Sure, it’s Earth Day. It’s Administrative Professionals Day too. But an event that probably isn’t pre-printed into your planner (or handwritten, for that matter) is Jack Nicholson’s 72nd birthday. Love the guy or hate him, you have to admit that he has led a fascinating life. Here’s 10 of the things that make him so interesting.
1. Like something out of a soap opera, Jack grew up thinking his grandma Ethel May was his mom. Maybe that’s not so weird, but he was also told that June, his real mom, was his sister. He didn’t know any of this until after they were both dead, when an insensitive Time reporter asked how he felt about all of that. The usually unflappable Nicholson was stunned and immediately went home to call family members, who confirmed the story. He still doesn’t know for sure who his real father was, although there are some pretty strong candidates. “Only Ethel and June knew and they never told anybody,” he said.
2. He had some interesting jobs before he hit it big as an actor, including a go-fer in the MGM animation department and a writer for – get this – the Monkees’ Head movie. I don’t know about you guys, but I never would have associated Jack Nicholson with the Monkees. Jack actually showed some talent as an animator and was offered a job, but declined it because we wanted to pursue his acting career. I guess that worked out OK for him.
3. The statutory rape charges that have kept Roman Polanski out of the country for more than 30 years? The cause of those charges happened at Jack Nicholson’s house. The two of them were and are very good friends.
4. Nicholson bought his swinging bachelor pad on Mulholland Drive more than 30 years ago – it cost him only $80,000. At one time, Warren Beatty and Marlon Brando lived in his neighborhood, which resulted in their section of Mulholland being nicknamed “Bad Boy Drive.” Brando lived right next door and used to invite himself in even when Nicholson wasn’t home, eating his food and leaving behind his underwear. Seriously.
5. The dude is not a fickle fan. He has held Lakers season tickets since 1970 and has had courtside seats for most of those years. Jack isn’t above going on the court to yell at the refs, either, but even if the refs didn’t appreciate it, Shaq sure did. His movie contracts even sometimes stipulate that they must work around Lakers home games. And the loyalty isn’t confined to the west coast – RottenTomatoes reports that when he was filming The Departed, if someone on set was caught wearing Celtics apparel, he would literally shut down the set until they were removed or a replacement shirt (or hat, or whatever) could be found. That’s his son at the game with him in the picture.
6. A notorious womanizer, Jack has had relationships with actress Sandra Knight (the one and only time he got married), Michelle Phillips from The Mamas and the Papas, waitress Rebecca Broussard, Lara Flynn Boyle and Anjelica Huston. That last relationship lasted 17 years and ended when Broussard turned up pregnant. And all of those women make sense, really, but what he really lusts after are apparently women in power. He’s mentioned that he has had fantasies about Eleanor Roosevelt and Rosalynn Carter; one of his rumored dalliances was Margaret Trudeau, the widow of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. He endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in the ’08 election… I wouldn’t be surprised if she made his fantasy list as well.
7. Jack has turned down (or just didn’t get) roles just as prestigious as the ones he has played. Among them: Daddy Warbucks in Annie, Billy Bob Thornton’s part in Bad Santa, Peter Dallow in The Bonfire of the Vanities, Ralphie’s dad in A Christmas Story, Dick Tracy in the eponymous film, Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Paul Sheldon in Misery, Raymond in Rainman (yeah), Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, Gordon Gekko in Wall Street and Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
8. He has been at every Academy Awards since 1990. He’s an active (and very passionate) member of the Academy who was very obviously stunned as he presented the 2005 Best Picture Oscar to the cast and crew of Crash. He had voted for Brokeback Mountain and was sure that it was going to win. Check it out:
9. He has made a lot of money not just for the roles he has taken, but for negotiating smaller salaries in exchange for a percentage of the film’s gross. He did this for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in 1975 (his first Oscar-winning role) and for Batman in 1989, which reportedly netted him more than $60 million.
10. He has a pretty decent art collection, including a bunch of Picassos. His friends have joked that he lives in a $500,000 house (c’mon… you know it would go for a LOT more than that) with a $100 million art collection.
Do you have a favorite Nicholson flick or character? I think I have to go with the Joker, myself. I mean, I really loved Heath Ledger’s Joker as well, but Jack’s Joker is just so gleefully wicked, you gotta love it. At least, I do. Share your favorite in the comments!
Comments (22)
Comment
- subscribe /
- give a gift /
- terms of service /
- about /
- contact us /
- write for us /
- ad info /
- subscriber services /
- press /
- privacy policy /
- rss /
© 2012 Mental Floss Inc. All Rights Reserved. Mental Floss is a registered trademark owned by Felix Dennis. mentalfloss.com is a trademark owned by Felix Dennis.
Disclaimer: All submissions made to mental_floss become the property of Mental Floss Inc and may be used without further permission by the submitter and without compensation to the submitter. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not submit anything to mental_floss.
I have always enjoyed him as Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets
posted by Julie on 4-22-2009 at 4:16 pm
For my money, he’ll never top the performance he gave in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Like Al Pacino, there’s classic and contemporary; And I just kind of don’t care for the contemporary work Jack’s been doing.
But I hope he has a wonderful birthday.
posted by Johnny Cat on 4-22-2009 at 4:21 pm
I would have to say his role in The Departed is one my favorites. I love how animated he is – he always talks with his hands, which is a habit of mine.
My favorite Departed quote:
Costello (Jack): “How’s your mother?”
Guy in bar: “Ahh [looks remorseful], she’s on her way out.”
Costello: “We all are, act accordingly.”
So awesome…
posted by sock puppet on 4-22-2009 at 4:39 pm
Jack Torrance in the Shining:
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
I think we can all relate to that.
posted by Jamie on 4-22-2009 at 4:51 pm
I don’t know about his greatest role, but his best line has to be from “As Good As It Gets” when he is asked how he creates such believable female characters and he replies “I take a man and remove logic and accountability.”
Classic.
posted by Anthony on 4-22-2009 at 4:56 pm
Son, we live in a world that has walls and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and curse the Marines; you have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives and that my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use then as the backbone of a life trying to defend something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said “thank you,” and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest that you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to.
As Col. Jessep “A Few Good Men”
posted by CincyPete on 4-22-2009 at 4:56 pm
Without question it’s Randall P. McMurphy in Cuckoo’s Nest. However, in About Schmidt, he was the only tolerable aspect of the entire film. Gotta give credit for that.
posted by Jim on 4-22-2009 at 5:30 pm
So just as I clicked on this article, Pandora decided to play Colin Hay’s “Looking for Jack”. The “Jack” in the song title is, in fact, Jack Nicholson.
Weird.
posted by Christina on 4-22-2009 at 6:37 pm
For years (decades?), my husband thought the only reason Jack Nicholson had a career at all was because his father, James H. Nicholson, got him some crappy roles in low-budget films for American International Pictures.
Imagine his surprise to find out they weren’t even related!
posted by Jeff on 4-22-2009 at 8:12 pm
I used to borrow childrens’ books with taped recordings. Imagine my surprise to hear Jack’s voice reading a children’s book, I think it was the Saggy Baggy Elephant. I still remember his wonderfully low, slightly sinister voice saying “by the banks of the great, gray-green greasy Limpopo River”,, TOO COOL!
posted by Jean Whitworth on 4-22-2009 at 8:50 pm
He’s had a lot of memorable performances, for sure. I’d say, overall, he was the best he’s ever been in One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest. But, my all-time favorite thing he’s done is the bedroom scene in Carnal Knowledge where he freaks out at Ann-Margret. So jarring and strangely poignant.
It’s on YouTube, look it up (no linking, grrr).
posted by hilly on 4-22-2009 at 8:55 pm
True, true hilly. I also love the scene in Five Easy Pieces where he orders toast at the diner.
posted by Johnny Cat on 4-22-2009 at 9:18 pm
I will take Five Easy Pieces over every other movie Jack has done before or after. LOVE that film. But there are lots of good Nicholson movies. He’s so talented even if he generally seems to play himself (or his public perception) these days.
posted by Kirk on 4-22-2009 at 11:29 pm
CHINATOWN – one hell of a film noir…
posted by gy on 4-23-2009 at 12:51 am
I have a soft spot for his characters in Mars Attacks. I love how gratuitous the acting is. Otherwise, I gravitate towards his classic films… Chinatown, Five Easy Pieces, Easy Rider, The Shining and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest… just to name a few.
posted by Rashmi on 4-23-2009 at 8:10 am
Personally, my favorite role of his was Randal McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest (produced by none other than Michael Douglas). But his best role may be that of Jake Gittes in Chinatown. How him or Al Pacino (Godfather 2) didn’t win the oscar that year is beyond me (Art Carney won for Harry and Tonto).
posted by Ian on 4-23-2009 at 8:23 am
CRAP! I forgot The Shining……also one of my faves.
posted by Ian on 4-23-2009 at 8:25 am
The Departed for me…he was so coldly evil; yet likable at the same time. No one can do that like Jack.
posted by erininhouston on 4-23-2009 at 9:18 am
The Last Detail.
posted by Joe Maz on 4-23-2009 at 12:15 pm
The quote about women in As Good As It Gets was apparently something John Updike said in real life, in response to the same question. But with Jack, its the delivery!
I love this dialogue from Wolf – (to Michelle Pfeiffer) – You know, I think I understand what you’re like now. You’re very beautiful and you think men are only interested in you because you’re beautiful, but you want them to be interested in you because you’re you. The problem is, aside from all that beauty, you’re not very interesting. You’re rude, you’re hostile, you’re sullen, you’re withdrawn. I know you want someone to look past all that at the real person underneath but the only reason anyone would bother to look past all that is because you’re beautful. Ironic, isn’t it? In an odd way you’re your own problem.
Keep it coming, Jack!!
posted by Shankar on 4-23-2009 at 1:58 pm
He wasn’t at this year’s academy awards.
posted by jeff on 4-23-2009 at 2:13 pm
I agree that Melvin Udall in “as Good As It Gets” is an amazingly funny character.
posted by Deep Discounter on 4-24-2009 at 4:13 am