Jack Nicholson

ActorCrewProducerDirectorWriter Apr 22 (age 88) Manhattan, New York, USA 1944–2025 (81 year career)

6.2 avg rating

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 mos…

Known For

Film

The Shining

Jack Torrance

Film

The Departed

Costello

Film

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Randle Patrick McMurphy

Film

Into the Wild

Thanks

Film

Chinatown

J.J. 'Jake' Gittes

Film

Batman

Jack Napier / The Joker

Film

A Few Good Men

Col. Nathan R. Jessep

Film

As Good as It Gets

Melvin Udall

Filmography

Acting (137)

Movies (118)

John Candy: I Like Me

2025

as Self - Actor (archive footage)

7.9

Breakdown: 1975

2025

as Self (archive footage)

6.4

SNL50: The Homecoming Concert

2025

as Self

6.7

Films to Die For

2025

as (archive footage) (uncredited)

Jack of Three Trades: In Focus on Nicholson the Director

2024

as Self (archive footage)

Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend

2022

as Self (archive footage)

7.2

Untold: Deal with the Devil

2021

as Self (archive footage)

6.9

Joker: Put on a Happy Face

2020

as Self

8.1

40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic

2020

as Self (archive footage)

7.6

The Rolling Stones: From the Vault - Sticky Fingers Live at the Fonda Theatre 2015

2017

as Self - Audience Member

7.8

Jack Nicholson - The Devilish Smile of Hollywood

2017

as Self

7.5

Close Up

2012

as Self (archive footage)

9.5

Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir

2012

as Self (archive footage)

Corman's World

as Self - Actor

How Do You Know

as Charles Madison

I'm Still Here

as Jack Nicholson

Soul Searching in 'Five Easy Pieces'

as Self

Stardust

as Self (uncredited)

Mulholland Drive - Ein Hollywood-Mythos

2010

as Self

America Lost and Found: The BBS Story

2010

as Self

BBStory: An American Film Renaissance

2010

as Self

Drive, He Said: A Cautionary Tale of Campus Revolution and Sexual Freedom

2010

as Self

Notes on an American Film Director at Work

2008

as Self

5.6

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

2008

as Self / Jake Gittes (archive footage)

6.3

Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight

2008

as Self

The Bucket List

2007

as Edward Periman Cole

7.2

View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining'

2007

as Self

7.4

Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick

2007

as Self

6.9

The Visions of Stanley Kubrick

as Self

The Departed

as Costello

Witness to 'Reds'

as Self

Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast

2005

as Self - Presenter

2.0

Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild

2004

as Self(archive footage)

2.0

Anger Management

2003

as Dr. Buddy Rydell

6.2

Something's Gotta Give

2003

as Harry Sanborn

6.6

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood

as Self

About Schmidt

as Warren Schmidt

Paul McCartney: Back in the U.S.

as Self

The Pledge

as Jerry Black

Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures

2001

as Self

7.4

America | A Tribute to Heroes

2001

as Self

6.2

Velocity

1999

as Johnny Varron (young) (archive footage)

1.0

Playboy: Playmate Pajama Party

Junket Whore

as Self

As Good as It Gets

as Melvin Udall

Mars Attacks!

as President Dale / Art Land

6.4

Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels

1996

as Self (archive footage)

Blood and Wine

as Alex

The Evening Star

as Garrett Breedlove

The Rolling Stones: Stripped

as Self

The Crossing Guard

as Freddy Gale

The Rolling Stones: Totally Stripped

as Self

Wolf

as Will Randall

The Making of '...And God Spoke'

1994

as Self - Academy Awards (archive footage)

Man Trouble

as Harry Bliss

A Few Good Men

as Col. Nathan R. Jessep

7.5

Hoffa

1992

as James R. 'Jimmy' Hoffa

6.3

The Two Jakes

1990

as J.J. "Jake" Gittes

6.0

Batman

1989

as Jack Napier / The Joker

7.2

On the tracks of a filmmaker

1988

as Jack Nicholson

Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories

1987

as Narrator (voice)

6.0

The Witches of Eastwick

as Daryl Van Horne

Broadcast News

as Bill Rorich

Ironweed

as Francis Phelan

Creepy Classics

as Rexford Bedlo - (archive footage)

6.3

Rabbit Ears - How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin/How the Camel Got His Hump

1987

as Narrator (voice)

Heartburn

1986

as Mark

6.0

Barbra Streisand: One Voice

1986

as Self - Audience Member (uncredited)

The Elephant's Child

as Narrator (voice)

Live Aid

as Self

Prizzi's Honor

as Charley Partanna

Terms of Endearment

as Garrett Breedlove

The Border

as Charlie Smith

Reds

as Eugene O'Neill

The Postman Always Rings Twice

as Frank Chambers

The Shining

as Jack Torrance

Making 'The Shining'

as Self

Goin' South

as Henry Moon

TVTV Looks at the Oscars

as Self

The Last Tycoon

as Brimmer

The Missouri Breaks

as Tom Logan

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

1975

as Randle Patrick McMurphy

Tommy

as The Specialist

The Fortune

as Oscar 'Dix' Sullivan

The Passenger

as David Locke

Chinatown

as J.J. 'Jake' Gittes

7.9

The Last Detail

1973

as Buddusky

7.0

The King of Marvin Gardens

1972

as David Staebler

5.9

Yoko Ono: This Is Not Here

as Self

Carnal Knowledge

as Jonathan

Drive, He Said

as Annoyed Bearded Guy

5.7

A Safe Place

1971

as Mitch

5.5

Walt Whitman: Poet for a New Age

1971

as Narrator

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever

1970

as Tad Pringle

6.7

Five Easy Pieces

1970

as Robert Eroica Dupea

Rebel Rousers

as Bunny

Easy Rider

as George Hanson

Targets

as Lt. Andre Duvalier (archive footage) (uncredited)

Head

as Self (uncredited)

The Movie Orgy

as Self (archive footage)

6.3

Psych-Out

1968

as Stoney

4.9

Hells Angels on Wheels

1967

as Poet

5.3

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre

1967

as Gino, Hit Man (uncredited)

6.3

The Shooting

1966

as Billy Spear

6.2

Ride in the Whirlwind

as Wes

Ensign Pulver

as Yeoman Dolan

Flight to Fury

as Jay Wickham

Back Door to Hell

as Burnett

The Terror

as Lt. Andre Duvalier

The Raven

as Rexford Bedlo

The Broken Land

as Will

Little Amy

as Jefferson City Coach

The Hour of St. Francis

1962

as Jim Evans

The Wild Ride

as Johnny Varron

Studs Lonigan

as Weary Reilly

The Little Shop of Horrors

as Wilbur Force

Too Soon to Love

as Buddy

Cry Baby Killer

as Jimmy Wallace

Television (19)

Basketball: A Love Story

2018

as Self (archive footage)

7.3

My Spy Family

2007

4.5

Celebrities Uncensored

2003

as Self

4.0

Nudes in the News

2002

as Warren Schmidt (archive footage)

Goldene Kamera

1984

as Self

5.7

The Kennedy Center Honors

1978

as Self

7.4

Saturday Night Live

1975

as Self - Cameo (uncredited)

7.0

The Guns of Will Sonnett

1967

as Tom Murdock

6.2

Little Amy

1962

as Jefferson City Coach

8.0

Dr. Kildare

1961

as Jaime Angel

5.5

The Andy Griffith Show

1960

as Mr. Garland

7.6

The Barbara Stanwyck Show

as Bud

Hawaiian Eye

as Tony Morgan

Mr. Lucky

as Martin

Sea Hunt

as John Stark

Bronco

as Bob Doolin

Matinee Theater

as Musician's Son

The Oscars

as Self

Golden Globe Awards

as Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient

7.2

Crew (18)

Movies (18)

Into the Wild

2007

Thanks

7.8

Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild

Producer

The Two Jakes

Director

The Two Jakes

Producer

Goin' South

Director

Drive, He Said

Director

Drive, He Said

Producer

Drive, He Said

Screenplay

Head

Producer

Head

Songs

Head

Writer

The Trip

Writer

The Shooting

Producer

Ride in the Whirlwind

1966

Producer

6.2

Ride in the Whirlwind

Writer

Flight to Fury

Writer

Cordillera

Screenplay

Thunder Island

Screenplay