Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson (John Joseph Nicholson, born April 22, 1937, Neptune City, New Jersey) is an American retired actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century. He was raised by his maternal grandparents, believing his grandmother was his mother and his mother, showgirl June Frances Nicholson, was his older sister — a secret revealed to him in 1974 by a TIME magazine reporter. He attended Manasquan High School, was voted "Class Clown," and moved to California after graduation, where he took a job in MGM's animation department before breaking into acting. He is a three-time Academy Award winner — Best Actor for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and As Good as It Gets (1997), and Best Supporting Actor for Terms of Endearment (1983) — and one of only two actors, alongside Michael Caine, to receive an Oscar nomination in every decade from the 1960s through the 2000s. He was married to Sandra Knight from 1962 to 1968; they have a daughter, Jennifer. He has six children in total. His last film role was How Do You Know (2010), and in October 2026 Michael Douglas confirmed he has "disappeared" from public life and is not working anymore. His notable film credits include Easy Rider (1969) (Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper), Five Easy Pieces (1970) (Karen Black, Randy Quaid), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) (Michael Douglas, Louise Fletcher), Chinatown (1974) (Faye Dunaway, John Hillerman), The Shining (1980) (Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers), Reds (1981) (Meryl Streep, Woody Harrelson), Prizzi's Honor (1985) (Kathleen Turner, Don Ameche), Battery (1980) (Blythe Danner, Chris Sarandon), The Departed (2006) (Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon), Something's Gotta Give (2003) (Katherine Hepburn, Keanu Reeves), As Good as It Gets (1997) (Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear), The Last King of Scotland (2006) (Forest Whitaker, Geraldine Chaplin), Charlie Wilson's War (2007) (Julia Roberts, Thomas Haden Church), and How Do You Know (2010) (Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd). He also directed Gloria Gordon (1980) and The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012, uncredited involvement), and wrote and directed Drive, He Said (1988).
Photos
Movies (133)
Breakdown: 1975
2025 · (archive footage)
Films to Die For
2025 · (archive footage) (uncredited)
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror
2025 · Self (archive photo)
John Candy: me agrado
2025 · Self - Actor (archive footage)
SNL50: The Homecoming Concert
2025 · Self
Shine On: The Forgotten Shining Location
2024 · Self (archive footage)
Jack of Three Trades: In Focus on Nicholson the Director
2024 · Self (archive footage)
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend
2022 · Self (archive footage)
Al descubierto: Pacto con el diablo
2021 · Self (archive footage)
Morceaux de Cannes
2021 · Self (archive footage)
Kubrick by Kubrick
2020 · Self (archive footage)
Joker: Put on a Happy Face
2020 · Self
40 años de Rocky: El nacimiento de un clásico
2020 · Self (archive footage)
Jack Nicholson - The Devilish Smile of Hollywood
2017 · Self
The Rolling Stones: From the Vault - Sticky Fingers Live at the Fonda Theatre 2015
2017 · Self - Audience Member
Mansfield 66/67
2017 · Self - Actor(archive footage)
I Am Divine
2014 · Self (archive)
The Doctor in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
2013
Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir
2012 · Self (archive footage)
Close Up
2012 · Self (archive footage)
Corman's World
2011 · Self - Actor
¿Cómo saber si es amor?
2010 · Charles
BBStory: An American Film Renaissance
2010 · Self
Drive, He Said: A Cautionary Tale of Campus Revolution and Sexual Freedom
2010 · Self
America Lost and Found: The BBS Story
2010 · Self
Soul Searching in 'Five Easy Pieces'
2010 · Self
Stardust
2010 · Self (uncredited)
I'm Still Here
2010 · Jack Nicholson
Mulholland Drive - Ein Hollywood-Mythos
2010 · Self
Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight
2008 · Self
Rob Reiner Interviews the Stars: Jack Nicholson
2008 · Self
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
2008 · Self / Jake Gittes (archive footage)
Notes on an American Film Director at Work
2008 · Self
Antes de Partir
2007 · Edward Periman Cole
Making of Chinatown
2007
View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining'
2007 · Self
The Visions of Stanley Kubrick
2007 · Self
Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick
2007 · Self
Camino salvaje
2007 · Thanks
Witness to 'Reds'
2006 · Self
Los Infiltrados
2006 · Costello
Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast
2005 · Self - Presenter
Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild
2004 · Self (archive footage), Producer
Alguien tiene que ceder
2003 · Harry Sanborn
Locos de Ira
2003 · Dr. Buddy Rydell
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
2003 · Self
Las Confesiones del Sr. Schmidt
2002 · Warren Schmidt
Paul McCartney: Back in the U.S.
2002 · Self
America: A Tribute to Heroes
2001 · Self
Stanley Kubrick - Ein Leben für den Film
2001 · Self
Asesino Oculto
2001 · Jerry Black
Velocity
1999 · Johnny Varron (young) (archive footage)
Playboy: Playmate Pajama Party
1999
Playmate Pajama Party
1999 · self
Junket Whore
1998 · Self
As Good as It Gets
1997 · Melvin Udall
Completely Cuckoo
1997
The Evening Star
1996 · Garrett Breedlove
Mars Attacks!
1996 · President Dale / Art Land
Blood and Wine
1996 · Alex
Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels
1996 · Self (archive footage)
The Rolling Stones: Totally Stripped
1995 · Self
The Rolling Stones: Stripped
1995 · Self
The Crossing Guard
1995 · Freddy Gale
Wolf
1994 · Will Randall
Hoffa
1992 · James R. 'Jimmy' Hoffa
A Few Good Men
1992 · Col. Nathan R. Jessep
Man Trouble
1992 · Harry Bliss
The Two Jakes
1990 · J.J. "Jake" Gittes, Director, Producer
Batman
1989 · Joker / Jack Napier
On the tracks of a filmmaker
1988 · Jack Nicholson
Ironweed
1987 · Francis Phelan
Broadcast News
1987 · Bill Rorich
Creepy Classics
1987 · Rexford Bedlo - (archive footage)
Rabbit Ears - How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin/How the Camel Got His Hump
1987 · Narrator (voice)
The Witches of Eastwick
1987 · Daryl Van Horne
Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories
1987 · Narrator (voice)
Barbra Streisand: One Voice
1986 · Self - Audience Member (uncredited)
The Elephant's Child
1986 · Narrator (voice)
Heartburn
1986 · Mark
Live Aid
1985 · Self
Prizzi's Honor
1985 · Charley Partanna
Terms of Endearment
1983 · Garrett Breedlove
The Border
1982 · Charlie Smith
Reds
1981 · Eugene O'Neill
The Postman Always Rings Twice
1981 · Frank Chambers
Making 'The Shining'
1980 · Self
The Shining
1980 · Jack Torrance
Goin' South
1978 · Henry Moon, Director
The Last Tycoon
1976 · Brimmer
The Missouri Breaks
1976 · Tom Logan
TVTV Looks at the Oscars
1976 · Self
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1975 · Randle Patrick McMurphy
The Fortune
1975 · Oscar 'Dix' Sullivan
Tommy
1975 · The Specialist
The Passenger
1975 · David Locke
Chinatown
1974 · J.J. 'Jake' Gittes
The Last Detail
1973 · Billy L. 'Badass' Buddusky
The King of Marvin Gardens
1972 · David Staebler
Yoko Ono: This Is Not Here
1972 · Self
A Safe Place
1971 · Mitch
Carnal Knowledge
1971 · Jonathan
Drive, He Said
1971 · Annoyed Bearded Guy, Director, Screenplay, Producer
Walt Whitman: Poet for a New Age
1971 · Narrator
Five Easy Pieces
1970 · Robert Eroica Dupea
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
1970 · Tad Pringle
Rebel Rousers
1970 · Bunny
Easy Rider
1969 · George Hanson
Head
1968 · Self (uncredited), Writer, Producer, Songs
Targets
1968 · Lt. Andre Duvalier (archive footage) (uncredited)
Psych-Out
1968 · Stoney
The Movie Orgy
1968 · Self (archive footage)
The Trip
1967 · Writer
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
1967 · Gino, Hit Man (uncredited)
Hells Angels on Wheels
1967 · Poet
Ride in the Whirlwind
1966 · Wes, Writer, Producer
The Shooting
1966 · Billy Spear, Producer
Back Door to Hell
1964 · Burnett
Cordillera
1964 · Screenplay
Flight to Fury
1964 · Jay Wickham, Writer
Ensign Pulver
1964 · Yeoman Dolan
Thunder Island
1963 · Screenplay
The Terror
1963 · Lt. Andre Duvalier
The Raven
1963 · Rexford Bedlo
The Broken Land
1962 · Will
The Hour of St. Francis
1962 · Jim Evans
Little Amy
1962 · Jefferson City Coach
Studs Lonigan
1960 · Weary Reilly
The Wild Ride
1960 · Johnny Varron
The Little Shop of Horrors
1960 · Wilbur Force
Too Soon to Love
1960 · Buddy
Cry Baby Killer
1958 · Jimmy Wallace
Monty and the Movies
· Self (archive footage)
TV shows (20)
Basketball: A Love Story
2018 · Self (archive footage)
Celebrities Uncensored
2003 · Self
Nudes in the News
2002 · Warren Schmidt (archive footage)
Goldene Kamera
1984 · Self
Not Necessarily the News
1983 · Self (archive footage)
The Kennedy Center Honors
1978 · Self
Ciné regards
1978 · Self
Saturday Night Live
1975 · Self, Self (uncredited)
Film '72
1971 · Self
The Guns of Will Sonnett
1967 · Tom Murdock
Little Amy
1962 · Jefferson City Coach
The Andy Griffith Show
1960 · Mr. Garland, Marvin Jenkins
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
1960 · Bud
Mr. Lucky
1959 · Martin
Hawaiian Eye
1959 · Tony Morgan
Bronco
1958 · Bob Doolin
Sea Hunt
1958 · John Stark
Matinee Theater
1955 · Musician's Son
The Oscars
1953 · Self
Golden Globe Awards
1944 · Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient, Self - Nominee / Presenter, Self - Nominee