Three Oscars and more than sixty years of active film: the life and extraordinary career of the Hollywood star
Source: Archive
- Full name: John Joseph Nicholson
- Date of birth: 04/22/1937
- Place of birth: Neptune city
- Star sign: bull
- Height: 1.78m
- Nationality: United States of America
- Profession: actor
- Debut Date: 1958
biography
Jack Nicholson’s acting career spanned almost sixty years beginning with since his 1958 debut in The Cry Baby Killeruntil he retired from the scene with the release of How Do You Know and was made official by director Mike Flanagan in 2019. During years of studying acting in Los Angeles, Nicholson befriended Dennis Hopper and Roger Corman, who will kickstart his career.
In addition to producing his first film, Corman hires the actor, who directs him in various roles (The Little Shop of Horrors, The Wax Maiden, The Valentine’s Day Massacre). However, his career is so difficult to get off the ground that Nicholson plans to pursue the role of screenwriter or director. At the end of the decade, however, comes the role that propels him to the fore: in 1969, Nicholson starred opposite his friend Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider, cult film of the Beat Generation which also earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars.
His career is now on the rise and the actor is often slipping into more and more different roles Cooperation with top-class directors: Roman Polański (Chinatown), Stanley Kubrick, for whom he plays the iconic role of Jack Torrance (The Shining), Tim Burton, under whose direction he wears the mask of the Joker (Batman), James L. Brooks (Longing for Tenderness, Something is changed, how do you know), Sean Penn (The Promise) and Martin Scorzese, with whom he first collaborated in 2006 (The Departed).
The names behind the camera are big, but so are those who share the screen with Nicholson. In fact, he stars in Desire of Tenderness alongside Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger. The film received eleven Oscar nominations and won five, including best supporting actor for Nicholson. In Reds he joins the scene alongside Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton, with whom he will collaborate in 2003’s Everything Can Happen. In Heartburn, he is the opposite of Meryl Streep.
In 1992 he took on the role of Colonel Nathan R. Jessup in Code of Honor with Tom Cruise, Kevin Bacon and Cuba Gooding Jr. in The Promise Shares the Scene with Helen Mirren and Benicio del Toro; while working with actor Morgan Freeman on Never Too Late.
private life
Jack Nicholson is the son of showgirl June Frances Nicholson, who the actor long believed was his sister and whose true identity was only revealed after her death. Nicholson was then actually raised by his maternal grandmother, Ethel May. The actor has six childrenonly four of which are officially recognised.
The eldest daughter, Jennifer, is the daughter of a marriage to actress Sandra Knight that lasted from 1962 to 1968. Son Caleb was born in lieu of acquaintance with Susan Anspach, while children Lorraine and Raymond are the fruit of relationship with Rebecca Broussard.
After his first marriage, the actor never remarried but had a long relationship with Anjelica Huston that lasted from 1973 to 1990. From the late 1990s to 2004, the actor was romantically linked to actress Lara Flynn Boye and later dated model Kate Moss for a time.
projects
- 1958 – The Cry Baby Killer (film directed by Jus Addiss)
- 1960 – The Little Shop of Horrors (directed by Roger Corma)
- 1969 – Easy Rider (film directed by Dennis Hopper)
- 1970 – Five Easy Pieces (film directed by Bob Rafelson)
1973 – The Last Corvé (film directed by Hal Ashby) - 1974 – Chinatown (film directed by Roman Polański)
- 1975 – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (film by Miloš Forman)
- 1980 – The Shining (film directed by Stanley Kubrick)
- 1981 – The Postman Always Rings Twice (director Bob Rafelson)
- 1981 – Reds (film directed by Warren Beatty)
- 1983 – Longing for Tenderness (film directed by James L. Brooks)
- 1984 – L’onore dei Prizzi (film directed by John Huston)
- 1986 – Heartburn (Movie directed by Mike Nichols)
- 1989 – Batman (film directed by Tim Burton)
- 1992 – Code of Honor (film directed by Rob Reiner)
- 1996 – Mars Attacks! (movie by Tim Burton)
- 1997 Something Has Changed (film directed by James L. Brooks)
- 2001 – The Promise (Sean Penn film)
- 2002 – About Schmidt (film directed by Alexander Payne)
- 2003 – Anything Can Happen (directed by Nancy Meyers)
- 2006 – The Departed (film directed by Martin Scorsese)
- 2007 – It’s Never Too Late (film directed by Rob Reiner)
- 2010 How Do You Know (film directed by James L. Brooks)
Awards and Recognitions
- 1975 – BAFTA for Best Actor for The Last Corvé and Chinatown
- 1976 – Oscar for best actor for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
- 1975 – Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama for Chinatown
- 1976: Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
- 1977 – BAFTA Award for Best Actor for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
- 1983 – BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for The Reds
- 1984 – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Longing for Tenderness
- 1984 – Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for Yearning for Tenderness
- 1986 – Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical Film for L’onore dei Prizzi
- 1998 – Oscar for Best Actor for Something Has Changed
- 1998 – Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Something Has Changed
- 1999 – Golden Globe for lifetime achievement
- 2001 – Kennedy Center Honors for services to the arts and culture
- 2003 – Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Film for About Schmidt
How many Oscar nominations has Jack Nicholson received?
Although he has only won three Oscars, Jack Nicholson has received twelve nominations, including eight for best actor and four for supporting actor.
Why did Jack Nicholson retire from the stage?
Jack Nicholson’s last film was in 2010, and despite a brief appearance in the 2015 SNL special, the actor appears to have actually retired from the scene. He hasn’t given a reason or confirmed his decision, although rumors have been circulating about an alleged illness (perhaps Alzheimer’s) that may have influenced his choice.
Who is Jack Nicholson’s father?
The authorship of the actor Jack Nicholson is unknown to this day. It has been speculated over the years that the father could be Eddie King, June’s dance partner when he worked at a New Jersey cabaret. Other rumors instead believe that it’s Don Furcillo-Rose, singer and ex-boyfriend of June, who actually claimed paternity, but the actor didn’t then confirm it.