Jack Nicholson (born John Joseph Nicholson, 22.4.1937) Jack Nicholson is a highly revered American actor, well known for his work in the 1970s, in films such as One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and The Shining.

Childhood: Jack Nicholson was born in Manhattan, New York City and raised in New Jersey by his grandparents, who he believed were actually his parents. His mother, June Frances

Nicholson, was a showgirl known as June Nilson. June had married Jack's father, Donald Furcillo six months before his birth, in Elkton, a town renowned for 'quickie' marriages. It later transpired, however, that Furcillo was already married. Although Furcillo offered to care for the child, Jack's grandmother, Ethel insisted on raising the child. It has been suggested in Jack's Life, a biography by Patrick McGilligan, that Donald Furcillo may not actually have been Jack's true father and that June was, in fact, unsure of the child's paternity. Nicholson was made aware that the couple who raised him were in fact his grandparents in 1974, by a journalist for Time magazine.

In 1954, Jack Nicholson was voted 'class clown' at Manasquan High School.

Acting Career: Jack Nicholson initially worked for the animation duo Hanna-Barbera. He was offered work as an animation artist, but declined and instead pursued his desire to act.

Jack Nicholson's movie debut came with a role in the low-budget teen drama The Cry Baby Killer. The film's director, Roger Corman went on to direct Nicholson in a number of films, including The Little Shop of Horrors, The Raven, The Terror and The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Corman also directed The Trip, which starred Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, and was Nicholson's first successful attempt at screenwriting. This led to Nicholson's role in Easy Rider, which also starred Fonda and Hopper. Nicholson's role as George Hanson earned him his first Oscar nomination.

In 1970, Nicholson landed another Oscar nomination for his role in Five Easy Pieces. That same year, he appeared in On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, although a great deal of his appearance was cut out before the film premiered.

Nicholson continued the 1970s with a string of successful film appearances, including Chinatown, by Roman Polanski, The Passenger by Michelangelo Antonioni and The Who's rock opera, Tommy. In 1975, Jack Nicholson won the Best Actor Academy Award for his performance as Randle P. Murphy in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, an adaptation of the novel by Ken Kesey.

At the start of the 1980s, Jack Nicholson starred in The Shining, Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of the Stephen King novel by the same name. It remains one of Nicholson's most iconic performances.

Jack Nicholson went on to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in 1983's Terms of Endearment. He followed this film with a string of sturdy performances in films such as The Postman Always Rings Twice and The Witches of Eastwick. Three more Academy Award nominations were to come in the 1980s, for his roles in Reds, Prizzi's Honor and Ironweed.

In 1989, Jack Nicholson played The Joker in Tim Burton's Batman. Nicholson himself reportedly earned around $60 million for his part in the film.

The 1990s saw Nicholson playing Col. Nathan R. Jessep in A Few Good Men, alongside Tom Cruise and he earned himself one more Oscar nomination. His next nomination came in 1997 with his role opposite Helen Hunt in As Good As It Gets.

At the turn of the century, Nicholson appeared in About Schmidt, along with Kathy Bates and Hope Davis. He gained another Best Actor nomination for his performance. In 2003, he starred with Adam Sandler in the comedy Anger Management, as well as his role in Something's Gotta Give, opposite Diane Keaton.

In 2006, Jack Nicholson was one of a reputable cast to feature in Martin Scorcese's The Departed. Amongst the cast members were Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. The following year, The Bucket List was released, in which Jack Nicholson co-starred with Morgan Freeman.

Personal Life: Jack Nicholson has fathered six children to five separate women and has been romantically linked in the press to public figures such as Lara Flynn Boyle, Anjelica Houston and Bebe Buell.

Biography by Contactmusic.com