Matinee Classics - Jack Nicholson Biography & Filmography

Jack Nicholson ACTOR

PHOTOS

JACK NICHOLSON BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Jack Nicholson is one of the film industry’s most esteemed actors of all time, and he is an undeniable screen icon. He is a multitalented man, with acting, directing, screenwriting, and producing under his job title. He is best known for playing mentally unstable characters, but has very versatile talent, playing in movies of all genres. His abilities show, for he has literally won dozens of awards, and currently has the highest number of Oscar nominations for a man.

He was born John Joseph Nicholson on April 22, 1937 in Neptune, New Jersey. After graduating from high school, Nicholson decided to try to make a life for himself acting, so he moved to California. While there, he began as an office boy for MGM’s cartoon department. Nicholson soon started studying acting with the Players Ring Theater, and eventually was seen in plays and on television. He finally got his break in 1958 as the lead in the low-budget teen drama “The Cry Baby Killer” starring Harry Lauter and Carolyn Mitchell, with producer Roger Corman. Nicholson continued to play a distressed teenager in Corman’s “Too Soon to Love” (1960) starring Richard Evans and Jennifer West. Corman, obviously, directed Nicholson on multiple occasions. This trend continued in “The Little Shop of Horrors” (1960) starring with Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles and Dick Miller, “The Terror” (1963) co-starring with Jonathan Haze, Boris Karloff and Dick Miller, “The Raven” (1963) starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff, and “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” (1967) starring Jason Robards, George Segal, David Canary, John Agar, Buck Taylor, Leo Gordon, Jan Merlin, Bruce Dern, Harold J. Stone, Reed Hadley, Joseph Campanella and Ralph Meeker.

Nicholson’s career at last started to pick up after his role in “Easy Rider” (1969) also starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, as the heavy-drinking lawyer George Hanson. This performance landed him his first Oscar nomination. His part in “Five Easy Pieces” (1970) starring with Karen Black, Susan Anspach, Ralph Waite and Sally Struthers, ensued shortly after, earning him his second Oscar nomination as well as a Golden Globe nomination. This movie contains his famed chicken salad discussion regarding getting what you want. Next, he produced, wrote, directed, and starred in “Drive, He Said” (1971) starring Karen Black, Bruce Dern, Robert Towne and Jaglom, which received little attention. The follow up, “Carnal Knowledge” (1971) starring alongside Art Garfunkel, Candice Bergen, Ann Margret, Carol Kane, Cynthia O'Neal and Rita Moreno, however, was very successful. In 1973, Nicholson played the lead in “The Last Detail” also starring Randy Quaid, Michael Moriarty, Gilda Radner, Otis Young, Carol Kane and Nancy Allen, which won him Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. After, came the suspenseful “Chinatown” sharing the spotlight with Faye Dunaway and John Huston, also giving the actor an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe.

Nicholson finally won an actual Oscar award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the epic “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” (1975) Louise Fletcher, Danny DeVito and Will Sampson among many others, directed by Michael Douglas, where he pretends to be mentally unstable in order to avoid jail time. The movie in whole received five Oscars and gave Nicholson a Golden Globe. At this point, Nicholson became notable for his explosive and dramatic performances, and thus he was the insane Jack in Stephen King’s “The Shining” (1980) also starring Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd and Scatman Crothers.

The actor’s next Oscar nomination came when he was the supporting role in “Reds” (1981) co-starring Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrmann, Jerzy Kosinski, Paul Sorvino, Maureen Stapleton, Gene Hackman, Ramon Bieri, Nicolas Coster and M. Emmet Walsh. His next Oscar win emerged after his depiction of an aging astronaut in “Terms of Endearment” (1983) also starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jeff Daniels, Danny DeVito and John Lithgow, also winning him a Golden Globe. He collected even more awards for the films “Prizzi’s Honor” (1985) starring his then-girlfriend Anjelica Huston and Kathleen Turner, Robert Loggia, William Hickey and Lawrence Tierney and 1987’s “Ironweed” starring Meryl Streep, Carroll Baker, Michael O'Keefe, Diane Venora, Fred Gwynne, Nathan Lane and Tom Waits. Additionally in 1987, Nicholson played the devil in “The Witches of Eastwick” also starring Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Veronica Cartwright and Susan Sarandon.

He took a two year breather from movies, but came back with a vengeance as the Joker in Tim Burton’s “Batman” (1989) starring alongside Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams and Jack Palance. This role earned Nicholson a generous $60 million and a few award nominations. Next, he directed, produced, and starred in the sequel to “Chinatown”, “The Two Jakes” (1990). He still kept his position on top with his performance in “A Few Good Men” (1992) co-starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak and Kiefer Sutherland, the movie with the famous line “You can’t handle the truth!” He took home another Golden Globe nomination and an Oscar, plus a couple smaller award wins for this role. His next movie, “Hoffa” with Danny DeVito and Armand Assante, carried mixed reviews though, for it won both a Golden Globe nomination and a Razzie award for worst actor. In 1995, the actor undertook the position of a bitter man with regret of the past in Sean Penn’s “The Crossing Guard” co-starring David Morse, Anjelica Huston, Robin Wright and Piper Laurie.

Nicholson reunited with director Tim Burton in 1996’s “Mars Attacks!” starring alongside Lukas Haas, Annette Bening, Jim Brown, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Glenn Close, Martin Short, Jack Black, Natalie Portman, Danny DeVito, and Christina Applegate, as two separate roles. The following year he picked up yet another Oscar for his part in “As Good as it Gets” (1997), portraying an OCD infected author who has a romance with actress Helen Hunt.

After another short hiatus, Nicholson revisited the silver screen in the thriller “The Pledge” (2001) also starring Vanessa Redgrave, Mickey Rourke, Sam Shepard, Robin Wright, Benicio del Toro, Tom Noonan and Patricia Clarkson, again under guidance of the actor-turned-director Sean Penn. Though this movie had a small fan following, his next movie would get him back into the game. “About Schmidt” (2002) starring Dermot Mulroney, Kathy Bates and Hope Davis, a story about a man who inquires about his life after the passing of his wife, showed Nicholson’s calm and restrained side. This character proved his talent as an actor and thus he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Nicholson was then comical in “Anger Management” (2003) with funny man Adam Sandler. He also acted as skirt chaser who is unwillingly getting older in “Something’s Gotta Give” (2003) also starring Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Amanda Peet, Frances McDormand, Paul Michael Glaser, Jon Favreau and KaDee Strickland .

Near the end of 2006 the actor returned to the 'dark side' as a mob leader in the Oscar-winning “The Departed” with Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. In contrast, Nicholson co-starred with Morgan Freeman in the feel-good film “The Bucket List”, where two dying men decide to carry out their life wishes before they kick the bucket. His most recent movie role was in the romantic comedy “How Do You Know?”.

Jack Nicholson is unarguably one of the all-time greatest actors. His career has spanned over five decades, and he has been a part of over sixty feature films. His pictures were rarely duds, also, as he is only one of two actors that has been nominated for an Academy Award in acting for every decade since the 1960's (Michael Caine is the other). He has three Academy Awards and seven Globe Awards under his belt. In 1994, Nicholson emerged as one of the youngest actors to be bestowed with the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award. He also won the Cecil B. Demille Award in 1999 for his contributions to the entertainment field. In 2001, he received a Kennedy Center Honor and became the first actor to accept a Stanislavsky Award at the Moscow International Film Festival for “conquering the heights of acting and faithfulness”. In 2004, the actor received the Golden Camera Award for being the Best International Actor. Additionally, Nicholson boasts a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture industry.