|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|title=Jack Nicholson|date=2014|publisher=Author House|isbn=978-1-4918-9225-1|location=Bloomington, IN|page=18|ref={{sfnRef|''Jack Nicholson''}}}}</ref> a move he sometimes characterized as an effort to "dodge the draft";<ref name="McGilligan" /> the [[Korean War]] era's [[Military Selective Service Act]] was still in force, and draftees were required to perform up to two years of active duty. After completing the [[United States Air Force|Air Force]]'s [[Military recruit training#U.S. Air and Space Forces|basic training]] at [[Lackland Air Force Base]],<ref name="McGilligan" /> Nicholson performed weekend drills and two-week annual training as a firefighter assigned to the unit based at the [[Van Nuys Air National Guard Base|Van Nuys Airport]].<ref name="McGilligan" /> During the [[Berlin Crisis of 1961]], Nicholson was called up for several months of extended active duty,<ref name="McGilligan" /> and he was discharged at the end of his enlistment in 1962.{{sfn|''Jack Nicholson''|page=18}}

==Career==
{{Further|Jack Nicholson filmography}}

===1958–1969: Early roles and breakthrough ===
[[File: Little Shop of Horrors Nicholson.JPG|thumb|Nicholson as Wilbur Force in ''[[The Little Shop of Horrors]]'' (1960)|left|193x193px]]
Nicholson first came to California in 1950, when he was 13, to visit his sister. He took a job as an office worker for animation directors [[William Hanna]] and [[Joseph Barbera]] at the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio|MGM cartoon studio]]. They offered him an entry-level job as an animator, but he declined, citing his desire to become an actor.<ref name="McGilligan" /> While accepting the [[Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award|Cecil B. DeMille Award]] at the [[56th Golden Globe Awards]], he recalled that his first day as a working actor (on ''[[Tales of Wells Fargo]]'') was May 5, 1955, which he considered lucky, as 5 was the jersey number of his boyhood idol, [[Joe DiMaggio]].<ref>[https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=lifetime+achievement+award+at+the+1999+golden+globes&view=detail&mid=EFD5B0206462231450B9EFD5B0206462231450B9&FORM=VIRE "Jack Nicholson Receives Cecil B Demille Award - Golden Globes 1999"] via [[Dick Clark Productions]]; retrieved February 24, 2020</ref> He trained to be an actor with a group called the Players Ring Theater, after which he found small parts performing on the stage and in TV soap operas.<ref name="Katz">Katz, Ephraim. ''The Film Encyclopedia'', HarperCollins (2012) pp. 1079–1080</ref> He made his film debut in a low-budget teen drama ''[[The Cry Baby Killer]]'' (1958), playing the title role. For the next decade, Nicholson frequently collaborated with the film's producer, [[Roger Corman]]. Corman directed Nicholson on several occasions, such as in ''[[The Little Shop of Horrors]]'' as undertaker (and [[sadomasochism|masochistic]] dental patient) Wilbur Force; in ''[[The Raven (1963 film)|The Raven]]''; ''[[The Terror (1963 film)|The Terror]]'', where he plays a French officer seduced by an evil ghost; and ''[[The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (film)|The St. Valentine's Day Massacre]]''. Nicholson frequently worked with director [[Monte Hellman]] on low-budget westerns; two of them—''[[Ride in the Whirlwind]]'' and ''[[The Shooting]]''—initially failed to interest U.S. film distributors but gained cult success on the French art-house circuit and were later sold to television. Nicholson also appeared in two episodes of ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'', and starred as a rebellious dirt-track race driver in the 1960 film ''[[The Wild Ride]]''.

With his acting career foundering, Nicholson seemed resigned to a career behind the camera as a writer/director. His first real taste of writing success was the screenplay for the 1967 [[Counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]] film ''[[The Trip (1967 film)|The Trip]]'' (directed by Corman), starring [[Peter Fonda]] and [[Dennis Hopper]]. After first reading the script, Fonda told Nicholson he was impressed by the writing and felt it could become a great film. But Fonda was disappointed with how the film turned out and blamed the editing for turning it into a "predictable" film and said so publicly. "I was livid", he recalls.<ref name="Fonda">Linderman, Lawrence. "Playboy Interview with Peter Fonda", ''Playboy'' magazine, September 1970</ref> Nicholson also co-wrote, with [[Bob Rafelson]], the movie ''[[Head (film)|Head]]'', which starred [[The Monkees]], and arranged the movie's soundtrack.

[[file:Michelle Phillips and Jack Nicholson - 1971 Golden Globes.jpg|thumb|Nicholson with [[Michelle Phillips]] at the 1971 [[Golden Globes]]|213x213px]]
Nicholson's first big acting break came when a role opened up in Fonda and Hopper's ''[[Easy Rider]]'' (1969). He played alcoholic lawyer George Hanson, for which he received his first Oscar nomination. The film cost only $400,000 to make, and became a blockbuster, grossing $40 million.<ref name="Parker" /> Biographer [[John Parker (author)|John Parker]] writes that Nicholson's interpretation of his role placed him in the company of earlier [[antihero]] actors, such as [[James Cagney]] and [[Humphrey Bogart]], while promoting him into an "overnight number-one hero of the counter-culture movement".<ref name="Parker">[[John Parker (author)|Parker, John]]. ''Michael Douglas: Acting on Instinct'', Hachette Book Group (2011) e-book</ref> The part was a lucky break for Nicholson. The role had been written for [[Rip Torn]], who withdrew from the project after an argument with Hopper.<ref>Hill, Lee. ''A Grand Guy: The Life and Art of Terry Southern''. Bloomsbury, 2001.</ref> Nicholson later acknowledged the importance of being cast in ''Easy Rider'': "All I could see in the early films, before ''Easy Rider'', was this desperate young actor trying to vault out of the screen and create a movie career."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/film-cinema/easy-rider-the-Jack-Nicholson-interview-1296590.html|work=Irish Independent|title=Easy rider: The Jack Nicholson interview|date=February 27, 2008|access-date=May 25, 2019|archive-date=November 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102131144/http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/film-cinema/easy-rider-the-jack-nicholson-interview-1296590.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Stanley Kubrick]], who was impressed by his performance in ''Easy Rider'', cast Nicholson as [[Napoleon]] in a film about his life, and although production on the film commenced, [[Stanley Kubrick's unrealized projects#Napoleon|the project fizzled out]], partly due to a change in ownership at MGM.{{sfn|Duncan|2003|p=122}}

===1970–1989: Stardom and acclaim ===
In 1970, Nicholson starred in ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]'' alongside [[Karen Black]] in what became his persona-defining role. Nicholson and Black were nominated for Academy Awards for their performances. Nicholson played Bobby Dupea, an oil rig worker, and Black played his waitress girlfriend. Black noted that Nicholson's character in the film was very subdued and very different from Nicholson's real personality. She said that the now-infamous restaurant scene was partly improvised by Nicholson, and was out of character for Bobby, who would not have cared enough to argue with a waitress.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdIXrF34Bz0 "Hold the Chicken – Five Easy Pieces"], fair use video clip</ref> "I think that Jack really has very little in common with Bobby. I think Bobby has given up looking for love. But Jack hasn't, he's very interested in love, in finding out things. Jack is a very curious, alive human being. Always ready for a new idea."<ref name="Crane">Crane, Robert. ''Jack Nicholson: The Early Years'', Univ. Press of Kentucky (2012)</ref>{{rp|37}} Nicholson himself said as much, telling an interviewer, "I like listening to everybody. This to me is the elixir of life."<ref name="Esquire">D'Agostino, Ryan. ''Esquire the Meaning of Life: Wisdom, Humor, and Damn Good Advice from 64 Extraordinary Lives'', Sterling Publishing (2009) pp. 97–99</ref>
{{quote box|align=left|width=25em|bgcolor = Cornsilk|quote=There is [[James Cagney]], [[Spencer Tracy]], [[Humphrey Bogart]], and [[Henry Fonda]]. After that, who is there but Jack Nicholson?|source=—[[Mike Nichols]], director<ref name="Eliot"/>}}

Black later admitted that she had a crush on Nicholson from the time they met, although they dated only briefly. "He was very beautiful. He just looked right at you&nbsp;... I liked him a lot&nbsp;... He really sort of wanted to date me but I didn't think of him that way because I was going with [[Peter Kastner]]&nbsp;... Then I went to do ''Easy Rider'', but didn't see him because we didn't have any scenes together&nbsp;... At the premiere, I saw him out in the lobby afterward and I started crying&nbsp;... He didn't understand that, but what it was was that I really loved him a lot, and I didn't know it until I saw him again, because it all welled up."<ref name="Crane" />{{rp|36}}

Within a month after its release that September, ''Five Easy Pieces'' became a blockbuster, making Nicholson a [[leading man]] and the "new American anti-hero", according to McDougal.<ref name="McDougal"/>{{rp|130}} Critics began speculating as to whether he might become another [[Marlon Brando]] or [[James Dean]]. His career and income skyrocketed. He said, "I have [become] much sought after. Your name becomes a brand image like a product. You become Campbell's soup, with thirty-one different varieties of roles you can play."<ref name="McDougal"/>{{rp|130}} He told his new agent, Sandy Bresler, to find him unusual roles so he could stretch his acting skill: "I like to play people that haven't existed yet, a 'cusp character{{' "}}, he said, "I have that creative yearning. Much in the way [[Chagall]] flies figures into the air: once it becomes part of the conventional wisdom, it doesn't seem particularly adventurous or weird or wild."<ref name="McDougal"/>{{rp|130}} 

[[File:Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty during filming of the motion picture "The Fortune," in Los Angeles, Calif., 1974.jpg|thumb|right|Nicholson and [[Warren Beatty]] filming ''[[The Fortune (film)|The Fortune]]'' (1975)]]
Also in 1970, Nicholson appeared in the film adaptation of ''[[On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (film)|On a Clear Day You Can See Forever]]'', although most of his performance was left on the [[cutting room floor]]. His agent turned down a starring role in ''[[Deliverance]]'' when the film's producer and director, [[John Boorman]], refused to pay what Nicholson's agent wanted.<ref name="McDougal"/>{{rp|130}} In 1971, Nicholson starred in ''[[Carnal Knowledge (film)|Carnal Knowledge]]'', a comedy-drama directed by [[Mike Nichols]] and co-starring [[Art Garfunkel]], [[Ann-Margret]], and [[Candice Bergen]]. He was nominated for a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Golden Globe Award for Best Actor]]. Nichols felt few actors could handle the role, saying, "There is James Cagney, Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, and Henry Fonda. After that, who is there but Jack Nicholson?"<ref name="Eliot" /> During the filming, Nicholson struck up what became a lifelong friendship with Garfunkel. When he visited Los Angeles, Garfunkel stayed at Nicholson's home in a room Nicholson jokingly called "the Arthur Garfunkel Suite".<ref name="McDougal"/>{{rp|127}} 

Other Nicholson roles included [[Hal Ashby]]'s ''[[The Last Detail]]'' (1973), with [[Randy Quaid]], for which Nicholson won [[Best Actor Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Actor]] at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] and was nominated for his third Oscar and a Golden Globe. Television journalist [[David Gilmour (writer)|David Gilmour]] writes that one of his favorite Nicholson scenes from all his films was the often censored one in this film, when Nicholson slaps his gun on the bar yelling he ''was'' the Shore Patrol.<ref>Gilmour, David. ''The Film Club: A Memoir'', Hachette Book Group (2008) e-book</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnY88imrH78 Shore Patrol scene in ''The Last Detail''], fair use clip</ref> Critic [[Roger Ebert]] called it a very good movie, but credited Nicholson's acting as the main reason: "He creates a character so complete and so complex that we stop thinking about the movie and just watch to see what he'll do next."<ref>Ebert, Roger. ''Roger Ebert's Four Star Reviews—1967–2007'', Andrews McMeel Publishing (2007) p. 405</ref> In 1974, Nicholson starred in [[Roman Polanski]]'s noir thriller ''[[Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]]'', and was again nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his role as Jake Gittes, a private detective. The film co-starred [[Faye Dunaway]] and [[John Huston]], and included a cameo role with Polanski. Ebert called Nicholson's portrayal sharp-edged, menacing, and aggressive, a character who knew "how to go over the top", as he did in ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''. That edge kept ''Chinatown'' from becoming a typical genre crime film.<ref>Ebert, Roger. ''The Great Movies, Volume 1'', Broadway Books (2002) p. 106</ref> Ebert also notes the importance of the role for Nicholson's career, seeing it as a major transition from the exploitation films of the previous decade. "As Jake Gittes, he stepped into Bogart's shoes", says Ebert. "As a man attractive to audiences because he suggests both comfort and danger&nbsp;... From Gittes forward, Nicholson created the persona of a man who had seen it all and was still capable of being wickedly amused."<ref>Ebert, Roger. ''27 Movies from the Dark Side: Ebert's Essentials'', Andrews McMeel Publishing (2012) e-book</ref>

Nicholson had been friends with Polanski long before the [[Tate–LaBianca murders#Tate murders|murder]] of Polanski's wife, [[Sharon Tate]], by the [[Manson Family]], and supported him in the days following her death.<ref name="McDougal"/>{{rp|109–110}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Murder Most Unforgettable|first=Dominick|last=Dunne|magazine=Vanity Fair |date=April 2001}}</ref> After Tate's death, Nicholson began sleeping with a hammer under his pillow<ref name="McDougal"/> and took breaks from work to attend Manson's trial.<ref name="McGilligan">{{cite book|title=Jack's Life: A Biography of Jack Nicholson|url={{Google books|AdQDYqBmmJYC|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|first=Patrick|last=McGilligan|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|year=1996|isbn=978-0-393-31378-9 |pages=126, 219}}</ref>

In 1977, three years after ''Chinatown'', Polanski was arrested at Nicholson's home for the [[Roman Polanski sexual abuse case|sexual assault]] of 13-year-old Samantha Geimer, who was modeling for Polanski during a magazine photo shoot around the pool. At the time, Nicholson was out of town making a film, but his steady girlfriend, actress [[Anjelica Huston]], had dropped by unannounced to pick up some items. She heard Polanski in the other room say, "We'll be right out."<ref name="Huston" /> Polanski then came out with Geimer and introduced her to Huston, and they chatted about Nicholson's two large dogs, which were sitting nearby. Huston recalled Geimer was wearing platform heels and appeared quite tall.<ref name="Huston" /> After a few minutes of talking, Polanski had packed up his camera gear and Huston saw them drive off in his car. Huston told police the next day, after Polanski was arrested, that she "had witnessed nothing untoward" and never saw them together in the other room.<ref name="Huston">Huston, Anjelica. ''Watch Me'', Simon & Schuster (2014) e-book</ref>

Geimer learned afterward that Huston herself was not supposed to be at Nicholson's house that day, since they had recently broken up, but stopped over to pick up some belongings. Geimer described Nicholson's house as "definitely" a guy's house, with lots of wood and shelves crowded with photos and mementos.<ref>Geimer, Samantha. ''The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski'', Simon & Schuster (2013) p. 79</ref>

[[File:OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNestOscars.jpg|thumb|left|[[Saul Zaentz]], Nicholson, [[Louise Fletcher]] and [[Michael Douglas]] at the [[1976 Academy Awards]]]]
One of Nicholson's successes came in 1975, with his role as [[Randle Patrick McMurphy|Randle P. McMurphy]] in ''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]''. The movie was an adaptation of [[Ken Kesey]]'s novel of the [[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel)|same name]], and was directed by [[Miloš Forman]] and co-produced by [[Michael Douglas]]. Nicholson plays an anti-authoritarian patient at a mental hospital where he becomes an inspiring leader for the other patients. Playing one of the patients was [[Danny DeVito]] in an early role. Nicholson learned afterward that DeVito grew up in the same area of New Jersey, and they knew many of the same people.<ref>{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-uJ9A5XISk|title=Danny DeVito speaks at the 22nd AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute To Jack Nicholson|date=1994|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/O-uJ9A5XISk?url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-uJ9A5XISk|archive-date=September 1, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The film received nine nominations at the Academy Awards, and won five, including Nicholson's first for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 48th Academy Awards {{!}} 1976 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1976 |access-date=July 20, 2022 |website=Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |date=October 4, 2014 |language=en}}</ref> The role seemed perfect for Nicholson, with biographer Ken Burke noting that his "smartass demeanor balances his genuine concern for the treatment of his fellow patients with his independent spirit too free to exist in a repressive social structure".<ref name="Burke">{{cite book |title=The Guide to United States Popular Culture |last1=Browne |first1=Ray B |last2=Browne |first2=Pat |last3=Hilt |first3=Michael L |editor-last1=Burke |editor-first1=Ken |year=2001 |language=en |location=Bowling Green, Kentucky |publisher=Bowling Green State University Popular Press |page=578 |isbn=978-0879728212}}</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc0_Xnvl3t4 "You're Not Crazy!" – a scene in ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''], fair use clip</ref> Forman allowed Nicholson to improvise throughout the film, including most of the group therapy sequences.<ref name="McGilligan" /> {{rp|273}} Reviewer [[Marie Brenner]] notes that his bravura performance "transcends the screen" and continually inspires the other actors by lightening their mental illnesses with his comic dialogue.

{{quote box
| align = right
| width = 25em
| bgcolor = MistyRose
| quote = Nicholson is everywhere; his energy propels the ward of loonies and makes of them an ensemble, a chorus of people caught in a bummer with nowhere else to go, but still fighting for some frail sense of themselves. ... There are scenes in ''Cuckoo's Nest'' that are as intimate—and in their language, twice as rough—as the best moments in ''The Godfather'' ... [and] far above the general run of Hollywood performances.
| source = — Marie Brenner, ''Texas Monthly''<ref>Brenner, Marie. ''Texas Monthly'', January 1976, p. 32</ref>
}}

Also in 1975, Nicholson starred in [[Michelangelo Antonioni]]'s ''[[The Passenger (1975 film)|The Passenger]]'' (1975), which co-starred [[Maria Schneider (actress)|Maria Schneider]]. Nicholson plays a journalist, David Locke, who during an assignment in North Africa decides to quit journalism and disappear by taking on a new hidden identity. Unfortunately, the dead person whose identity he takes on turns out to have been a weapons smuggler on the run. Antonioni's unusual plot included convincing dialogue and fine acting, states film critic [[Seymour Chatman]].<ref name="Chatman">Chatman, Seymour; Duncan, Paul. ''Michelangelo Antonioni: The Investigation'', [[Taschen]] (2004) p. 134</ref> It was shot in Algeria, Spain, Germany, and England. The film received good reviews and revived Antonioni's reputation as a great director.<ref name="Chatman" /> He said he wanted the film to have more of a "spy feeling [and] be more political".<ref name="Chatman" /> Nicholson began shooting the film from an unfinished script, notes [[Judith Crist]],<ref>Crist, Judith. "The Plot Slickens", ''New York Magazine'', April 14, 1975, p. 76</ref> yet upon its completion he thought so highly of the film that he bought the world rights and recorded a reminiscence of working with Antonioni.<ref name="Chatman" /> 

Critic and screenwriter [[Penelope Gilliatt]] provides an overview of Nicholson's role, "''The Passenger'' is an unidealized portrait of a drained man whose one remaining stimulus is to push his luck. Again and again, in the movie, we watch him court danger. It interests him to walk the edge of risk. He does it with passivity as if he were taking part in an expressionless game of double-dare with life. Jack Nicholson's performance is a wonder of insight. How to animate a personality that is barely there.<ref name="McGilligan" /> {{rp|443}} 

[[File:Jack Nicholson - 1976 (new).jpg|thumb|left|Nicholson in 1976|243x243px]]
Nicholson continued to take more unusual roles. He took a small role in ''[[The Last Tycoon (1976 film)|The Last Tycoon]]'' opposite [[Robert De Niro]]. He took a less sympathetic role in [[Arthur Penn]]'s western ''[[The Missouri Breaks]]'' (1976), specifically to work with [[Marlon Brando]]. Nicholson was especially inspired by Brando's acting ability, recalling that in his youth, as an assistant manager at a theater, he watched ''[[On the Waterfront]]'' about 40 times. He once stated, "Marlon Brando influenced me strongly. Today, it's hard for people who weren't there to realize the impact that Brando had on an audience. ... He's always been the patron saint of actors".<ref name="Eliot">Eliot, Marc. ''Nicholson: A Biography'', Random House (2013) Title page</ref><ref>Wild, David. "Rolling Stone Interview with Jack Nicholson", ''Rolling Stone'', May 3, 2007, p. 110</ref> "I'm part of the first generation that idolized Marlon Brando", he said.<ref>Nicholson, Jack. "Remembering Marlon", ''Rolling Stone'', August 19, 2004</ref>

Nicholson has observed that while both De Niro and Brando were noted for their skill as [[method actor]]s, he himself has seldom been described as one, a fact he sees as an accomplishment: "I'm still fooling them", he told [[Sean Penn]]. "I consider it an accomplishment because there's probably no one who understands Method acting better academically than I do—or actually uses it more in his work. But it's funny, nobody really sees that. It's perception versus reality, I guess."<ref name="Esquire" />

{{quote box|align=right|width=25em|bgcolor = Cornsilk|quote=His work is always interesting, clearly conceived, and has the X-factor, magic. Jack is particularly suited for roles that require intelligence. He is an intelligent and literate man, and these are almost impossible to act. In ''The Shining'' you believe he's a writer, failed or otherwise.|source=—Stanley Kubrick<ref name="LoBrutto" />}}

Although he garnered no [[Academy Award]] for [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s adaptation of [[Stephen King]]'s ''[[The Shining (film)|The Shining]]'' (1980), his role in the film as writer [[Jack Torrance]] remains one of his more significant. He was Kubrick's first choice to play the role, although the book's author, Stephen King, wanted more of an "everyman". Kubrick won the argument and called Nicholson's acting "on a par with the greatest stars of the past, like [[Spencer Tracy]] and [[James Cagney|Jimmy Cagney]]".<ref name="LoBrutto">LoBrutto, Vincent. ''Stanley Kubrick: A Biography'', Da Capo Press (1997) p. 420</ref> In preparation for the role, Nicholson drew upon his own experiences as a writer and slept short hours to help remain in an agitated state during the shoot. His co-star [[Shelley Duvall]] recalled that she and Nicholson spent many hours discussing their characters, with Nicholson maintaining that his character be cold to her from the start.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cotter |first1=Padraig |title=What Jack Nicholson Was Really Like Filming The Shining |url=https://screenrant.com/shining-movie-jack-nicholson-filming-performance/ |website=Screen Rant |date=January 30, 2021 |access-date=June 20, 2022}}</ref> On the set, Nicholson always appeared in character and if Kubrick felt confident that Nicholson knew his lines well enough, he encouraged him to improvise beyond the script.<ref name="LoBrutto" /> {{rp|434}} For example, Nicholson improvised his now-famous "Here's Johnny!" line,<ref name="LoBrutto" /> {{rp|433}} along with a scene in which he unleashes his anger on his wife when she interrupts his work.<ref name="LoBrutto" /> {{rp|445}} There were also extensive takes of scenes, due to Kubrick's perfectionism. Nicholson shot a scene with the ghostly bartender 36 times.<ref>{{cite book |title=Love and Death in Kubrick: A Critical Study of the Films |last= Webster |first=Patrick |year= 2010 |publisher= McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-5916-2 |page=221 }}</ref> He said, "Stanley's demanding. He'll do a scene fifty times, and you have to be good to do that."<ref name="Ciment2">Ciment, Michel. ''Kubrick: The Definitive Edition'', Faber and Faber, Inc. (1980; 1999)</ref>{{rp|38}}

[[File:The costumes Jack Nicholson wore in BATMAN 1989 movie as Joker.jpg|thumb|right|170px|The costumes Nicholson wore in ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' (1989) as [[The Joker]] ]]
In 1982, Nicholson starred as an immigration enforcement agent in ''[[The Border (1982 film)|The Border]]'', directed by [[Tony Richardson]]. It co-starred [[Warren Oates]], who played a corrupt border official.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_2FTJXTGsw Trailer: ''The Border''], fair use clip</ref> Richardson wanted Nicholson to play his role less expressively than he had in his earlier roles. "Less is more", he told him, and wanted him to wear reflecting sunglasses to portray what patrolmen wore.<ref name="McGilligan" /> {{rp|318}} Richardson recalled that Nicholson worked hard on the set:

{{blockquote|He's what the Thirties and Forties stars were like. He can come on the set and deliver, without any fuss, without taking a long time walking around getting into it. "What do you want? Okay." And he just does it straight off. And then if you want him to do it another way on the next take, he can adapt to that too.<ref name="McGilligan" /> {{rp|318}}}}

Nicholson won his second Oscar, an [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]], for his role of retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove in ''[[Terms of Endearment]]'' (1983), directed by [[James L. Brooks]]. It starred [[Shirley MacLaine]] and [[Debra Winger]]. McGilligan claims it was one of Nicholson's most complex and unforgettable characters. He and MacLaine played many of their scenes in different ways, constantly testing and making adjustments. Their scenes together gave the film its "buoyant edge", states McGilligan, and describes Nicholson's acting as "Jack floating like a butterfly".<ref name="McGilligan" /> {{rp|330}} 

Nicholson continued to work prolifically in the 1980s, starring in such films as: ''[[The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981 film)|The Postman Always Rings Twice]]'' (1981); ''[[Reds (film)|Reds]]'' (1981), where Nicholson portrays the writer [[Eugene O'Neill]] with a quiet intensity; ''[[Prizzi's Honor]]'' (1985); ''[[Heartburn (film)|Heartburn]]'' (1986); ''[[The Witches of Eastwick (film)|The Witches of Eastwick]]'' (1987); ''[[Broadcast News (film)|Broadcast News]]'' (1987); and ''[[Ironweed (film)|Ironweed]]'' (1987). Three Oscar nominations also followed (''Reds'', ''Prizzi's Honor'', and ''Ironweed'').<ref name="oscar1982">{{cite web|title=The 54th Academy Awards: 1982|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1982|website=Academy Awards Database|publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]|access-date=March 23, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004138/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1982|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="oscar1986">{{cite web|title=The 58th Academy Awards: 1986|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1986|website=Academy Awards Database|date=October 4, 2014 |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]|access-date=March 23, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004226/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1986|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="oscar1988">{{cite web|title=The 60th Academy Awards: 1988|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1988|website=Academy Awards Database|publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]|access-date=March 23, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004300/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1988|url-status=live}}</ref> [[John Huston]], who directed ''Prizzi's Honor'', said of Nicholson's acting, "He just illuminates the book. He impressed me in one scene after another; the movie is composed largely of first takes with him."<ref>Grobel, Lawrence. "Playboy Interview with John Huston", ''Playboy'' magazine, September 1985</ref> In the 1989 ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' movie, Nicholson played the psychotic villain, [[Joker (character)|the Joker]]. The film was an international smash hit, and a lucrative deal earned him a percentage of the box office gross estimated at $60&nbsp;million to $90&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/08/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/jack-nicholson-you-dont-know-jack/|date=November 8, 2013|access-date=December 22, 2013|publisher=CNN|title=You don't know Jack (Nicholson)|author=Matt Carey}}</ref> Nicholson said that he was "particularly proud" of his performance as the Joker: "I considered it a piece of [[pop art]]", he said.<ref name="Esquire" />

===1990–1999: Established actor ===
[[File:DennisHopperJackNicholson.jpg|thumb|Nicholson (right) and [[Dennis Hopper]] at the [[62nd Academy Awards]], 1990|left|216x216px]]
For his role as hot-headed Col. Nathan R. Jessup in ''[[A Few Good Men]]'' (1992), a movie about a murder in a [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] unit, Nicholson received yet another Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.<ref name="oscar1993">{{cite web|title=The 65th Academy Awards: 1993|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1993|website=Academy Awards Database|date=October 4, 2014 |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]|access-date=March 23, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004418/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1993|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FnO3igOkOk "You Can't Handle the Truth! – A Few Good Men"], fair use clip</ref> One review describes his performance as "spellbinding", adding that he portrayed "the essence of the quintessential military mindset".<ref>Bleiler, David, Ed. ''TLA Video & DVD Guide'', St. Martin's Griffin (2003) p. 206</ref> Critic David Thomson notes that Nicholson's character "blazed and roared".<ref name="Thomson" /> The film's director, [[Rob Reiner]], recalls how Nicholson's level of acting experience affected the other actors during rehearsals: "I had the luck of having Jack Nicholson there. He knows what he's doing, and he comes to play, every time out, full-out performance! And what it says to a lot of the other actors is, 'Oooooh, I better get on my game here because this guy's coming to play! So I can't hold back; I've got to come up to him.' He sets the tone."<ref name="Kagan">Kagan, Jeremy. ''Directors Close Up'', Scarecrow Press (2006) p. 148</ref>

In 1996, Nicholson collaborated once more with ''Batman'' director [[Tim Burton]] on ''[[Mars Attacks!]]'', pulling double duty as two contrasting characters, President James Dale and [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]] property developer Art Land. Not all of Nicholson's performances have been well received. He was nominated for [[Razzie Awards]] as worst actor for ''[[Man Trouble]]'' (1992) and ''[[Hoffa (film)|Hoffa]]'' (1992). But his performance in ''Hoffa'' also earned him a [[Golden Globe]] nomination.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.razzies.com/forum/1992-razzie-nominees-winners_topic342.html|title=Razzie nominations 1992|access-date=March 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831204725/http://www.razzies.com/forum/1992-razzie-nominees-winners_topic342.html|archive-date=August 31, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/?param=/member/29118 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312134700/http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/?param=%2Fmember%2F29118 |archive-date=March 12, 2013 |title=Golden Globe actor reference |url-status=dead }}</ref> David Thomson states that the film was terribly neglected, since Nicholson portrayed one of his best screen characters, someone who is "snarly, dumb, smart, noble, rascally—all the parts of 'Jack'".<ref name="Thomson" /> [[Roger Ebert]] also praised his performance writing, "Nicholson is an actor who can reflect almost anything in his face. One reason his performance is so good as Hoffa is that he reveals almost nothing."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hoffa-1992|title= Hoffa movie review|website= [[Roger Ebert]]|accessdate= February 3, 2024}}</ref>

[[File:Jack Nicholson 2002.jpg|thumb|right|Nicholson in 2002|236x236px]]
Nicholson won his next [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] in the romantic comedy ''[[As Good as It Gets]]'' (1997), his third film directed by [[James L. Brooks]]. He played Melvin Udall, a "wickedly funny",<ref name="Bona" /> mean-spirited novelist with [[obsessive-compulsive disorder]]. "I'm a studio [[Method actor]]", he said. "So I was prone to give some kind of clinical presentation of the disorder."<ref name="RS98">Schruers, Fred. "Rolling Stone Interview with Jack Nicholson", ''Rolling Stone'', March 19, 1998, pp. 38–40</ref> His Oscar was matched by the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] for [[Helen Hunt]], who played a Manhattan single mother drawn into a love/hate friendship with Udall, a frequent diner in the restaurant where she works as a waitress. The film was a box-office success, grossing $314 million, making it Nicholson's second-best-grossing film, after ''Batman''.<ref name="Eliot" /> The win was Nicholson's third Academy Award, tying him with six other actors, [[Walter Brennan]], [[Ingrid Bergman]], [[Meryl Streep]], [[Daniel Day-Lewis]], and [[Frances McDormand]] who all have three acting Oscars.

Nicholson admits he initially disliked playing a middle-aged man alongside a much younger Hunt, seeing it as a movie cliché. "But Helen disarmed that at the first meeting", he says, "and I stopped thinking about it." They got along well during the filming, with Hunt saying that he "treated me like a queen", and they connected immediately: "It wasn't even what we said", she said. "It was just some frequency we both could tune into that was very, very compatible."<ref name="Bona">Bona, Damien. ''Inside Oscar 2'', Random House (2002) e-book</ref> Critic Jack Mathews of ''[[Newsday]]'' said Nicholson was "in rare form", adding, "it's one of those performances that make you aware how much fun the actor is having".<ref name="Bona" /> Author and screenwriter Andrew Horton describes their on-screen relationship as being like "fire and ice, oil and water—seemingly complete opposites".<ref>{{cite book|first=Andrew|last=Horton|title=Laughing Out Loud: Writing the Comedy-centered Screenplay|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|location=Berkeley, California|date=2000|isbn=978-0520220157|page=64}}</ref>

=== 2000–present: Later roles and retirement ===
In 2001, Nicholson was the first actor to receive the [[Stanislavsky Award]] at the [[23rd Moscow International Film Festival]] for "conquering the heights of acting and faithfulness".<ref name="Moscow2001">{{cite web|url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=2001 |title=23rd Moscow International Film Festival (2001) |access-date=March 30, 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328141339/http://moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=2001 |archive-date=March 28, 2013 }}</ref> That same year Nicholson starred in ''[[The Pledge (film)|The Pledge]]'', a [[mystery film|mystery]] drama where he portrays retired police detective Jerry Black, who vows to find a murderer of a young girl. Nicholson was praised for his performance; Bob Graham of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' called it "deeply felt" compared to some of Nicholson's other films.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Bob |date=January 19, 2001 |title=Nicholson Takes 'Pledge' / Penn directs all-star cast in murder mystery |url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Nicholson-Takes-Pledge-Penn-directs-all-star-2962505.php |access-date=July 30, 2022 |website=SFGATE |language=en-US}}</ref> Nicholson acted in [[Alexander Payne]]'s comedy-drama ''[[About Schmidt]]'' (2002), playing a retired [[Omaha]], [[Nebraska]], [[actuary]] who questions his own life after his wife dies. His quietly restrained performance earned him nominations for an [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Academy Award]], [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|BAFTA Award]], [[Golden Globe Award]] and [[Screen Actors Guild Award]] for Best Actor. In ''[[Anger Management (film)|Anger Management]]'' (2003), he played an aggressive therapist assigned to help an overly pacifist man (portrayed by [[Adam Sandler]]). 

In 2003, Nicholson also starred in the [[Nancy Meyers]] directed romantic comedy ''[[Something's Gotta Give (film)|Something's Gotta Give]]'' playing an aging playboy who falls for the mother ([[Diane Keaton]]) of his young girlfriend. For his performance he was nominated for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]]. In late 2006, Nicholson marked his return to the dark side in [[Martin Scorsese's]] Oscar-winning film ''[[The Departed]]'', a remake of [[Andrew Lau]]'s ''[[Infernal Affairs]],'' playing [[Frank Costello (The Departed)|Frank Costello]], a nefarious [[Boston]] [[Irish Mob]] boss based on [[Whitey Bulger]], who was still on the run at the time. The role earned Nicholson worldwide critical praise, along with various awards and nominations, including a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture]] nomination. In 2007, Nicholson co-starred with [[Morgan Freeman]] in [[Rob Reiner]]'s ''[[The Bucket List]]'',<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiy-sT9JgRo "He Saved My Life", a scene in ''The Bucket List''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112144421/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiy-sT9JgRo |date=January 12, 2020 }}, fair use clip</ref> in which Nicholson and Freeman portrayed dying men who fulfill their list of goals. In researching the role, Nicholson visited a Los Angeles hospital to see how cancer patients coped with their illnesses.

{{quote box
| align = right
| width = 25em
| bgcolor = Cornsilk
| quote = Nicholson is the Hollywood celebrity who is most like a character in some ongoing novel of our times. He is also the most beloved of stars—not even his huge wealth, his reckless aging, and the public disasters of his private life can detract from this ... For he is still a touchstone, someone we value for the way he helps us see ourselves.
| source = —[[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]], a film critic.<ref name="Thomson">Thomson, David. ''The New Biographical Dictionary of Film'', Alfred A. Knopf (2002) pp. 634–635</ref>
}}

Nicholson's next film role saw him reunite with [[James L. Brooks]], director of ''[[Terms of Endearment]]'', ''[[Broadcast News (film)|Broadcast News]]'' and ''[[As Good as It Gets]]'', for a supporting role for the 2010 film ''[[How Do You Know]]'' starring [[Paul Rudd]], [[Reese Witherspoon]], and [[Owen Wilson]]. The film was a financial and critical failure. In a September 2013 ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' article, Nicholson said that he did not consider himself retired, but that he was now less driven to "be out there anymore".<ref name="NotRetiring">{{cite magazine|first=Julie|last=Miller|title=Jack Nicholson–Retirement Clarification: The Actor Is Retiring from Hitting on Women, Not Acting|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/09/jack-nicholson-retirement-report|magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|date=September 16, 2013|access-date=December 6, 2016}}</ref> As of 2023, ''How Do You Know'' remains Nicholson's last film role, and brings his filmography to 80 films.<ref name=TheWrap/> In 2013, Nicholson co-presented the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]] with First Lady [[Michelle Obama]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/jack-nicholson-michelle-obama-oscars-2013-2|title= The Funniest Moment From Michelle Obama's Surprise Oscar Appearance|website= [[Business Insider]]|accessdate= February 3, 2024}}</ref>  the eighth time he presented the Academy Award for Best Picture (1972, 1977, 1978, 1990, 1993, 2006, 2007, and 2013). 

On February 15, 2015, Nicholson made a special appearance as a presenter on ''[[Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special|SNL 40]]'', the 40th anniversary special of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMCKaBku83U "Politics – SNL 40th Anniversary Special"], ''Saturday Night Live''</ref> After the death of boxer [[Muhammad Ali]] on June 3, 2016, Nicholson appeared on [[HBO]]'s ''The Fight Game with [[Jim Lampley]]'' for an exclusive interview about his friendship with Ali.<ref>{{cite news|first=Lance|last=Pugmire|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/boxing/la-sp-muhammad-ali-hbo-jim-lampley-20160615-snap-story.html|title=HBO's Jim Lampley captures essence of Muhammad Ali in 'The Fight Game' closing|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 15, 2016|access-date=April 23, 2021}}</ref> He was reported to be starring in an English-language remake of ''[[Toni Erdmann]]'' in 2017 opposite [[Kristen Wiig]], his first feature film role since ''How Do You Know'',<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Kroll|first1=Justin|title=Jack Nicholson, Kristen Wiig to Star in "Toni Erdmann" Remake (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/jack-nicholson-toni-erdmann-remake-retirement-oscar-nominated-1201980617/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|publisher=Penske Business Media, LLC|location=Los Angeles, California|date=February 7, 2017|access-date=February 8, 2017}}</ref> but the project was later abandoned.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://theplaylist.net/jack-nicholson-toni-erdmann-changes-20180815/|title=Jack Nicholson Drops Out Of 'Toni Erdmann' As American Remake Sees Behind-The-Scenes Changes|last=Barfield|first=Charles|date=August 15, 2018|website=[[The Playlist]]|access-date=September 25, 2018|archive-date=January 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130113438/https://theplaylist.net/jack-nicholson-toni-erdmann-changes-20180815/|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2019, with the release of ''The Shining'' sequel ''[[Doctor Sleep (2019 film)|Doctor Sleep]]'', director [[Mike Flanagan (filmmaker)|Mike Flanagan]] revealed he approached Nicholson for a [[cameo appearance]], but Nicholson declined with best wishes.<ref>{{cite web|last=Breznican|first=Anthony|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/11/the-shining-easter-eggs-jack-nicholson-jack-torrance|title=Shades of The Shining: Hunting for Easter Eggs in Doctor Sleep|website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|date=November 21, 2019|access-date=June 4, 2021}}</ref> Flanagan also disclosed that Nicholson had previously been approached to appear in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s science-fiction film ''[[Ready Player One (film)|Ready Player One]]'' (2018).<ref>{{cite news|last=White|first=Nicholas|title=How 'Doctor Sleep' Filmmakers Pulled Off That 'Shining' Cameo|url=https://variety.com/2019/scene/news/doctor-sleep-the-shining-cameo-danny-lloyd-1203388429/|access-date=June 4, 2021|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=October 30, 2019}}</ref> 

During an appearance in the November 2, 2023, episode of [[Marc Maron]]'s podcast, ''[[WTF with Marc Maron]]'', record producer [[Lou Adler]], a longtime friend of Nicholson's, related an anecdote pertaining to the unofficial retirement of the actor, who had not done a film in the 13 years since ''[[How Do You Know]]'', saying, "A friend of mine wanted to put him in a movie. And he had a conversation with him. But Jack says, 'I don't want to do it.' He goes, 'You know what I did today? I sat under a tree and I read a book.' That sounds like Jack." Adler stated that Nicholson was "doing whatever he really wants to do," adding, "He wants to be quiet. He wants to eat what he wants. He wants to live the life he wants."<ref name=TheWrap/>

On February 16, 2025, Nicholson made a rare appearance on ''[[Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special|SNL 50]]'', the 50th anniversary special of ''Saturday Night Live''. He introduced Adam Sandler who performed a tribute song to the show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2025/02/snl50-anniversary-special-jack-nicholson-adam-sandler-1236292317/|title=Jack Nicholson Makes 'SNL50' Appearance To Introduce Adam Sandler Singing "50 Years" Ballad|website=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]|date=February 16, 2025|access-date=February 17, 2025}}</ref>

== Style and influence ==
Nicholson has described [[Marlon Brando]] as a major influence on his career. He stated, "Actors don't normally discuss who the best actor in the world is, because it's obvious—Brando is the best.” He also named [[John Ford]], [[Akira Kurosawa]], and [[Orson Welles]] as his favorite directors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/jack-nicholson-three-favourite-directors/|title= Jack Nicholson names his three favourite directors of all time|website= FarOut Magazine|date= June 27, 2022|accessdate= February 3, 2024}}</ref>

Actors who have cited Nicholson as an influence include [[Leonardo DiCaprio]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.accessonline.com/articles/leonardo-dicaprio-on-his-hollywood-heroes-five-favorite-movies-82191|title= Leonardo DiCaprio On His Hollywood Heroes & Five Favorite Movies|website= Hollywood Access|date= February 13, 2010|accessdate= February 3, 2024}}</ref> [[Alden Ehrenreich]],<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCueMxp6GVk|title= Jack Nicholson's Influence On 'Solo' Star Alden Ehrenreich|magazine= Entertainment Weekly|accessdate= February 3, 2024}}</ref> and [[Morgan Freeman]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/morgan-freeman-jack-nicholson/#:~:text=I%20just%20checked%20off%20Jack,ever%20since%20Five%20Easy%20Pieces.%E2%80%9D|title= Morgan Freeman on the experience of working with Jack Nicholson|website= FarOut Magazine|date= December 11, 2022|accessdate= February 3, 2024}}</ref> 

== Acting credits and accolades ==

{{Main|Jack Nicholson filmography|List of awards and nominations received by Jack Nicholson}}
During his career Nicholson has appeared in 80 films.<ref name=TheWrap>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/jack-nicholson-still-refusing-movie-offers/|title=Jack Nicholson Still Refusing Movie Offers 13 Years After Last Role, Would Rather 'Sit Under a Tree and Read a Book'|author=Bailey, Jeremy|publisher=[[TheWrap]]|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=November 7, 2023|access-date=November 8, 2023|archive-date=November 8, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231108163021/https://www.thewrap.com/jack-nicholson-still-refusing-movie-offers/}}</ref> Among some of Nicholson's films are:
{{div col | colwidth=25em}}
* ''[[Easy Rider]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Carnal Knowledge (film)|Carnal Knowledge]]'' (1971)
* ''[[The Last Detail]]'' (1973)
* ''[[Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]]'' (1974)
* ''[[The Passenger (1975 film)|The Passenger]]'' (1975)
* ''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]'' (1975)
* ''[[The Shining (film)|The Shining]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Reds (film)|Reds]]'' (1981)
* ''[[Terms of Endearment]]'' (1983)
* ''[[Prizzi's Honor]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Heartburn (film)|Heartburn]]'' (1986)
* ''[[Ironweed (film)|Ironweed]]'' (1987) 
* ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' (1989)
* ''[[A Few Good Men]]'' (1992)
* ''[[As Good as It Gets]]'' (1997)
* ''[[About Schmidt]]'' (2002)
* ''[[The Departed]]'' (2006)
{{div col end}}

With 12 [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations (eight for Best Actor and four for Best Supporting Actor), Nicholson is the most nominated male actor in Academy Awards history. Only Nicholson (1960s–2000s), [[Michael Caine]] (1960s–2000s), [[Meryl Streep]] (1970s–2010s), [[Paul Newman]] (1950s–1960s, 1980s–2000s), [[Katharine Hepburn]] (1930s–1960s, 1980s), [[Frances McDormand]] (1980s–2020s), [[Denzel Washington]] (1980s–2020s), and [[Laurence Olivier]] (1930s–1970s) have been nominated for an acting (lead or supporting) Academy Award in five decades. With three Oscar wins, he also ties with [[Walter Brennan]], [[Daniel Day-Lewis]], [[Ingrid Bergman]], [[Frances McDormand]] and [[Meryl Streep]] for the second-most Oscar wins in acting categories. 

Only [[Katharine Hepburn]], with four Oscars, won more. Nicholson is an active and voting member of the Academy. In May 2008, the California Governor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] and First Lady [[Maria Shriver]] announced that Nicholson would be inducted into the [[California Hall of Fame]], located at [[The California Museum]] in [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]. The induction ceremony took place on December 15, 2008, where he was inducted alongside 11 other Californians.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news/nicholson-and-fonda-join-california-hall-of-fame_1088398 |title=Nicholson And Fonda Join California Hall of Fame |date=December 3, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.californiamuseum.org/press-release/california-museums-california-hall-fame-fact-sheet|title=The California Museum's California Hall of Fame Fact Sheet|website=California Museum}}</ref> In 2010, Nicholson was inducted into the [[New Jersey Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web | author=Alloway, Kristen | title=Jack Nicholson, Susan Sarandon are among 15 inducted into N.J. Hall of Fame | website=NJ.com | date=May 3, 2010 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/jack_nicholson_susan_sarandon.html | access-date=May 5, 2017 | archive-date=October 16, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016194905/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/jack_nicholson_susan_sarandon.html | url-status=live }}</ref> In 2011, Nicholson received an honorary [[Doctor of Fine Arts]] degree from [[Brown University]] at its 243rd commencement. At the ceremony, [[Ruth Simmons]], Brown University's president, called him "the most skilled actor of our lifetime".<ref>[http://blogdailyherald.com/2011/06/03/some-wisdom-from-jack-and-binder/#more-15300 "Some Wisdom from Jack... and Binder!"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224105332/http://blogdailyherald.com/2011/06/03/some-wisdom-from-jack-and-binder/#more-15300 |date=February 24, 2021 }} BlogDailyHerald. June 3, 2011.</ref>

==Personal life==
{{hidden |style=float:right; clear:right; width:22em; margin-left:1em; border:1px #aaa solid;
|title=Nicholson's children
|content=
* with [[Sandra Knight]]
** Jennifer Nicholson (born 1963)
* with [[Susan Anspach]]
** Caleb Goddard (born 1970)
* with Winnie Hollman
** Honey Hollman (born 1982)
* with [[Rebecca Broussard]]
** [[Lorraine Nicholson]] (born 1990)
** [[Ray Nicholson]] (born 1992)
* with Jennine Gourin
** Tessa Gourin (born 1994)
}}

===Relationships and children===
In his personal life, Nicholson is notorious for his inability to "settle down";<ref>{{cite web |url=https://maximonline.com/sex-and-dating/the-living-legends-of-sex/ |title=The Living Legends Of Sex |website=Maxim Online |date=January 19, 2019 |access-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-date=November 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106081516/https://maximonline.com/sex-and-dating/the-living-legends-of-sex/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> he has fathered six children by five women but married only once.<ref name="us">{{cite web|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/jack-nicholsons-family-guide-his-6-children-grandchildren/|title=Jack Nicholson's Family Guide: His 6 Children, Grandchildren and the 1 Woman He Married|first=Johnni|last=Macke|date=February 20, 2023|work=Us Weekly}}</ref> Nicholson's marriage was to ''[[The Terror (1963 film)|The Terror]]'' co-star [[Sandra Knight]] from 1962 to 1968, though they separated in 1966.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ninjajournalist.com/entertainment/jack-nicholson/ |title=Jack Nicholson: The Hollywood Heartbreaker |work=Ninjajournalist.com |last=Humphrey |first=Zara |date=September 30, 2019 |access-date=July 14, 2021 |archive-date=November 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106081515/https://www.ninjajournalist.com/entertainment/jack-nicholson/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The couple had one daughter, Jennifer (b. September 13, 1963).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/meet-duke-nicholson-jacks-grandson-demand-actor-1262080|title = Meet Duke Nicholson, Jack's Grandson and In-Demand Actor |work=The Hollywood Reporter |last=Abramovitch |first=Seth |date = December 17, 2019 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}</ref>

''[[Five Easy Pieces]]'' co-star [[Susan Anspach]] contended that her son Caleb (b. September 26, 1970), whose legal father was [[Mark Goddard]], was actually Nicholson's biological son.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/apr/11/susan-anspach-obituary |title=Susan Anspach obituary |website=The Guardian |last=Bergan |first=Ronald |date=April 11, 2018 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Anita|last=Gates|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/05/obituaries/susan-anspach-75-dies-daring-actress-in-maverick-films.html|title=Susan Anspach, 75, Dies; Daring Actress in Maverick Films|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 5, 2018|access-date=March 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328053938/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/05/obituaries/susan-anspach-75-dies-daring-actress-in-maverick-films.html|archive-date=March 28, 2019}}</ref> In 1984, Nicholson said he was not convinced of this,<ref>{{cite magazine|date=March 29, 1984|page=18|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/BPorg/jack/magz/84rs6.jpg|title=Jack Nicholson Interview|quote=I yearn for honesty in life. I'd tell anybody any living thing about me.|access-date=August 15, 2011|archive-date=August 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827162401/http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/BPorg/jack/magz/84rs6.jpg|url-status=live}}</ref> but in 1996, Caleb said that Nicholson had recognized him as his son in private.<ref>{{Cite magazine|first=Tom|last=Gliatto|url=https://people.com/archive/the-house-that-jack-owns-vol-46-no-1/|title=The House That Jack Owns |magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=July 1, 1996 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Robin|last=Abcarian|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-05-29-ls-9610-story.html|title=Never a Borrower or a Lender Be—Especially in Hollywood|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=May 29, 1996|access-date=March 15, 2019}}</ref> By 1998, Nicholson publicly acknowledged Caleb as his son and said that they got along "beautifully now".<ref>{{cite magazine |date=March 19, 1998 |magazine=RollingStone |title=Jack Nicholson: The Badass Hollywood Star |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/jack-nicholson-the-badass-hollywood-star-235172/}}</ref>

In 1971 and 1972, Nicholson was in a relationship with singer [[Michelle Phillips]], the ex-wife of his best friend [[Dennis Hopper]], during which time she suffered a miscarriage.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/12/phillips200712 |title=California Dreamgirl |magazine=Vanity Fair |last=Weller |first=Sheila |date=November 20, 2007 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://people.com/archive/michelle-phillips-is-a-mama-again-and-grainger-hines-is-a-papa-but-dont-bill-them-as-mr-and-mrs-vol-17-no-16/ |title=Michelle Phillips Is a Mama Again, and Grainger Hines Is a Papa, but Don't Bill Them as Mr. and Mrs. |work=People |last=Gritten |first=David |date=April 26, 1982 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}</ref> Nicholson's longest relationship was with actress [[Anjelica Huston]], from 1973 until 1990. Their on-again, off-again romance included several periods of overlap with other women, notably former Bond girl [[Jill St. John]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com/show/515/Jill+St.+John/index.html |title=Jill St John |website=glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}</ref> and Danish model Winnie Hollman, with whom Nicholson had a daughter, Honey Hollman (born January 26, 1982).<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/celebritynews/11340882/The-women-Jack-Nicholson-loved-and-lost-In-pictures.html?frame=3162479|title=The women Jack Nicholson loved and lost: In pictures|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|date=January 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812123858/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/celebritynews/11340882/The-women-Jack-Nicholson-loved-and-lost-In-pictures.html?frame=3162479 |archive-date=August 12, 2018 }}</ref> In 1999, it was discovered that Honey's biological father is producer [[Lou Adler]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.herognu.dk/kendte/sandheden-om-winnie-hollmanns-datter-afsloret-af-dna-test/4603522 | title=Sandheden om Winnie Hollmanns datter: Afsløret af DNA-test | date=September 14, 2024 }}</ref> Despite this, Honey later stated she has a “normal father-daughter relationship” with Nicholson.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bt.dk/underholdning/jack-nicholsons-danske-datter-honey-taler-ud | title=Jack Nicholsons danske datter Honey taler ud | date=January 9, 2006 }}</ref>

The relationship with Huston ended amid actress [[Rebecca Broussard]]'s first pregnancy by Nicholson. He and Broussard had two children, [[Lorraine Nicholson|Lorraine]] (b. April 16, 1990) and [[Ray Nicholson|Raymond]] (b. February 20, 1992).<ref name="Telegraph" /><ref>{{cite magazine|first=Madeline|last=Boardman|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/jack-nicholson-daughter-lorraine-nicholson-make-rare-appearance-pics-20141612|title=Jack Nicholson, Daughter Lorraine Nicholson Make Rare Public Appearance Together|magazine=[[US Weekly]]|date=December 16, 2014 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}</ref> The pair split up in 1994. That same year, Nicholson reportedly had a daughter, Tessa (b. August 15, 1994), with waitress Jeannine Gourin.<ref name="us"/> Nicholson has never publicly acknowledged Tessa as his child.<ref>{{cite book|first=Dennis|last=McDougal|title=Five Easy Decades: How Jack Nicholson Became the Biggest Movie Star in Modern Times|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|location=New York City|date=2008|isbn=978-0471722465|page=351}}</ref>

Beginning in the late 1990s, Nicholson was involved with actress [[Lara Flynn Boyle]]. The two initially broke up in 2000, later reuniting before splitting permanently in 2004, after which Nicholson was linked to English supermodel [[Kate Moss]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/jack-nicholson-and-kate-moss-were-rumoured-to-be-dating |title=September 29 |work=Vogue |last=Cooper |first=Michelle |date=September 29, 2010 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}</ref> In 2006, Nicholson dated actress [[Paz de la Huerta]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/02/paz-de-la-huerta-10-most-scandalous-moments/3 |title=Paz De La Huerta's 10 Most Scandalous Moments |website=Complex.com |date=February 13, 2012 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}</ref>

Nicholson has said that children "give your life a resonance that it can't have without them&nbsp;... As a father, I'm there all the time. I give unconditional love".<ref name="Esquire" /> He has also lamented that he "didn't see enough of my eldest daughter because I was trying to make a career".<ref>{{Cite magazine|first=Zach|last=Johnson|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/jack-nicholson-im-uncomfortable-with-sex-legend-rumors-2012611/|title=Jack Nicholson: I'm "Uncomfortable" With "Sex Legend" Rumors|magazine=[[US Weekly]] |date=November 6, 2012 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}</ref>

===Legal issues===
In a criminal [[complaint]] filed on February 8, 1994, Robert Blank stated that Nicholson, then 56, approached Blank's [[Mercedes-Benz]] while he was stopped at a red light in [[North Hollywood]]. After accusing Blank of cutting him off in traffic, Nicholson used a golf club to bash the roof and windshield of Blank's car. A witness confirmed Blank's account of the incident and [[misdemeanor]] charges of assault and vandalism were filed against Nicholson. Charges were dropped after Nicholson apologized to Blank, and the two reached an undisclosed settlement, which included a reported $500,000 check from Nicholson.<ref name="adherents">{{cite web |date=August 23, 2009 |title=The Religious Affiliation of Jack Nicholson |url=http://www.adherents.com/people/pn/Jack_Nicholson.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009094822/http://www.adherents.com/people/pn/Jack_Nicholson.html |archive-date=October 9, 2015 |access-date=December 16, 2005 |publisher=Adherents.com}}</ref>

In 1996, a lawsuit was brought against Nicholson alleging that he promised a woman named Catherine Sheehan $1,000 for sex and then assaulted her when she asked for the money. Sheehan received a settlement of about $40,000, but filed another lawsuit against him, arguing that the settlement was insufficient to cover the injuries inflicted upon her, including [[Traumatic brain injury|brain trauma]], which she said were "actually killing her."<ref>{{Cite news|author=Guardian Staff|date=May 15, 2000|title=Jack Nicholson sued for assault|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/may/15/news1|access-date=October 2, 2020|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The case was dismissed.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Catherine Sheehan vs. Jack Nicholson|url=https://unicourt.com/case/ca-la22-catherine-sheehan-vs-jack-nicholson-et-al-346830|access-date=March 21, 2022}}</ref>

===Celebrity friendships===
Nicholson lived next door to [[Marlon Brando]] for a number of years on [[Mulholland Drive]] in [[Beverly Hills, California]]. [[Warren Beatty]] also lived nearby, earning the road the nickname "Bad Boy Drive". After Brando's death in 2004, Nicholson purchased his bungalow for $6.1 million, with the purpose of having it demolished. Nicholson said he did so out of respect for Brando's legacy, as it had become too expensive to renovate the "derelict" building, which was plagued by mold.<ref>{{cite news|last=Harlow|first=John|title=Jack Nicholson to demolish his friend Brando's house|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article601239.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918015241/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article601239.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 18, 2008|work=The Sunday Times|access-date=September 26, 2011|date=August 6, 2006|location=London}}</ref>

Nicholson's friendship with author-journalist [[Hunter S. Thompson]] is described in Thompson's autobiography ''[[Kingdom of Fear (book)|Kingdom of Fear]]'' (2003).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Heigl|first1=Alex|title=The Five Most Gonzo Stories About Hunter S. Thompson|url=http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/the-five-most-gonzo-stories-about-hunter-s-thompson|website=Nerve|access-date=March 23, 2015|archive-date=January 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119071408/http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/the-five-most-gonzo-stories-about-hunter-s-thompson|url-status=live}}</ref> After Thompson died in 2005, Nicholson and fellow actors [[Johnny Depp]], [[John Cusack]], and [[Sean Penn]] attended his private memorial service in Colorado.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Bane|first=Vickie|title=Jack Nicholson Draws Hunter S. Thompson|journal=People|date=March 9, 2005}}</ref> Nicholson was also a close friend of [[Robert Evans]], the producer of ''[[Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]]'', and after Evans lost Woodland, his home, as the result of a 1980s drug bust, Nicholson and other friends of Evans bought Woodland to give it back to him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reelingreviews.com/thekidstaysinthepicture.htm|title=The Kid Stays in the Picture|work=reelingreviews.com|access-date=August 4, 2014|archive-date=September 27, 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020927162151/http://www.reelingreviews.com/thekidstaysinthepicture.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Nicholson is also friends with fellow New Jerseyans [[Danny DeVito]] and [[Joe Pesci]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Jack Nicholson gets inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWEcK0ai2Ns |website=YouTube | date=July 6, 2010 |access-date=June 19, 2022}}</ref>

===Hobbies===
Nicholson is a fan of the [[New York Yankees]] and [[Los Angeles Lakers]]. He became a Lakers season ticket holder in [[1970–71 Los Angeles Lakers season|1970]], and held courtside seats next to the opponent's benches both at [[Kia Forum|The Forum]] and [[Crypto.com Arena|Staples Center]]. He was described as a "fixture" at the games, though his regular attendance had stopped by 2021, as he withdrew from public appearances.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/jack-nicholsons-friends-fear-he-has-become-recluse-like-marlon-brando-fbk9nb78t|title = Jack Nicholson's friends fear he has become recluse like Marlon Brando|newspaper = [[The Times]]|date = January 12, 2023|access-date = January 12, 2023|last = Southern|first = Keiran|url-access = subscription}}</ref> Nicholson occasionally argued with game officials and opposing players, and even walked onto the court.<ref name="BBC">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3018487.stm "Nicholson gets court rage"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602130449/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3018487.stm |date=June 2, 2010 }}. BBC News. May 11, 2003.</ref> He was almost ejected from a Lakers playoff game in May 2003 after yelling at a referee.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://branimir.photoshelter.com/image/I0000S8CV6rKLlEw |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216164232/http://branimir.photoshelter.com/image/I0000S8CV6rKLlEw |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 16, 2013 |title=Jack Nicholson yells at referee }}</ref> After the death of former Lakers star [[Kobe Bryant]] in a [[2020 Calabasas helicopter crash|helicopter crash]] in January 2020, Nicholson gave a rare phone interview to Los Angeles station [[KCBS-TV]] expressing his grief.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-01-27/kobe-bryant-jack-nicholson-interview-tribute |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127204241/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-01-27/kobe-bryant-jack-nicholson-interview-tribute |archive-date=January 27, 2020 |title=Longtime Lakers fan Jack Nicholson mourns Kobe Bryant: 'It kills you' |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=January 27, 2020 }}</ref> He attended a [[2023 NBA playoffs|2023 playoff game]], which media outlets noted was his first appearance at a Lakers game in nearly two years.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2023/04/jack-nicholson-back-at-laker-game-1235341595/|title = Jack Is Back! Jack Nicholson Attends A Laker Game for First Time Since 2021, Is Greeted By LeBron James & Larry David, Gets JumboTron Tribute|work = [[Deadline Hollywood]]|date = April 28, 2023|accessdate = April 28, 2023|last = Tapp|first = Tom}}</ref>

Nicholson is a collector of 20th-century and contemporary paintings, including those of [[Henri Matisse]], [[Tamara de Lempicka]], [[Andy Warhol]] and [[Jack Vettriano]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-23-ca-41927-story.html|title=New Angle on a Symbol of Art Deco: Painting: Tamara de Lempicka's portraits of the '20s and '30s leisure class are finding revived interest.|work=Los Angeles Times|date=September 23, 1994|access-date=September 26, 2014|archive-date=March 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306172053/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-09-23/entertainment/ca-41927_1_art-deco|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Braid|first=Mary|title=Jack Nicholson loves him. The public adores him. His erotic art has made him millions and his posters outsell Van Gogh and Star Wars. So why is Jack Vettriano so bitter?|work=The Independent|date=July 23, 1999|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/jack-nicholson-loves-him-the-public-adores-him-his-erotic-art-has-made-him-millions-and-his-posters-outsell-van-gogh-and-star-wars-so-why-is-jack-vettriano-so-bitter-1107992.html|access-date=February 22, 2009|location=London|archive-date=May 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510100117/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/jack-nicholson-loves-him-the-public-adores-him-his-erotic-art-has-made-him-millions-and-his-posters-outsell-van-gogh-and-star-wars-so-why-is-jack-vettriano-so-bitter-1107992.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1995, artist [[Edward Ruscha]] said that Nicholson has "one of the best collections out here".<ref>[[Bob Colacello]] (April 1995), [http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/1995/04/art-of-the-deal-199504 The Art of the Deal] ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]''.</ref>

=== Political views ===
Nicholson has called himself a "lifelong [[Irish nationality law|Irish]] [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/jack-nicholson-goes-public-his-politics-1C9486971|title=Jack Nicholson goes public with his politics|work=Today.com|date=December 20, 2007|access-date=December 7, 2020}}</ref> He supported [[George McGovern]] in the [[1972 United States presidential election|1972 presidential election]], [[Michael Dukakis]] in [[1988 United States presidential election|1988]], [[Hillary Clinton]] in [[2008 United States presidential election|2008]], and [[Bernie Sanders]] in [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]].<ref>{{cite web|date=January 31, 2020|title=From Ariana Grande to Donald Glover: the celebrities endorsing Democrats for president|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/31/democrats-2020-election-celebrity-endorsements-bernie-sanders-elizabeth-warren|work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref name="today.com">{{Cite web |title=Jack Nicholson goes public with his politics |url=http://www.today.com/popculture/jack-nicholson-goes-public-his-politics-1C9486971 |access-date=February 23, 2023 |website=TODAY.com |date=December 20, 2007 |language=en}}</ref>

Nicholson supports [[solar energy]], [[Drug liberalization|decriminalizing drugs]], [[United States antitrust law|monopoly laws]], and raising teachers' pay.<ref name="today.com"/> Although personally against [[abortion]], he is [[Abortion-rights movement|pro-choice]]. He has said, "I'm pro-choice but against abortion because I'm an illegitimate child myself, and it would be hypocritical to take any other position. I'd be dead. I wouldn't exist." He has also said that he has "nothing but total admiration, gratitude, and respect for the strength of the women who made the decision they made in my individual case".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-15-vw-859-story.html|title=NAMES IN THE NEWS: Nicholson Split on Abortion|work=Los Angeles Times|date=August 15, 1990}}</ref>

=== Religious beliefs ===
Nicholson was raised [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] and has expressed admiration for the religion, calling it "the only official [[dogma]] training I've had. I liked it. It's a smart religion."<ref name="adherents" /> It has been asserted that some of Nicholson's 1970s movie roles were influenced by Catholicism.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 9, 2015 |title=The religion of Jack Nicholson, actor |url=http://www.adherents.com/people/pn/Jack_Nicholson.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009094822/http://www.adherents.com/people/pn/Jack_Nicholson.html |archive-date=October 9, 2015 }}</ref> In a 1992 ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' interview, Nicholson said, "I don't believe in God now. I can still work up an envy for someone who has faith. I can see how that could be a deeply soothing experience."<ref>{{cite book|first=Warren Allen|last=Smith|title=Celebrities in Hell|publisher=Barricade Books|location=Fort Lee, New Jersey|date=2002|isbn=978-0557666058|quote="I don't believe in God now", Nicholson told a 1992 Vanity Fair interviewer. But: "I can still work up an envy for someone who has faith. I can see how that could be a deeply soothing experience."}}</ref>

== Explanatory notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== General and cited bibliography ==
* {{cite book|last=Duncan|first=Paul|year=2003|title=Stanley Kubrick: The Complete Films |publisher=Taschen GmbH|isbn=978-3-8365-2775-0}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
* {{AFI person | 75990-Jack-Nicholson }}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* {{HWOF|Jack-Nicholson}}
* {{C-SPAN|27197}}
* {{discogs artist|Jack Nicholson}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080306201050/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/jack_nicholson_secrets_of_the_great_seducer "Jack Nicholson: A Singular Guy"] – ''Rolling Stone'' interview with Jack Nicholson, September 20, 2006
* [http://www.jack-nicholson.info/ Jack Nicholson Online]—Fan site: pictures, interviews, latest news on Jack Nicholson

{{Jack Nicholson}}
{{Navboxes
| title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Jack Nicholson|Awards for Jack Nicholson]]
| list  =
{{Academy Award Best Actor}}
{{Academy Award Best Supporting Actor}}
{{AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Actor}}
{{AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Grownup Love Story}}
{{AFI Life Achievement Award}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor}}
{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Prix d'interprétation masculine 1960–1979}}
{{Cecil B. DeMille Award}}
{{Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor}}
{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor}}
{{David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor}}
{{Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Golden Globe Award Best Actor Motion Picture Drama}}
{{Golden Globe Award Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy}}
{{Golden Globe Award Best Supporting Actor Motion Picture}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Children's Album}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 2000s}}
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{MTV Movie Award for Best Villain}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Actor}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor}}
{{San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor}}
{{Satellite Award Best Actor Motion Picture}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Actor}}
{{ScreenActorsGuildAward MaleLeadMotionPicture}}
{{Stanislavsky Award}}
{{Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor}}
}}
{{Los Angeles Lakers}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Jack}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:AFI Life Achievement Award recipients]]
[[Category:Actors from Monmouth County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:American atheists]]
[[Category:American art collectors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Welsh descent]]
[[Category:Best Actor Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners]]
[[Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners]]
[[Category:California Democrats]]
[[Category:Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor winners]]
[[Category:Cecil B. DeMille Award Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:David di Donatello winners]]
[[Category:Former Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Kennedy Center honorees]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Lakers]]
[[Category:Male actors from New Jersey]]
[[Category:Male actors from New York City]]
[[Category:Manasquan High School alumni]]
[[Category:Method actors]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Monmouth County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:New Jersey Democrats]]
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Screen Actors Guild Award winners]]
[[Category:People from Aspen, Colorado]]
[[Category:People from Neptune City, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Spring Lake, New Jersey]]
[[Category:United States Air Force airmen]]