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Jack Nicholson
A star on a movie set is like a time bomb. That bomb has got to be defused so people can approach it without fear.
— Jack Nicholson
AFTER a decade of roles in second-rate horror and motorcycle movies (mainly helmed by fringe director Roger Corman), Jack Nicholson’s ship came in when Rip Torn shipped out of Easy Rider in 1969. He made the most of his small part and earned the first of many Oscar nominations; he then made screen history in the offbeat Five Easy Pieces diner scene a year later. From then on, more nominations and acclaim accumulated for brilliant characterizations in Carnal Knowledge, The Last Detail, and Chinatown, among others.By the time he won the Oscar, in 1975, for a tour de force portrayal in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nicholson was solidly established as Hollywood’s hottest and most versatile star. He added a Supporting Actor statue to his mantle in 1983 for his aging astronaut in Terms of Endearment, which was his only win out of a string of nominations for off-beat, anti-hero roles in Reds, Prizzi’s Honor, and Ironweed. As Batman’s Joker, he added no less than $50 million to his till in pay and merchandising profits. Stints in the director’s chair were less successful: Goin’ South and The Two Jakes were genuine disasters. But audiences never complained. On a first-name basis with their favorite devil, the public is willing to forgive freak accidents like Man Trouble, the actor’s own women troubles, and the golf club incident, especially when he continues to deliver towering performances in films such as A Few Good Men, which earned him yet another Supporting Actor nomination. In fact, Nicholson’s portrayals are always strong, even when the films he inhabits are anything but: his dual role–as an oily U.S. president and an equally unctuous Las Vegas slimeball–in Mars Attacks!, Tim Burton’s cheeky alien-invasion spoof, delighted audiences if not critics; and though The Evening Star, the entirely unnecessary sequel to 1983’s Terms of Endearment, was difficult to stomach, his essentially pointless cameo provided a much-needed moment of blessed relief. But the following year, Nicholson mesmerized critics and audiences alike with his Golden Globe- and Oscar-winning performance as an obsessive-compulsive New York novelist in director James L. Brooks’s As Good As It Gets, proving yet again his peerless talent for making an excessively detestable character likable.
Nicholson’s private life mirrors his nonconformist roles. His sister turned out to be his mother and his mother his granny, a fact that a Time magazine researcher discovered while preparing a cover story on him. A four-year marriage to actress Sandra Knight and a seventeen-year relationship with Anjelica Huston didn’t disrupt indulgences in a roster of recreational drugs and romances with starlets, models, Michelle Phillips, and his daughter’s best friend. When the latter (Rebecca Broussard) became pregnant in 1990, Huston finally turned in her house key. Nicholson embraced late-life fatherhood by settling the new family in front of a hearth in a separate house on his grounds.
Occupation: Actor, Director, Producer, Screenwriter
Date of Birth: April 22, 1937
Place of Birth: New York City, N.Y., USA
Sign: Sun in Taurus, Moon in Libra
Relations: First wife: Sandra Knight; ex-longtime companion: Anjelica Huston; former companion: Rebecca Broussard; current companion: Lara Flynn Boyle; kids: Jennifer, Lorraine, Raymond
Education: Attended Manasquan High School in New Jersey
Fan Mail: C/O Bresler Kelly & Associates
11500 West Olympic Blvd.
Ste. 510
Los Angeles, CA 90064.
Jack Nicholson: Credits
MOVIES
Actor
Blood and Wine — 1997
As Good As It Gets — 1997
Mars Attacks! — 1996
The Evening Star — 1996
The Crossing Guard — 1995
Wolf — 1994
Man Trouble — 1992
A Few Good Men — 1992
Hoffa — 1992
The Two Jakes — 1990
Batman — 1989
Broadcast News — 1987
The Witches of Eastwick — 1987
Ironweed — 1987
Heartburn — 1986
Prizzi’s Honor — 1985
Terms of Endearment — 1983
The Border — 1982
Reds — 1981
The Postman Always Rings Twice — 1981
The Shining — 1980
Goin’ South — 1978
The Missouri Breaks — 1976
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest — 1975
The Fortune — 1975
Tommy — 1975
The Passenger — 1975
Chinatown — 1974
The Last Detail — 1973
The King of Marvin Gardens — 1972
Carnal Knowledge — 1971
A Safe Place — 1971
Five Easy Pieces — 1970
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever — 1970
Psych-Out — 1968
The Trip — 1967
The Shooting — 1967
Hell’s Angels on Wheels — 1967
Rebel Rousers — 1967
Ride in the Whirlwind — 1966
Back Door to Hell — 1964
Ensign Pulver — 1964
The Terror — 1963
The Raven — 1963
The Broken Land — 1962
Too Soon To Love — 1960
The Wild Ride — 1960
The Little Shop of Horrors — 1960
Studs Lonigan — 1960
The Cry Baby Killer — 1958
Cry Baby Killer — 1958
Director
The Two Jakes — 1990
Goin’ South — 1978
The Last Tycoon — 1976
Drive, He Said — 1972
Easy Rider — 1969
Screenwriter
Head — 1968
The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre — 1967
The Trip — 1967
Flight to Fury — 1966
Ride in the Whirlwind — 1966
Other Movie Credits
Drive, He Said — 1972 (Co-Producer)
Drive, He Said — 1972 (Co-Screenwriter)
Psych-Out — 1968 (Co-Producer)
Psych-Out — 1968 (Co-Screenwriter)
Head — 1968 (Co-Producer)
Head — 1968 (Uncredited)
The Shooting — 1967 (Co-Producer)
Ride in the Whirlwind — 1966 (Co-Producer)
Thunder Island — 1963 (Co-Screenwriter)
MUSIC
How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin — 1990
How the Camel Got His Hump — 1990
The Elephant’s Child — 1987
TV
The American Institute Salute to Jack Nicholson — 1994 (Special)
The Elephant’s Child — 1987 (Narrator)
Hawaiian Eye — 1962 (”Total Eclipse” episode)
Wells Fargo — 1961 (”The Washburn Girl” episode)
As Good As It Gets video games commerce
Official site for the obsessive comedy, with cast biographies, a game, photos, video clips and trailer.
http://www.spe.sony.com/movies/asgoodasitgets/
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining
Multimedia, critique, production information, forum, and links.
http://www.mindbuilder.com/mkraft/shining/
As Good As HE Gets audio
Fan tribute to Jack Nicholson includes a biography, photos, quotes and audio clips from “The Shining” and “As Good As It Gets.
http://members.tripod.com/~Upd5graff/
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
Cuckoo’s Nest: A Jack Nicholson Fan Page
Provides a biography, filmography and awards.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Film/3000/
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
Mr Showbiz News: Woman Sues Jack Nicholson for Assault
A woman has filed a lawsuit against Jack Niclolson claiming that the actor assualted her four years ago. 5/12/00
http://mrshowbiz.go.com/news/Todays_Stories/512/ni…
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
Photo Gallery:
Topics: Actor, Celebrities, Director, Producer, Writer
Tags: Actor, Blood and Wine, Broadcast News, CHINATOWN, Cuckoo's Nest, Director, EASY RIDER, Few Good Men, Flight to Fury, Head, Hoffa, Ironweed, Man Trouble, Mars Attacks, Michelle Phillips, Nicholson, Producer, Screenwriter, Terms of Endearment
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