Legendary Actors : Jack Nicholson

                                For  the  best  part  of  five  decades  this actor  has  been  enthralling  cinema  audiences  across  the  world. His  unique  visual  presence  coated  by  his  devilish  smile has  given  him the  most  secure  and  untouchable  places  in  Hollywood. At a time of life when most people think of retiring, Jack Nicholson remains as energetic and charismatic as ever.

• Nicholson was born  in  New  Jersey  on  the 22nd  of  April  1937. 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 journalist uncovered the truth while preparing a story on the star.

•  As  a  youth  Nicholson  went  to  the  cinema  like  his  fellow  thespians  of  his  generation  and  also  it  was  here  that  he  became  drawn  to  the  idea  of  becoming  an  actor. n  1958  to  pay  his  way  in  the  world  he  started  working  as  a  MGM  Cartoon  Messenger.  

• He spent the next  eight  years in  the  most  dangerous  market  in  the  Hollywood  film  industry  “  the  B-Movie  films  “.  This  period  gave  Nicholson a  chance  to  develop  his  own  acting  method. He  also  took  a  keen  interest  in  producing  and  writing  films.  It  was  however  in  1968  that  Nicholson  who  was  now  devoting  his  time  to  gathering  money  to  begin  a  career  in  directing    was  sent  out to  supervise  the  filming  of  Easy  Rider, where he ended up doing a supporting role of a drunk lawyer. Easy Rider is now a cult film.

• Trade Mark : Shark's grin, sunglasses. Often plays charming, anti-authoritarian characters. Frequently works as a character with mental instability

• Ranked #6 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. Recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute.
  

• Was asked, along with Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty, to play the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972). Turned down the role of Johnny Hooker in The Sting (1973). He was considered for Sir Anthony Hopkins's role in The Silence of the Lambs (1991). He was considered for Dustin Hoffman's role in Sam Peckinpah's controversial film Straw Dogs (1971).

• 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."

• Owns a large art collection including works by Pablo Picasso, the collection is estimated to be worth over $100 million. He is a fan of professional wrestling.

•  Has been nominated for an acting Oscar in five different decades (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s). An 12 time acting nominee (eight times as Best Actor, four times as Best Supporting Actor), he ties Katharine Hepburn's 12 nominations and only Meryl Streep with 14 (10 in the Best Actress category) has more acting nominations.

• Has owned a Mercedes-Benz 600 for 30 years which he considers the best touring car of all time.  Does not have a cellphone.

• His performance as Jack Torrance in The Shining (1980) is ranked #25 on the American Film Institute's 100 Heroes & Villains. His performance as The Joker in Batman (1989) is ranked #45 on the American Film Institute's 100 Heroes & Villains. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) is ranked #17 on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time. 

Jack Nicholson's Quotes :

"So I mean it when I say that if you can't appreciate Brando, I wouldn't know how to talk to you. If there's anything obvious in life, this is it. Other actors don't go around discussing who is the best actor in the world, because it's obvious - Marlon Brando is."

 

"With my sunglasses on, I'm Jack Nicholson. Without them, I'm fat and seventy."

 

"The average celebrity meets, in one year, ten times the amount of people that the average person meets in his entire life."

 

"Actors do play their own lives. What else do they have ? It’s not more painful, in some ways it makes it easier." 

                                                Whether playing a loser or a womanizer, a heavy or a hero, this iconic actor is always, on some level, Jack Nicholson. That's not to imply that he isn't versatile. The way his lips purse and his eyebrows arch; that famous shark's smile. He is perhaps the only star that everybody is capable of impersonating. When asked where he will go when he retires, Nicholson hopes it will be heaven. 

Jack Nicholson - Wikipedia