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| John Joseph Nicholson was born on April 22, 1937, in Neptune, New Jersey. He graduated from high school in New Jersey aged 17. Short thereafter he moved to Los Angeles where he worked as an office boy at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer before making his screen debut in Roger Corman’s THE CRY BABY KILLER in 1958. Nicholson would work again with Roger Corman, who is famous for his ability to crank out minor horror-movie masterpieces practically in no time and on no budget, on several occasions during the 60’s: THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORROR’S (1960) (shot in two days), THE RAVEN (1963) and THE TERROR (1963), where he played the lead. During this time Jack was married to actress Sandra Knight, they have one daughter named Jennifer, they divorced in 1966. He stepped in and replaced Rip Torn just before filming began, playing an alcoholic lawyer in the 1969 cult-classic EASY RIDER. It was yet another low-budget movie, but this one became an instant smash hit at the box office. Jack’s role was small, but he made the most of it, and was nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar. 1970 saw Nicholson becoming a star, and doing some of the best acting of his career, in Bob Rafaelson’s brilliant character study FIVE EASY PIECES, again resulting in an Oscar nomination, this time for Best Actor. Nicholson was offered the part as Michael Corleone in THE GODFATHER (1972), but turned it down and it went to Al Pacino, was asked to play Johnny Hooker in THE STING (1973), and turned it down as well and it went to Robert Redford. Both films were huge hits but more nominations were to come Nicholson’s way, for his role in THE LAST DETAIL (1973) and for his performance as detective Jake Gittes, in Roman Polanski’s film noir masterpiece CHINATOWN (1974). Also in 1974, a reporter informed Jack that the person he believed was his mother in fact was his grand-mother, and the person he had known as his sister, June Nicholson, was his mother. By this time Nicholson began a long and stormy relationship with John Huston’s daughter Anjelica The following year Jack won his first Academy Award, for best Actor as rebellious asylum patient Randall Patrick McMurphy in Milos Forman’s ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, the first film to win all the major Academy Awards since IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934). During the second half of the decade Nicholson took chances few would dare, often with disappointing results. Nicholson started the 80’s on a high note with a terrifying performance in Stanley Kubrick’s film adaption of Stephen King’s novel THE SHINING, then received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in Warren Beatty’s REDS (1981). In 1983 he won an Oscar for Best Supoorting Actor in TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, playing a retired astronaut who has an affair with Aurora, played by Shirley MacLaine. Still more Oscar nominations were soon to come, for his portrayal of a mobster in love, in John Huston’s PRIZZI’S HONOR (1985), opposite Kathleen Turner, and one for his performance in IRONWEED (1987), opposite Meryl Streep. Other films of this period includes BROADCAST NEWS (1987) and THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK (1987). In 1989 Nicholson earned almost $50 M for his Joker in Tim Burton’s blockbuster BATMAN, then directed and strarred in THE TWO JAKES, a disasterous sequel to CHINATOWN. Nicholson’s long relationship with Anjelica Huston ended after she learned that he had an affair with actress Rebecca Broussard, and that Rebecca was carrying his child. Jack worked only for two weeks on A FEW GOOD MEN (1992), playing marine colonel Nathan Jessup, scoring an Academy Award nomination. Nicholson’s next smash hit was his re-teaming with Michelle Pfeiffer in WOLF (1994), where he plays a book editor who is bitten by a wolf, a perfect Nicholson-part. Later that year he was involved in a car accident, where he used a golf club to smash the windshield of another car, whose driver dragged the incident to court. During the 90’s critics had become more and more skeptic about Nicholson’s performances, saying that they were a caricature of himself. Therefore his Oscar-winning performance in the 1997 comedy-drama AS GOOD AS IT GETS was a big personal triumph, as well as putting him in the elite group of actors who have won three Academy Awards. Jack has been silent for awhile, he began dating actress Lara Flynn-Boyle a couple of years ago, and he can be seen right know in Sean Penn’s crime-drama THE PLEDGE (2001) and soon in Alexander Payne’s drama ABOUT SCHMIDT. Nicholson has been in the Hollywood limelight for over 30 years now, maybe it is his wild, untamed, charming and clever personaltiy – both on and off the screen – that has made him the icon that he is. |
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| Maria | |
| Dear Mr.Nicholson, This is my first and probably the last message to a creative person who lives in about 10.000 km (I am in Moscow:)). I've never understood people being fans, writing letters, having posters on their walls, etc. I like art and respect those people who represent it as smth REAL. You are one of those actors, who need to be in memories of my generation and next. Too many words and no sence. The reason of that i write is a movie which i saw an hour ago. One of my favourite books was always ''One flew over the Cuckoo's nest'' and I've heard a lot about the movie, but was really afraid to watch it because was not sure that you can represent the book (how i felt it). It was a mistake to thonk like that. Now I blame myself that I did not watch it before. Hard to express emotions and feelings, so I will just shortly try to bring a couple of words: The drama of your play is absolutely outstanding and deserves more than respect.I enjoyed every second of this wonderful masterpiece. Thank you! I wish you all the best and first of all, health! Kind Regards, Maria | |