Jack Nicholson Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American actor and film-maker who has performed for over sixty years. He is known for playing a wide range of starring or supporting roles, including satirical comedy, romance, and dark portrayals of anti-heroes and villainous characters. In many of his films, he has played the "eternal outsider, the sardonic drifter", someone who rebels against the social structure. His most known and celebrated films include the road drama "Easy Rider" (1969); the dramas "Five Easy Pieces" (1970) and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975); the comedy-dramas "The Last Detail"
Jack Nicholson set: Nicholson won his second Oscar, an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his role of retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove in "Terms of Endearment" (1983), directed by James L. Brooks. It starred Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger. McGilligan claims it was one of Nicholson's most complex and unforgettable characters. He and MacLaine played many of their scenes in different ways, constantly testing and making adjustments. Their scenes together gave the film its "buoyant edge", states McGilligan, and describes Nicholson's acting as "Jack floating like a butterfly". Nicholson continued to work prolifically in the 1980s, starring in such films as