Abandoned by his father in his childhood, he was raised believing his grandmother was his mother and his mother was his older sister. The truth was revealed to him years later when a Time magazine researcher uncovered the truth while preparing a story on the star. Jack had a 17-year relationship with actress Anjelica Huston, which ended in 1990 after Rebecca Broussard was carrying his child.


About Schmidt (2002): $10,000,000
The Pledge (2001): $10,000,000
As Good as It Gets (1997): $15,000,000
Wolf (1994): $13,000,000
Hoffa (1992): $10,000,000
A Few Good Men (1992): $5,000,000
Batman (1989): $6,000,000
The Witches of Eastwick (1987): $6,000,000
The Missouri Breaks (1976): $1,250,000 + 10% of all gross receipts above $12.5m
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975): $1,000,000 + 15% gross
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970): $12,500

Ranked #6 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Used to be a messenger boy for MGM's cartoon department. He was the 2001 John F. Kennedy Center Honors recipient. 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. 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. Was asked, along with Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty, to play the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather (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. 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. Has a second home in Aspen, Colorado. Boyhood friend of Danny DeVito. Nicholson's relatives and DeVito's relatives ran a hair salon together. Owns a large art collection including works by Pablo Picasso and Tamara de Lempicka His mother, June Nicholson, was of Irish and Dutch descent. He never knew his father and was raised by his 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 claimed to be his father. But Nicholson chose not to investigate further. Turned down the lead role of Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (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. Has been nominated for an acting Oscar in five different decades (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s). Is one of only a few actors to win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar after winning a Best Actor Oscar. Claims his personal favorite performances are his works in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Batman (1989), Hoffa (1992) and As Good as It Gets (1997). With his seventh Best Actor nomination for As Good as It Gets (1997) , he surpassed Laurence Olivier as the most nominated actor ever with 11 total nominations (Nicholson had four Best Supporting Actor nominations in 1970, 1982, 1984 and 1991; Olivier had nine Best Actor and one Best Supporting Actor nominations. He extended the lead with his eight Best Actor nod for 'About Schmidt' (2001)_, which tied him with Spencer Tracy and Paul Newman for second place in Best Actor nominations. (Newman also has one Supporting Actor nomination.). After presenting the Best Picture Oscar at the The 78th Annual Academy Awards (2006) (TV) to Crash (2004/I), he told the press he was surprised as he thought Brokeback Mountain (2005) would win. Nicholson then told the press that he himself had voted for Brokeback Mountain (2005). His performance as Randle Patrick McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (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 The Shining (1980) is ranked #82 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. His performance as Randle Patrick McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) is ranked #14 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) is ranked #17 on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time. Turned down the role of Willie in Bad Santa (2003). 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 The Mosquito Coast (1986). The part went to Harrison Ford instead. Demolished his neighbor Marlon Brando's bungalow, which he bought for £3.4 million following the actor's death in 2004. Was offered the role of Sy in One Hour Photo (2002) but turned in down. The part was given to Robin Williams instead. He had to stop promoting The Departed (2006) due to neck injury. Had a relationship to Anjelica Huston from 1973 to 1989. The longest he has ever gone between Oscar nominations was six years, between One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Reds (1981). He was considered for Jason Miller's role in The Exorcist (1973). He was considered for Harrison Ford's role in The Mosquito Coast (1986). He was considered for Dustin Hoffman's role in Sam Peckinpah's controversial film Straw Dogs (1971). Turned down Gene Hackman's role in Hoosiers (1986). He was considered for James Caan's role in Misery (1990). He is tied with Walter Brennan for the most Oscar wins by any male actor. Was the first choice to play Tank Sullivan in Space Cowboys (2000). The part went to James Garner. 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. Shaved his head for The Bucket List (2007). Good friends with Serbian NBA superstar Vlade Divac. Rolling Stone magazine nicknamed him "The Great Seducer". 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. [2008] 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". The last two Oscar-winning films in which Nicholson appeared have both featured songs by Van Morrison ("Day Like This" in As Good as It Gets (1997) and a cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" in The Departed (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). While accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1999 Golden Globes, he noted that his first day of work as a film actor was 5 May 1955, which he took as a good omen as "5" was the jersey number of his boyhood idol, Joe DiMaggio. He attended DiMaggio's memorial service four months later. 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 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). He was inducted into the 2010 New Jersey Hall of Fame for his services and contributions to Arts and Entetainment. Lives In Beverly Hills, Malibu, Los Angeles, California, Aspen, Colorado and Kailua, Hawaii.