
Jack Nicholson
Biography
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is a retired American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for Academy Awards 12 times, winning Best Actor for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and for As Good as It Gets, and Best Supporting Actor for Terms of Endearment. He is tied with Walter Brennan for most acting wins by a male actor (three), and second to Katharine Hepburn for most acting wins overall (four).
He is also one of only two actors nominated for an Academy Award for acting (either lead or supporting) in every decade from the 1960s to 2000s (the other one being Michael Caine). He has won seven Golden Globe Awards, and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2001. In 1994, he became one of the youngest actors to be awarded the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award. Notable films in which he has starred include, Easy Rider, Chinatown, The Shining, Reds, Batman, A Few Good Men, About Schmidt, Something's Gotta Give, and The Departed.
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Known For
Acting History
2025
Films to Die For as (archive footage) (uncredited)
2025SNL50: The Homecoming Concert as Self
2024Jack of Three Trades: In Focus on Nicholson the Director as Self (archive footage)
2022Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend as Self (archive footage)
2021Untold: Deal with the Devil as Self (archive footage)
2020Joker: Put on a Happy Face as Self
202040 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic as Self (archive footage)
2018Basketball: A Love Story as Self (archive footage)
2017Jack Nicholson - The Devilish Smile of Hollywood as Self
2017The Rolling Stones: From the Vault - Sticky Fingers Live at the Fonda Theatre 2015 as Self - Audience Member
2012Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir as Self (archive footage)
2012Close Up as Self (archive footage)
2011Corman's World as Self - Actor
2010How Do You Know as Charles
2010BBStory: An American Film Renaissance as Self
2010America Lost and Found: The BBS Story as Self
2010Drive, He Said: A Cautionary Tale of Campus Revolution and Sexual Freedom as Self
2010Soul Searching in 'Five Easy Pieces' as Self
2010Stardust as Self (uncredited)
2010I'm Still Here as Jack Nicholson
2010Mulholland Drive - Ein Hollywood-Mythos as Self
2008Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight as Self
2008Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired as Self / Jake Gittes (archive footage)
2008Notes on an American Film Director at Work as Self
2007The Bucket List as Edward Periman Cole
2007Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick as Self
2007View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining' as Self
2007The Visions of Stanley Kubrick as Self
2007My Spy Family
2006Witness to 'Reds' as Self
2006The Departed as Costello
2005Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast as Self - Presenter
2004Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild as Self(archive footage)
2003Something's Gotta Give as Harry Sanborn
2003Celebrities Uncensored as Self
2003Anger Management as Dr. Buddy Rydell
2003Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood as Self
2002About Schmidt as Warren Schmidt
2002Paul McCartney: Back in the U.S. as Self
2002Nudes in the News as Warren Schmidt (archive footage)
2001America | A Tribute to Heroes as Self
2001Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures as Self
2001The Pledge as Jerry Black
1999Velocity as Johnny Varron (young) (archive footage)
1998Junket Whore as Self
1997As Good as It Gets as Melvin Udall
1996The Evening Star as Garrett Breedlove
1996Mars Attacks! as President Dale / Art Land
1996Blood and Wine as Alex
1996Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels as Self (archive footage)
1995The Rolling Stones: Totally Stripped as Self
1995The Rolling Stones: Stripped as Self
1995The Crossing Guard as Freddy Gale
1994Wolf as Will Randall
1992Hoffa as James R. 'Jimmy' Hoffa
1992A Few Good Men as Col. Nathan R. Jessep
1992Man Trouble as Harry Bliss
1990The Two Jakes as J.J. "Jake" Gittes
1989Batman as Jack Napier / The Joker
1988On the tracks of a filmmaker as Jack Nicholson
1987Ironweed as Francis Phelan
1987Broadcast News as Bill Rorich
1987Creepy Classics as Rexford Bedlo - (archive footage)
1987Rabbit Ears - How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin/How the Camel Got His Hump as Narrator (voice)
1987The Witches of Eastwick as Daryl Van Horne
1987Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories as Narrator (voice)
1986Barbra Streisand: One Voice as Self - Audience Member (uncredited)
1986The Elephant's Child as Narrator (voice)
1986Heartburn as Mark
1985Live Aid as Self
1985Prizzi's Honor as Charley Partanna
1984Goldene Kamera as Self
1983Terms of Endearment as Garrett Breedlove
1982The Border as Charlie Smith
1981Reds as Eugene O'Neill
1981The Postman Always Rings Twice as Frank Chambers
1980Making 'The Shining' as Self
1980The Shining as Jack Torrance
1978The Kennedy Center Honors as Self
1978Goin' South as Henry Moon
1976The Last Tycoon as Brimmer
1976The Missouri Breaks as Tom Logan
1976TVTV Looks at the Oscars as Self
1975One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as Randle Patrick McMurphy
1975Saturday Night Live as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
1975Saturday Night Live as Self
1975The Fortune as Oscar 'Dix' Sullivan
1975Tommy as The Specialist
1975The Passenger as David Locke
1974Chinatown as J.J. 'Jake' Gittes
1973The Last Detail as SM1 Billy 'Bad Ass' Buddusky
1972The King of Marvin Gardens as David Staebler
1972Yoko Ono: This Is Not Here as Self
1971A Safe Place as Mitch
1971Carnal Knowledge as Jonathan
1971Drive, He Said as Annoyed Bearded Guy
1971Walt Whitman: Poet for a New Age as Narrator
1970Five Easy Pieces as Robert Eroica Dupea
1970On a Clear Day You Can See Forever as Tad Pringle
1970Rebel Rousers as Bunny
1969Easy Rider as George Hanson
1968Head as Self (uncredited)
1968Targets as Lt. Andre Duvalier (archive footage) (uncredited)
1968Psych-Out as Stoney
1968The Movie Orgy as Self (archive footage)
1967The Guns of Will Sonnett as Tom Murdock
1967The St. Valentine's Day Massacre as Gino, Hit Man (uncredited)
1967Hells Angels on Wheels as Poet
1966Ride in the Whirlwind as Wes
1966The Shooting as Billy Spear
1964Back Door to Hell as Burnett
1964Flight to Fury as Jay Wickham
1964Ensign Pulver as Yeoman Dolan
1963The Terror as Lt. Andre Duvalier
1963The Raven as Rexford Bedlo
1962The Broken Land as Will
1962The Hour of St. Francis as Jim Evans
1962Little Amy as Jefferson City Coach
1962Little Amy as Jefferson City Coach
1961Dr. Kildare as Jaime Angel
1960The Andy Griffith Show as Mr. Garland
1960The Andy Griffith Show as Marvin Jenkins
1960The Barbara Stanwyck Show as Bud
1960Studs Lonigan as Weary Reilly
1960The Wild Ride as Johnny Varron
1960The Little Shop of Horrors as Wilbur Force
1960Too Soon to Love as Buddy
1959Mr. Lucky as Martin
1959Hawaiian Eye as Tony Morgan
1958Bronco as Bob Doolin
1958Cry Baby Killer as Jimmy Wallace
1958Sea Hunt as John Stark
1955Matinee Theater as Musician's Son
1953The Oscars as Self
1944Golden Globe Awards as Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient
1944Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee / Presenter
1944Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee





