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Jack Nicholson

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Biography

With his cheshire-cat grin, devil-may-care attitude and potent charisma, Jack Nicholson emerged as the most popular and celebrated actor of his generation. A classic anti-hero, he typified the new breed of Hollywood star -- rebellious, contentious and defiantly non-conformist. A supremely versatile talent, he uniquely defined the zeitgeist of the 1970s, a decade which his screen presence dominated virtually from start to finish, and remained an enduring counterculture icon for the duration of his long and renowned career. Born April 22, 1937 in Neptune, New Jersey, and raised by his mother and grandmother, Nicholson travelled to California at the age of 17, with the intent of returning east to attend college. It never happened -- he became so enamored of the west coast that he stayed, landing a job as an office boy in MGM's animation department.

Nicholson soon began studying acting with the area group the Players Ring Theater, eventually appearing on television as well as on stage. While performing theatrically, Nicholson was spotted by "B"-movie mogul Roger Corman, who cast him in the lead role in the 1958 quickie The Cry Baby Killer. He continued playing troubled teens in Corman's 1960 efforts Too Soon to Love and The Wild Ride before appearing in the Irving Lerner adaptation of the novel Studs Lonigan. The picture failed miserably, and soon Nicholson was back in drive-in fare, next appearing in Little Shop of Horrors. He did not reappear on-screen prior to the 1962 Fox "B"-western The Broken Land. It was then back to the Corman camp for 1963's The Raven. For the follow-up, The Terror, he worked with a then-unknown Francis Ford Coppola and Monte Hellman. A year later, he enjoyed his second flirtation with mainstream Hollywood in the war comedy Ensign Pulver.

Under Hellman, Nicholson next appeared in both Back Door to Hell and Flight to Fury, which though filmed back-to-back were released two years apart. Together, they also co-produced a pair of 1967 Corman westerns, Ride in the Whirlwind and The Shooting. A brief appearance in the exploitation tale Hell's Angels on Wheels followed before Nicholson wrote the acid-culture drama The Trip, which co-starred Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda. He also penned 1968's Head, a psychedelic saga starring the television pop group the Monkees which was directed by Bob Rafelson, and he wrote and co-starred in Psych-Out. After rejecting a role in Bonnie and Clyde, Nicholson was approached by Hopper and Fonda to star in their 1969 counterculture epic Easy Rider. As an ill-fated, alcoholic civil-rights lawyer, Nicholson immediately shot to stardom, earning a "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar nomination as the film quickly achieved landmark status.

Nicholson then appeared briefly in the 1970 Barbra Streisand musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, followed by another classic -- Rafelson's Five Easy Pieces, in which he starred as a drifter alienated from his family and the world around him; his notorious diner scene remains among the definitive moments in American cinematic history. The film was much acclaimed, earning a "Best Picture" Oscar nomination; Nicholson also received a "Best Actor" bid, and was now firmly established among the Hollywood elite. He next wrote, produced, directed and starred in 1971's Drive, He Said, which met with little notice. However, the follow-up, Mike Nichols' Carnal Knowledge, was another hit. After accepting a supporting role in Henry Jaglom's 1972 effort A Safe Place, Nicholson reunited with Rafelson for The King of Marvin Gardens, followed in 1973 by the Hal Ashby hit The Last Detail, which won him "Best Actor" honors at the Cannes Film Festival as well as another Academy Award nomination.

Nicholson earned yet one more Oscar nomination as detective Jake Gittes in Roman Polanski's brilliant 1974 neo-noir Chinatown, universally hailed among the decade's greatest motion pictures. The next year was even more triumphant: first Nicholson starred in Michelangelo Antonioni's The Passenger, and then delivered a memorable supporting turn in the Ken Russell musical Tommy. The Fortune, co-starring Warren Beatty and Stockard Channing, followed, before the year ended with Milos Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; the winner of five Oscars, including "Best Picture" and, finally, "Best Actor." The film earned over $60 million and firmly established Nicholson as the screen's most popular star -- so popular, in fact, that he was able to turn down roles in projects including The Sting, The Godfather and Apocalypse Now without suffering any ill effects.

Nicholson did agree to co-star in 1977's The Missouri Breaks for the opportunity to work with his hero, Marlon Brando; despite their combined drawing power, however, the film was not a hit. Nor was his next directorial effort, 1978's Goin' South. A maniacal turn in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror tale The Shining proved much more successful, and a year later he starred in Rafelson's remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice. An Oscar-nominated supporting role in Beatty's epic Reds followed. Even when a film fell far short of expectations -- as was certainly the case with 1982's The Border, for example -- Nicholson somehow remained impervious to damage. Audiences loved him regardless, as did critics and even his peers -- in 1983 he won a "Best Supporting Oscar" for his work in James L. Brooks' much-acclaimed comedy-drama Terms of Endearment, and two years later netted another "Best Actor" nomination for John Huston's superb black comedy Prizzi's Honor, a performance which also won him an unprecedented fifth award from the New York reviewers.

The following year, Heartburn was less well-received, but in 1987 Nicholson starred as the Devil in the hit The Witches of Eastwick -- a role few denied he was born to play. The by-now-requisite Academy Award nomination followed for his performance in Hector Babenco's Depression-era tale Ironweed, his ninth to date -- a total matched only by Spencer Tracy. Nicholson did not resurface until 1989, starring as the Joker in a wildly over-the-top performance in Tim Burton's blockbuster Batman. The 1990s began with the long-awaited and often-delayed Chinatown sequel The Two Jakes, which Nicholson also directed. Three more films followed in 1992 -- Rafelson's poorly-received Man Trouble, the biopic Hoffa, and A Few Good Men, for which he earned another "Best Supporting Actor" nod. For Mike Nichols, he next starred in 1994's Wolf, followed a year later by Sean Penn's The Crossing Guard. In 1996, Nicholson appeared in Blood and Wine, Burton's Mars Attacks! and The Evening Star, reprising his Terms of Endearment role.

In 1997, Nicholson enjoyed a sort of career renaissance with James L. Brooks' As Good As it Gets, an enormously successful film that netted a third Oscar (for "Best Actor) for Nicholson, as well as a Best Actress Oscar for his co-star Helen Hunt. Nicholson and Hunt also picked up Golden Globes for their performances, two of many awards lavished upon the film. Subsequently taking a four-year exile from film, Nicholson stepped back in front of the camera under the direction of actor-turned-director Sean Penn for the police drama The Pledge. A quiet character study concerning a veteran detective who promises to solve the murder of a young girl, the film earned moderately positive reviews though it found only a small following at the box office. Though many agreed that Nicholson's overall performance in The Pledge was subtly effective, it was the following year that the legendary actor would find himself back in the critic's good graces. As the eponymous character of About Schmidt, Nicholson once again delivered an effectively restrained performance as a disillusioned father troubled by his daughter's impending nuptuals.

Nicholson's personal life has been one befitting a man who has made his mark playing so many devilishly charming characters. He has fathered a number of children from his relationships with various women, including a daughter, Lorraine (born in 1990), and a son, Raymond (born1992) with Rebecca Broussard. It was Broussard's pregnancy with their first child that ended Nicholson's 17-year relationship with a woman who is known for her similarly enduring charisma, the actress Angelica Huston. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Untitled Nancy Meyers Project (2003) .... Unknown
Anger Management (2003) .... Dr. Buddy Rydell
About Schmidt (2002) .... Warren Schmidt
Kennedy Center Honors, The (2001) (TV) .... Himself (Honoree)
America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001) (TV) .... Himself
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001) .... Himself
Pledge, The (2001) .... Jerry Black
Gimme Some Truth (2000) (TV) (archive footage) .... Himself
American Film Institute Salute to Dustin Hoffman, The (1999) (TV) .... Himself
Junket Whore (1998) .... Himself
70th Annual Academy Awards, The (1998) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself (Past Oscar Winner Tribute Sequence)
As Good As It Gets (1997) .... Melvin Udall
Blood and Wine (1997) .... Alex Gates
... aka Blood & Wine (1997) (video box title)
Mars Attacks! (1996) .... President James Dale/Art Land
Evening Star, The (1996) .... Garrett Breedlove
American Film Institute Salute to Clint Eastwood, The (1996) (TV) .... Himself
American Film Institute Salute to Steven Spielberg, The (1995) (TV) .... Himself
Crossing Guard, The (1995) .... Freddy Gale
67th Annual Academy Awards, The (1995) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
American Film Institute Salute to Jack Nicholson, The (1994) (TV) .... Himself
Wolf (1994) .... Will Randall
Who's Tommy, the Amazing Journey, The (1993) (archive footage) .... The Specialist
65th Annual Academy Awards, The (1993) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
Hoffa (1992) .... James R. 'Jimmy' Hoffa
Few Good Men, A (1992) .... Col. Nathan R. Jessep
Man Trouble (1992) .... Harry Bliss
Two Jakes, The (1990) .... Jake Gittes/Narrator
Batman (1989) .... The Joker/Jack Napier
Ironweed (1987) .... Francis Phelan
Broadcast News (1987) .... Bill Rorich
Witches of Eastwick, The (1987) .... Daryl Van Horne
Elephant's Child (1986) (TV) .... Narrator
Heartburn (1986) .... Mark Louis Forman
Live Aid (1985) (TV) .... Himself (Guest Speaker, JFK Stadium)
Prizzi's Honor (1985) .... Charley Partanna
Terror in the Aisles (1984) (archive footage) .... Jack Torrance (segment "The Shining")
... aka Time for Terror (1984) (Europe: video title English title)
American Film Institute Salute to John Huston, The (1983) (TV) .... Himself
Terms of Endearment (1983) .... Garrett Breedlove
Border, The (1982) .... Charlie Smith
Notre Dame de la Croisette (1981) (uncredited) .... Star of 'The Postman Always Rings Twice'
Reds (1981) .... Eugene O'Neill
Postman Always Rings Twice, The (1981) .... Frank Chambers
... aka Wenn der Postmann zweimal klingelt (1981) (West Germany)
Making 'The Shining' (1980) (TV) .... Himself
Shining, The (1980) .... John 'Jack' Daniel Torrance
... aka Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining' (1980)
Goin' South (1978) .... Henry Moon
49th Annual Academy Awards, The (1977) (TV) .... Himself (presenter)
Last Tycoon, The (1976) .... Brimmer
Missouri Breaks, The (1976) .... Tom Logan
48th Annual Academy Awards, The (1976) (TV) .... Himself (winner, Best Actor)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) .... Randle Patrick McMurphy
Fortune, The (1975) .... Oscar Sullivan
... aka Spite and Malice (1975)
Tommy (1975) .... A. Quackson, Mental Health Specialist
... aka Tommy by 'The Who' (1975) (USA: complete title)
... aka Who's Tommy, The (1975)
Professione: reporter (1975) .... David Locke
... aka Passenger, The (1975)
... aka Profession: reporter (1975)
... aka Reportero, El (1975) (Spain)
Chinatown (1974) .... J. J. (Jake) Gittes
Last Detail, The (1973) .... Buddusky
King of Marvin Gardens, The (1972) .... David Staebler
Safe Place, A (1971) .... Mitch
Carnal Knowledge (1971) .... Jonathan Fuerst
Rebel Rousers, The (1970) .... Bunny
Five Easy Pieces (1970) .... Robert Eroica Dupea
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) .... Tad Pringle
Easy Rider (1969) .... George Hanson
Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The Early Years (1955-1970) (2000) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself (preproduction footage of 'Head (1968)')
Head (1968) (uncredited) .... Himself
Psych-Out (1968) .... Stoney
Hells Angels on Wheels (1967) .... Poet
Shooting, The (1967) .... Billy Spear
St. Valentine's Day Massacre, The (1967) (uncredited) .... Gino, Hit Man
Ride in the Whirlwind (1965) .... Wes
Back Door to Hell (1964) .... Burnett
Flight to Fury (1964) .... Jay Wickham
Ensign Pulver (1964) .... Dolan
Terror, The (1963) .... Lt. Andre Duvalier
... aka Castle of Terror, The (1963/II)
... aka Haunting, The (1963/II) (USA: TV title)
... aka Lady of the Shadows (1963)
Raven, The (1963) .... Rexford Bedlo
Broken Land, The (1962) .... Will Brocious
Wild Ride, The (1960) .... Johnny Varron
... aka Velocity (2000) (USA: video title)
Studs Lonigan (1960) .... Weary Reilly
Too Soon to Love (1960) .... Buddy
... aka Teenage Lovers (1960) (UK)
Little Shop of Horrors, The (1960) .... Wilbur Force
Cry Baby Killer, The (1958) .... Jimmy Wallace

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