Jackson Pollock (January 28, 1912 – August 11, 1956) was an American painter. He became famous for painting in the abstract expressionist style. Pollock's most famous paintings were made by dripping and splashing paint on a large canvas. His nickname was Jack the Dripper. Because of the method, this style is often called "action painting". Pollock was helped by his wife, artist Lee Krasner, and her style was very new at the time. His real name is Paul.Jackson is his middle name.