Jack Nicholson: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 1, 2026

News •

Christopher Lloyd, 88, reveals drug addiction as he looks back on iconic roles • Oct. 29, 2026, 2:53 PM ET (USA Today)

Facts

Also Known As	John Joseph Nicholson
Born	April 22, 1937 (age 89) • New Jersey
Awards And Honors	Kennedy Center Honors (2001) • Academy Award (1998) • Grammy Award (1987) • Academy Award (1984) • Academy Award (1976) • Academy Award (1998): Actor in a Leading Role • Academy Award (1984): Actor in a Supporting Role • Academy Award (1976): Actor in a Leading Role • Cecil B. DeMille Award (1999) • Golden Globe Award (2003): Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama • Golden Globe Award (1998): Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy • Golden Globe Award (1986): Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy • Golden Globe Award (1984): Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture • Golden Globe Award (1976): Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama • Golden Globe Award (1975): Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama • Grammy Award (1988): Best Recording for Children
Notable Works	“Goin’ South” • “The Two Jakes”
Married To	Sandra Knight (1962–1968)
Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In)	"The Shooting" (1966) • "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) • "Hoffa" (1992) • "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" (1970) • "I'm Still Here" (2010) • "The Fortune" (1975) • "Batman" (1989) • "Psych-Out" (1968) • "The Little Shop of Horrors" (1960) • "Ironweed" (1987) • "The Shining" (1980) • "The Missouri Breaks" (1976) • "The King of Marvin Gardens" (1972) • "The Guns of Will Sonnett" (1967) • "Prizzi's Honor" (1985) • "Anger Management" (2003) • "About Schmidt" (2002) • "The Two Jakes" (1990) • "Mars Attacks!" (1996) • "Tales of Wells Fargo" (1961) • "A Few Good Men" (1992) • "How Do You Know" (2010) • "Mr. Lucky" (1960) • "The Rebel Rousers" (1970) • "The Wild Ride" (1960) • "Something's Gotta Give" (2003) • "The Broken Land" (1962) • "Studs Lonigan" (1960) • "Bronco" (1961) • "The Last Tycoon" (1976) • "The Cry Baby Killer" (1958) • "Reds" (1981) • "Chinatown" (1974) • "Matinee Theatre" (1956) • "The Witches of Eastwick" (1987) • "Wolf" (1994) • "The Raven" (1963) • "Sea Hunt" (1961) • "Terms of Endearment" (1983) • "The Departed" (2006) • "The Border" (1982) • "The Bucket List" (2007) • "The Evening Star" (1996) • "Back Door to Hell" (1964) • "The Barbara Stanwyck Show" (1960) • "As Good as It Gets" (1997) • "Broadcast News" (1987) • "The Pledge" (2001) • "Carnal Knowledge" (1971) • "A Safe Place" (1971) • "The Last Detail" (1973) • "Easy Rider" (1969) • "Professione: reporter" (1975) • "The Andy Griffith Show" (1966–1967) • "The Crossing Guard" (1995) • "The Terror" (1963) • "Flight to Fury" (1964) • "Five Easy Pieces" (1970) • "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1981) • "Dr. Kildare" (1966) • "Ensign Pulver" (1964) • "Goin' South" (1978) • "Too Soon to Love" (1960) • "Man Trouble" (1992) • "Ride in the Whirlwind" (1966) • "Tommy" (1975) • "Hells Angels on Wheels" (1967) • "Heartburn" (1986) • "Hawaiian Eye" (1962) • "Blood and Wine" (1996)
Movies/Tv Shows (Directed)	"Drive, He Said" (1971) • "The Two Jakes" (1990) • "Goin' South" (1978)
Movies/Tv Shows (Writing/Creator)	"Ride in the Whirlwind" (1966) • "Drive, He Said" (1971) • "Flight to Fury" (1964) • "Thunder Island" (1963) • "Head" (1968) • "The Trip" (1967)

Top Questions

Where was Jack Nicholson born?

Jack Nicholson was born in Neptune, New Jersey, United States.

Is Jack Nicholson married?

Sandra Knight (1962–1968)

When was Jack Nicholson born?

Jack Nicholson was born on April 22, 1937.

Photos

Jack Nicholson as Jake Gittes in Chinatown stands in front of a yellow sign reading Farm Land for Sale, with a sold banner, wearing a suit, sunglasses, and a bandage on his nose.

Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, and Jack Nicholson ride motorcycles on a rural road in a scene from the film Easy Rider, with Nicholson wearing a white suit and helmet.

Jack Nicholson, wearing work clothes and holding a hard hat, crouches on an oil rig with other workers in the background in a scene from Five Easy Pieces.

Jack Nicholson, Art Garfunkel, and Carol Kane sit in a modern living room with large windows in a scene from the film Carnal Knowledge (1971), directed by Mike Nichols.

John Huston as Noah Cross faces Jack Nicholson in a tense outdoor scene from the film Chinatown, both wearing light-colored suits and vintage hats.

Jack Nicholson, looking distressed, crouches on the floor as Shelley Duvall kneels beside him with a concerned expression in a scene from The Shining (1980).

Terms of Endearment

As Good As It Gets

Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson smiling and walking on a beach in a scene from the film Something's Gotta Give, directed by Nancy Meyers.

See All Images →

Warren Beatty wearing a dark jacket, white shirt, and light tie, posing at an event with a dark background, 2006.

Warren Beatty

American actor, director, and producer

Cuba Gooding, Jr. smiles at the camera wearing a black suit and tie with a white shirt, against a blurred, multicolored background.

Cuba Gooding, Jr.

American actor

Mel Brooks in a tuxedo smiles widely and points at his Emmy Award trophy while posing in front of a blue Emmy Awards backdrop.

Mel Brooks

American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor

Barbra Streisand in 2010, wearing a layered necklace and a black jacket, with straight shoulder-length hair, smiling slightly at an event.

Barbra Streisand

American singer and actress

Advise & Consent

Charles Laughton

English actor

Sidney Poitier smiling and wearing a light gray suit, blue shirt, and patterned tie at an event.

Sidney Poitier

Bahamanian American actor

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

John Huston

American director, writer, and actor

Anjelica Huston

Anjelica Huston

American actress

Diane Keaton smiling at an event in 2007, wearing glasses, a white collared shirt, and a layered black beaded necklace.

Diane Keaton

American actress and director

Orson Welles

Orson Welles

American actor, director, and writer

Ossie Davis

Ossie Davis

American actor and playwright

Michelle Williams and Casey Affleck stand outside next to a stone wall, facing each other in a tense conversation, with a stroller in the foreground in Manchester by the Sea.

Casey Affleck

American actor and director

Martin Scorsese smiling in a tuxedo and bow tie, holding an Oscar statuette at the Academy Awards, with a gold Oscar statue in the background.

Martin Scorsese

American filmmaker

Paul Newman

Paul Newman

American actor and philanthropist

Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington

American actor

George Clooney wearing a black suit and shirt, smiling outdoors with palm trees and a bright sky in the background at the Cannes Film Festival.

George Clooney

American actor and director

Kevin Spacey, wearing a tuxedo, stands onstage smiling and speaking at a microphone during the 2017 British Academy Britannia Awards in Beverly Hills.

Kevin Spacey

American actor

Sean Penn at the Hammond Cinema Vanguard Award Tribute during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, seated in front of a backdrop with film festival text.

Sean Penn

American actor

Dustin Hoffman as Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy stands beside a produce stand with a sign reading fresh coconuts 40 cents each, looking serious in a city street scene.

Dustin Hoffman

American actor

Morgan Freeman stands onstage in a suit jacket and white shirt, facing the audience and smiling, with a microphone visible in the foreground.

Morgan Freeman

American actor

Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).

Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia

USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood

Pop Culture Quiz

Publicity still with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman from the motion picture film "Casablanca" (1942); directed by Michael Curtiz. (cinema, movies)

Best Picture Movie Quote Quiz