Born on April 22, 1937 in Manhattan, New York, Nicholson was raised believing his grandmother was his mother, and his mother, a showgirl, was his older sister. He discovered the truth in 1975 from a Time magazine journalist who was researching a profile on him. Nicholson made his film debut in a B-movie titled Grita, asesino (1958).
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
| Sandra Knight | (17 June 1962 - 8 August 1968) (divorced) (1 child) |
Trade Mark
Dark sunglasses
Slow drawl and shark's grin
Often plays charming, anti-authoritarian characters
Frequently works with Danny DeVito
Frequently works as a character with mental instability
His somewhat maniacal laugh
Method acting.
Trivia
Ranked #6 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute.
Used to be a messenger boy for MGM's cartoon department.
He was the 2001 John F. Kennedy Center Honors recipient.
Dedicated his Oscar for Mejor... imposible (1997) to J.T. Walsh, his co-star in Algunos hombres buenos (1992) who had died shortly before the Academy Awards in 1998.
In 1994, in an apparent bout of rage, he smashed a man's car
window in with a golf club. He expressed remorse for the incident in an
interview with US Magazine.
Loves jokes at his expense so much that he showed up at every Academy Awards hosted by Billy Crystal, who in turn would incorporate Nicholson somehow in the telecast.
Lives on famed "Bad Boy Drive" a.k.a. Mulholland Drive in Beverly
Hills, California. It's nicknamed so because its residents have included
former Hollywood bad boys Warren Beatty, and the late Marlon Brando.
Avid Los Angeles Lakers fan and is often seated next to his good friend Lou Adler.
He rarely misses a Lakers home game. Contrary to popular belief,
Nicholson never had production companies schedule the filming of a movie
he was in to accommodate his attendance at sporting events. Nicholson
is also a life-long fan of the New York Yankees.
Was asked, along with Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty, to play the role of Michael Corleone in El padrino (1972).
The Best Lady at his wedding to Sandra Knight was Millie Perkins. The Best Man was Harry Dean Stanton. After their divorce, Nicholson lived, for a time, at Harry Dean Stanton's place.
Long refused to do any televised interviews except for press
conferences. But in recent years, he has occasionally agreed to speak
briefly when approached by reporters. He has not appeared on a talk show
since 1971.
Flew to Cuba and met with Fidel Castro
in June 1998. While there, he also met with leaders of the Cuban film
industry, enjoyed local restaurants, jazz clubs and visited a famous
cigar factory. He left greatly impressed with the country and its
Communist dictator, who he described as "a genius", though the luxuries
he was treated to on the island are off-limits to most Cuban citizens.
Each one of the films for which he has won an Oscar has also won Best Actress in a Leading Role (Louise Fletcher, Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (1975); Shirley MacLaine, La fuerza del cariño (1983); Helen Hunt, Mejor... imposible (1997)).
Has a second home in Aspen, Colorado.
Graduate of Manasquan High School, Manasquan, New Jersey, where he was voted "Class Clown" by the Class of 1954.
Boyhood friend of Danny DeVito. Nicholson's relatives and DeVito's relatives ran a hair salon together.
Presented the Best Picture Oscar seven times (1972, 1977, 1978,
1990, 1993, 2006 and 2007), more than any other actor or actress. Though
he was a relative new comer and lacked the status typically associated
with Best Picture presenters, the then-two-time nominee took on the
assignment in 1972 when many better-known celebrities balked at the job,
worried that they would be tainted if Stanley Kubrick's La naranja mecánica
(1971) won the top gong and they were seen by the public as linked to
the controversial picture. Nicholson, who early on declared publicly
that he loved the Oscar (when the sentiment wasn't chic), happily
obliged. In addition to presenting the Best Actress trophy in 1999, he
also presented the Thalberg Award to Warren Beatty in 2000 and an honorary award to Michelangelo Antonioni in 1995.
His mother, June Frances (Nicholson), had English, Scottish,
Irish, Welsh, and Pennsylvania Dutch (German) ancestry. Jack never knew
his biological father, and was raised by his maternal grandparents. He
was led to believe that June was his older sister and his grandparents
were his parents. It was not until 1974, when a Time magazine reporter
researched his life, that he learned the truth. An Italian immigrant
named Donald Furcillo, who was married briefly to June, may have been
Jack's biological father. It is also possible that Jack's biological
father was Edgar A. Kirschfeld, a Latvian-born entertainer (known as
"Eddie King"). Nicholson has chosen not to investigate further.
Turned down the role of Johnny Hooker in El golpe (1973) to play Billy "Bad Ass" Buddusky in El último deber (1973), which was written by his close friend Robert Towne, as he did not want to appear in a purely commercial picture just then. Robert Redford eventually played the part. Both Nicholson and Redford were nominated for Best Actor of 1973 at the Academy Awards, losing to Jack Lemmon for Salvad al tigre (1973).
Turned down the lead role of Roy Neary in Encuentros en la tercera fase
(1977), even though he knew the movie would be a hit as he felt that
the special effects would overwhelm any actor in the movie.
Appeared in Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (1975) and Tommy (1975). Both of those films were nominated for Best Actress Oscars. "Cuckoo" star Louise Fletcher won.
In 2004, he attended his 50th high school reunion at Manasquan
High School in Manasquan, New Jersey. Needless to say, his classmates
were surprised and delighted that he attended.
Is one of only a few actors to win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar after winning a Best Actor Oscar.
The character Shipwreck from the animated GI Joe series of the
1980s was partly based on him (and partly based on Popeye the Sailor
Man).
Claims his personal favorite performances are his works in Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (1975), Batman (1989), Hoffa: un pulso al poder (1992) and Mejor... imposible (1997).
An 12 time acting nominee (eight times as Best Actor, four times as Best Supporting Actor), he ties Katharine Hepburn's 12 nominations (all in the Best Actress category) and only Meryl Streep
with 14 (10 in the Best Actress category) has more acting nominations.
('Bette Davis' was nominated 10 times for an Academy Award, all of them
Best Actress nods.).
His performance as "Badass" Buddusky in El último deber (1973) is ranked #12 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
His performance as Randle Patrick McMurphy in Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (1975) is ranked #47 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
Was in attendance at Chris Penn's funeral
His performance as Jack Torrance in El resplandor (1980) is ranked #82 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
His performance as Jake 'J.J.' Gittes in Chinatown (1974) is ranked #37 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
His performance as Randle Patrick McMurphy in Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (1975) is ranked #14 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (1975) is ranked #17 on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time.
He turned down the role of Richard Nixon in Nixon (1995).
Turned down the role of Willie in Bad Santa (2003).
His performance as Jack Torrance in El resplandor (1980) is ranked #25 on the American Film Institute's 100 Heroes & Villains.
His performance as The Joker in Batman (1989) is ranked #45 on the American Film Institute's 100 Heroes & Villains.
Was considered for the role of Allie Fox in La costa de los mosquitos (1986). The part went to Harrison Ford instead.
He is a fan of professional wrestling
Checked himself into Cedars Sinai Hospital with a salivary gland infection. (11 September 2006)
Was offered the role of Sy in Retratos de una obsesión (2002) but turned in down. The part was given to Robin Williams instead.
He had to stop promoting Infiltrados (2006) due to neck injury.
His mother June died from cancer in 1963.
As he is a fan of professional wrestling, his all time favorites are Harley Race, Ric Flair and John Cena.
He was considered for Jon Voight's role in El regreso (1978).
He was considered for Jason Miller's role in El exorcista (1973).
He was considered for Harrison Ford's role in La costa de los mosquitos (1986).
He was considered for Sir Anthony Hopkins's role in El silencio de los corderos (1991).
He was considered for Dustin Hoffman's role in Sam Peckinpah's controversial film Perros de paja (1971).
Turned down Gene Hackman's role in Hoosiers: más que ídolos (1986).
He was considered for James Caan's role in Misery (1990).
He was considered for Mickey Rourke's role in El corazón del ángel (1987).
He is tied with Walter Brennan and Daniel Day-Lewis for the most Oscar wins by any male actor.
Appears in Batman (1989) opposite Pat Hingle. Hingle appeared in El resplandor (1997), a remake of El resplandor (1980), in which Nicholson appeared.
Wants to one day induct Ric Flair into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
Once said in an interview that if he can get Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp to be a part of it, he will start his own wrestling promotion.
Was originally signed to play Daddy Warbucks in John Huston's Annie (1982) but dropped out after the original producer departed the project.
Shaved his head for Ahora o nunca (2007).
William Friedkin tried to get Nicholson star in Carga maldita (1977), but Nicholson didn't want travel anywhere in that time.
Once described The Joker as a psychotic version of Bugs Bunny.
Rolling Stone magazine nicknamed him "The Great Seducer".
In June 1954, he graduated from Manasquan High School in New
Jersey and headed for California, where he went on to work in the MGM
cartoon department and mail room.
Good friends with WWE Hall of Famer George 'The Animal' Steele.
Has owned a Mercedes-Benz 600 for 30 years which he considers the best touring car of all time.
Publicly endorsed Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as his choice for Democratic candidate in the 2008 presidential election, joking that she is "the best man for the job".
His Mulholland Drive home once shared a driveway with his Missouri (1976) co-star Marlon Brando's home.
The last two Oscar-winning films in which Nicholson appeared have both featured songs by Van Morrison ("Day Like This" in Mejor... imposible (1997) and a cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" in Infiltrados (2006)).
Is the only actor still living to have played "The Joker" in a (non fan-made) live action Batman production (Cesar Romero died in 1994; Heath Ledger died in 2008).
He was nominated for the 2008 New Jersey Hall of Fame for his services to Arts and Entertainment.
Actor with the most awards from the New York Film Critics: Easy rider. Buscando mi destino (1969), Chinatown (1974) & El último deber (1973), Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (1975), La fuerza del cariño (1983), El honor de los Prizzi (1985) & Las brujas de Eastwick (1987)/Tallo de hierro (1987)/Al filo de la noticia (1987).
At nearly 5' 10", he is the shortest actor to have played "the
Joker" in a (non fan-made) live-action Batman production. 'Cesar Romero'
stood 6' 2" and the most recent "Joker", Heath Ledger, was 6' 1".
Attended the Catholic funeral mass of Senator Ted Kennedy at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Boston. (29 August 2009).
The only actor to win 2 Best Lead Actor Oscars for films that also won Best Lead Actress: Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (1975) with Louise Fletcher and Mejor... imposible (1997) with Helen Hunt.
He was inducted into the 2010 New Jersey Hall of Fame for his services and contributions to Arts and Entetainment.
Does not have a cellphone.
Lives In Beverly Hills, Malibu, Los Angeles, California, Aspen, Colorado and Kailua, Hawaii.
Appeared on the cover of GQ magazine three times: March '81, January '90 and January '96.
His art collection includes Matisse, Warhol, Tamara de Lempicka
and Picasso; the collection is estimated to be worth over $100 million.
One of only four actors to win two Oscars for films that also won
Best Picture (the others are Marlon Brando, Dustin Hoffman, and Gene
Hackman).
As of 2013, he's one of the six actors to win 3 acting Oscars, the others being: Walter Brennan, Ingrid Bergman, Katharine Hepburn (who has 4), Meryl Streep and Daniel Day-Lewis.
Became a father for the 1st time at age 26 when his [now ex] wife Sandra Knight gave birth to their daughter Jennifer Nicholson on September 13, 1963.
Became a father for the 2nd time at age 33 when his [now ex] girlfriend Susan Anspach gave birth to their son Caleb James Goddard in 1970. Nicholson has never had contact with Goddard.
Became a father for the 3rd time at age 44 when his [now ex] lover Winnie Hollman gave birth to their daughter Honey Hollman in 1981. Nicholson was in a relationship with Anjelica Huston when he conceived Hollman.
Became a father for the 5th time at age 54 when his [now ex] girlfriend Rebecca Broussard gave birth to their son Ray Nicholson on February 20, 1992.
Has two grandsons; Sean (b. 1996) and Duke Norfleet (b. 1999), via daughter Jennifer Nicholson.
The only actor to ever play the Devil, the Joker, and a werewolf.
As of 2014, has appeared in ten films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Mi vida es mi vida (1970), Chinatown (1974), Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (1975), Rojos (1981), La fuerza del cariño (1983), El honor de los Prizzi (1985), Al filo de la noticia (1987), Algunos hombres buenos (1992), Mejor... imposible (1997) and Infiltrados (2006). Of those, Alguien voló sobre el nido del cuco (1975), La fuerza del cariño (1983) and Infiltrados (2006) are winners in the category.
Personal Quotes
The average celebrity meets, in one year, ten times the amount of people that the average person meets in his entire life.
It was one of the few times when it was money well spent. [about the $5 million he earned for Algunos hombres buenos (1992) ]
When I read the part, I knew I'd win the Oscar for it. [regarding La fuerza del cariño (1983)]
If you get an impulse in a scene, no matter how wrong it seems,
follow the impulse. It might be something and if it ain't - take two!
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.
[on the birth of his son after having had two daughters:] "I finally got it right."
I only take viagra when I am with more than one woman.
I'm not a raver anymore, all good things must come to an end.
I was particularly proud of my performance as the Joker. I considered it a piece of pop art.
My motto is: more good times.
"You're new here, aren't you?" Nicholson, who rarely is seen in
public without his sunglasses, replied when asked by a photographer to
take off his glasses for a photo.
There's a period just before you start a movie when you start
thinking, I don't know what in the world I'm going to do. It's
free-floating anxiety. In my case, though, this is over by lunch the
first day of shooting.
Every director implored me, "Jack, can't you talk a little bit
faster?" It was like a hot button for me and I would become hateful. So
when Roman started to say it, I began and he said, "Jack, this movie is
100-and-something pages long. To have a movie that is screen able,
you'll have to talk a little faster".
[Roman Polanski directed him in Chinatown (1974)].
[on turning down the role played by Robert Redford in El golpe
(1973)] "I liked the period, the whole project and I knew it would be
commercial. But at the time, I needed to put my energies into a movie
that really needed them. I needed to take a risk".
[on being nominated for an Oscar for the third time for El último deber
(1973)] "The first time I was up for an Oscar, I thought I would win
it. But I didn't have as sharp a view as I do now.
The second time...I
expected to lose, and deservedly lose, to George C. Scott.
But even getting a nomination blows my mind. I'd love to win but now
that I've had several good performances that people at large have liked,
it becomes harder to excite them. And familiarity breeds contempt".
So I mean it when I say that if you can't appreciate Brando, I
wouldn't know how to talk to you. If there's anything obvious in life,
this is it. Other actors don't go around discussing who is the best
actor in the world, because it's obvious - Marlon Brando is.
I'm very contra my constituency in terms of abortion because I'm
positively against it. I don't have the right to any other view. My only
emotion is gratitude, literally, for my life.
Just because you're a perfectionist doesn't mean you're perfect. - On Stanley Kubrick.
Beer, it's the best damn drink in the world.
As an actor, I have no desire for anybody to understand my past work. Period.
"I just wish every film I liked wasn't either foreign or made in
America but with such terrible difficulty. This is the worst period ever
for trying to do interesting work." (1996)
With my sunglasses on, I'm Jack Nicholson. Without them, I'm fat and seventy.
The thing I like about The Joker is that his sense of humor is completely tasteless.
We were moving to a freer society before AIDS. Most people who
investigated this knew that if you were not shooting up or getting
f***ed in the heinie, you were as likely to get AIDS as you were to have
a safe fall on your head while walking down Wilshire Boulevard. But you
could not proselytize this view. The facts were almost useless. You
couldn't give a woman the facts and have her respond, 'Oh, all right.'
On Jessica Lange: She is like a delicate fawn, but crossed with a Buick.
I've grown out of talking like I know something when I don't.
Explaining his controversial remarks on the death of Heath Ledger:
What I actually said was, 'I warned them.' I had a bad experience with
those sleeping pills that Ledger apparently took. I took one of these
pills and had just gone to sleep when I had a phone call to go to an
emergency at a friend's house.
I jumped up, went outside and some time
later woke up on the driveway. It sounds amusing but I live in the
mountains and it could've been worse. I didn't know Heath Ledger, but I
know those pills.
Star quality is if you're on stage and a cat walks on and they still watch you.
It's not so nice when you are 71 and looking for some action. I
feel uncomfortable doing it in the limelight - so from now on I'll do it
when it's right. Happily, when it comes to girls hitting on me, I'm not
undernourished.
There's no one before or since like Marlon Brando. The gift was enormous and flawless, like [Pablo Picasso].
Brando was a genius who was the beginning and end of his own
revolution....You didn't rush him. He had a tremendous gift just in his
stillness. I was in high school when I saw Salvaje
(1953). He changed my life forever...a monumental artist....There was
no way to follow in his footsteps. He was just too large and just too
far out of sight. He truly shook the world, and his influence will be
there long into the future.
[on Stanley Kubrick] Everyone pretty much acknowledges him as The Man, and I still think that underrates him.
After September 11, I held my tongue. All of the public positions
had been taken -- for, against, good, evil. I had nothing more to add.
So I thought, Bring in the clowns, you know what I mean? That's why I've
done a coupla years' worth of comedies.
[on Vuelve a mi lado (1970)] All I am in the movie is bad.
[on El reportero
(1975)] Antonioni says he just tries to make something beautiful
because truth is beautiful and beauty is truth. That's what I'm really
into. I like making beautiful things. Maybe that sounds ridiculous but
when I choose a film to do, it's because it interests me in that way
rather than any other. I look at every character I play on the screen as
being completely separate. You can say most of them are outsiders, but
it's hard today to think of any character in a film who isn't an
outsider. All I ask is that they relate to the truth in some way.
I hate giving advice, because people won't take it.
[on his signature glasses] They're prescription. That's why I wear
them. A long time ago, the Middle American in me may have thought it
was a bit affected maybe. But the light is very strong in southern
California. And once you've experienced negative territory in public
life, you begin to accept the notion of shields. I am a person who is
trained to look other people in the eye. But I can't look into the eyes
of everyone who wants to look into mine; I can't emotionally cope with
that kind of volume. Sunglasses are part of my armor.
I love discourse. I'm dying to have my mind changed. I'm probably
the only liberal who read Treason, by Ann Coulter. I want to know, you
understand? I like listening to everybody. This to me is the elixir of
life.
I'm the age where we didn't have television as kids. So when I saw
my nieces and nephews watching Howdy Doody, Kukla, Fran and Ollie, and
so forth, I thought the world had gone mad.
I always hesitate to say things like this in interviews because
they tend to come back to haunt you, but if I were an Arab-American, I
would insist on being profiled. This is not the time for civil rights.
There are larger issues for Americans.
I'd prefer if people had no impressions of me. As a kid, I had to
tell my own family, "Please, just don't talk about me!" Because they
always got it wrong. Always. I just didn't want them to tell anyone
anything about me. God knew, they had a great opinion and they loved me
and meant well, but it was like, Please, you don't have this right. You
know what I mean?
I don't know if this is a true statistic, but I heard somewhere
that there are three times as many single women over forty as single
men. That's what we got from the women's movement. The chickens have
come home to roost.
The less people know about me, the easier my job is.
[on Debra Winger]
She's real smart, very dedicated, extremely resourceful about her work.
You put up with her contentiousness because there is always something
at the bottom. You get something you wouldn't get unless you took the
trip with her. The girl's got boom.
(2011, on his own own mortality) One of the toughest parts of
aging is losing your friends. At first it starts quietly, then pretty
soon it's every month, and you can't help but think, "When is that bell
going to go off for me?" And on top of that you feel this constant loss.
At this time of life, you feel just a sword's point from death. It's
frightening - who wants to face God and the clear white light? I know I
definitely don't. Yet.
(2011) I am from a different era of movie acting. My career doesn't depend on explosions and pyrotechnics.
(2011) On set I'm an actor like every other actor. Most times, for
every part I play, I can think of other actors who would be better. I
worry from the moment I take a job.
(2011) I've had everything a man could ask for, but I don't know
if anyone could say I'm successful with affairs of the heart. I don't
know why. I would love that one last real romance. But I'm not very
realistic about it happening. What I can't deny is my yearning. I've
been in love in my life, but it always starts with obsession that lasts
exactly 18 months and then it changes. If I'd known and been prepared
for that, I may have been able to orchestrate the whole relationship
thing better...But when I'm with someone I've often defied every one of
my conventions. I've been so struck I've said, "Come on, let's go, let's
get married." But no woman has ever recognized what I say as being
legitimate. They think of my reputation, Jack the Jumper. I'm damned by
what people think. Now I think I have a gap I won't ever cross.
(2011) I would never complain about my life, even though I really
would like to have a mate. It's not like I'm starved for company - I
have a few very good lady friends - but there's only a certain amount of
times a woman wants to see you and never go out for dinner. I got tired
of arguing with women about going to have dinners, so I hired somebody
to cook. The food is better at my house.
I'm not worried about wrinkles, in myself or in women. I find them
interesting. I can't see so well, so sometimes I look in the mirror and
I see how I was as a young man.
I'm so rich that I'm going to sell myself like an ordinary person. I'm not into money at all.
[advice to Harry Dean Stanton on screen-acting] Just let the wardrobe be the character. You play yourself. That's the way you approach it.
[on working with Michelangelo Antonioni on El reportero
(1975)] Antonioni was like a father figure to me. I worked with him
because I wanted to be a film director and I thought I could learn from a
master. He's one of the few people I know that I ever really listened
to.
Salary
| On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) | $12.500 |
| On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) | $12.500 |
| Chinatown (1974) | $500.000 |
| Tommy (1975) | $75.000 |
| One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) | $1.000.000+ 15% gross |
| The Missouri Breaks (1976) | $1.250.000+ 10% of all gross receipts above $12.5m |
| The Shining (1980) | $1.250.000 |
| Terms of Endearment (1983) | $1.000.000+ profit percentage (totalling $9,000,000) |
| Heartburn (1986) | $4.000.000 |
| The Witches of Eastwick (1987) | $6.000.000 |
| Ironweed (1987) | $5.000.000 |
| Batman (1989) | $6.000.000 |
| The Two Jakes (1990) | $5.000.000 |
| A Few Good Men (1992) | $5.000.000 |
| Hoffa (1992) | $10.000.000 |
| Wolf (1994) | $13.000.000 |
| As Good as It Gets (1997) | $15.000.000 |
| As Good as It Gets (1997) | $15.000.000 |
| The Pledge (2001) | $10.000.000 |
| About Schmidt (2002) | $10.000.000 |
| Anger Management (2003) | $20.000.000 |
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