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 and Laurence Olivier (1930s–1970s) have been nominated for an acting (lead or supporting) Academy Award in five different decades. With three Oscar wins, he also ties with Walter Brennan, Daniel Day-Lewis, Ingrid Bergman, and Meryl Streep for the second-most Oscar wins in acting categories. Only Katharine Hepburn, with four Oscars, won more. In 2012, Nicholson co-presented the Academy Award for Best Picture with First Lady Michelle Obama. This ceremony marked the eighth time he has presented the Academy Award for Best Picture (1972, 1977, 1978, 1990, 1993, 2006, 2007, and 2012). Nicholson is an active and voting member of the