Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Jack Nicholson
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Jack Nicholson made an impact.
Jack Nicholson is a highly acclaimed American retired actor and filmmaker, celebrated for his portrayals of charismatic rebels challenging societal norms. With a career spanning five decades, he's recognized as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century. His extensive list of awards includes three Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award, solidifying his impact and legacy in the film industry.
1950: First Visit to California and MGM Job Offer
In 1950, at age 13, Nicholson first visited California and was offered an animation job at MGM, which he declined.
May 5, 1955: First Day as a Working Actor
On May 5, 1955, Nicholson had his first day as a working actor on 'Tales of Wells Fargo'.
1958: Film Debut in The Cry Baby Killer
In 1958, Nicholson made his film debut in Roger Corman's 'The Cry Baby Killer'.
1960: Cameo in The Little Shop of Horrors
In 1960, Nicholson had a cameo in Roger Corman's cult classic 'The Little Shop of Horrors'.
1960: Starred in The Wild Ride
In 1960, Nicholson starred as a rebellious dirt-track race driver in the film 'The Wild Ride'.
1967: Screenplay for The Trip
In 1967, Nicholson wrote the screenplay for the counterculture film 'The Trip'.
1968: Role in Psych-Out
In 1968, Nicholson appeared in the film 'Psych-Out'.
1969: Oscar Nomination for Easy Rider
In 1969, Nicholson received an Oscar nomination for his role in 'Easy Rider'.
1969: Breakthrough Role in Easy Rider
In 1969, Nicholson's acting career took off after starring in 'Easy Rider' as George Hanson, earning his first Oscar nomination.
1970: Film Adaptation of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Also in 1970, Nicholson appeared in the film adaptation of 'On a Clear Day You Can See Forever', although most of his performance was left on the cutting room floor.
1970: Oscar Nomination for Five Easy Pieces
In 1970, Nicholson received an Oscar nomination for his role in 'Five Easy Pieces'.
1970: Starred in Five Easy Pieces
In 1970, Nicholson starred in 'Five Easy Pieces' alongside Karen Black, earning an Academy Award nomination for his performance.
1971: Starred in Carnal Knowledge
In 1971, Nicholson starred in 'Carnal Knowledge', directed by Mike Nichols, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.
1972: Presents Academy Award for Best Picture
In 1972, Jack Nicholson presented the Academy Award for Best Picture.
1972: Role in The King of Marvin Gardens
In 1972, Nicholson appeared in 'The King of Marvin Gardens'.
1973: Oscar Nomination for The Last Detail
In 1973, Nicholson received an Oscar nomination for his role in 'The Last Detail'.
1973: Starred in The Last Detail
In 1973, Nicholson starred in Hal Ashby's 'The Last Detail', winning Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival and receiving an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination.
1974: Oscar Nomination for Chinatown
In 1974, Nicholson received an Oscar nomination for his role in 'Chinatown'.
1974: Starred in Chinatown
In 1974, Nicholson starred in Roman Polanski's noir thriller 'Chinatown', earning another Academy Award nomination for his role as Jake Gittes.
1975: Success in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
In 1975, Jack Nicholson starred as Randle P. McMurphy in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest', an adaptation of Ken Kesey's novel. Nicholson won his first Academy Award for Best Actor for this role. The film received nine nominations at the Academy Awards, and won five.
1975: Starring in The Passenger
In 1975, Jack Nicholson starred in Michelangelo Antonioni's 'The Passenger', playing a journalist who assumes a dead man's identity, only to discover he was a weapons smuggler. Nicholson bought the world rights to the film and recorded his reminiscence of working with Antonioni.
1975: Academy Award for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
In 1975, Nicholson won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Randle McMurphy in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'.
1976: Taking a Role in The Missouri Breaks
In 1976, Jack Nicholson played a role in Arthur Penn's western 'The Missouri Breaks', inspired to work with Marlon Brando, whom Nicholson greatly admired. As an assistant manager, he watched 'On the Waterfront' about 40 times, citing Brando as the patron saint of actors.
1977: Presents Academy Award for Best Picture
In 1977, Jack Nicholson presented the Academy Award for Best Picture.
1978: Presents Academy Award for Best Picture
In 1978, Jack Nicholson presented the Academy Award for Best Picture.
1978: Directed Goin' South
In 1978, Nicholson directed the film 'Goin' South'.
1980: Starring in The Shining
In 1980, Jack Nicholson starred as Jack Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's 'The Shining'. Nicholson improvised the famous "Here's Johnny!" line, Nicholson drew upon his experiences as a writer and slept short hours to help remain in an agitated state during the shoot.
1981: Starring in The Postman Always Rings Twice and Reds
In 1981, Jack Nicholson starred in 'The Postman Always Rings Twice' and 'Reds', where he portrayed writer Eugene O'Neill. He received an Oscar nomination for 'Reds'.
1981: Appeared in Reds
In 1981, Nicholson appeared in the film 'Reds', and identified as Irish.
1981: Oscar Nomination for Reds
In 1981, Nicholson received an Oscar nomination for his role in 'Reds'.
1982: Owned film rights to The Murder of Napoleon
In 1982, Jack Nicholson owned the film rights to the book The Murder of Napoleon.
1982: Starring in The Border
In 1982, Jack Nicholson starred in 'The Border', directed by Tony Richardson, playing an immigration enforcement agent. Richardson wanted Nicholson to wear reflecting sunglasses to portray what patrolmen wore.
1983: Winning an Academy Award for Terms of Endearment
In 1983, Jack Nicholson won his second Academy Award for his role as Garrett Breedlove in 'Terms of Endearment', directed by James L. Brooks. He played many scenes differently with Shirley MacLaine, constantly testing and making adjustments.
1985: Starring in Prizzi's Honor
In 1985, Jack Nicholson starred in 'Prizzi's Honor', directed by John Huston, who praised Nicholson's ability to illuminate the book. He received an Oscar nomination for this role.
1985: Oscar Nomination for Prizzi's Honor
In 1985, Nicholson received an Oscar nomination for his role in 'Prizzi's Honor'.
1986: Starring in Heartburn
In 1986, Jack Nicholson starred in 'Heartburn', continuing his prolific work in the 1980s.
1987: Starring in The Witches of Eastwick, Broadcast News, and Ironweed
In 1987, Jack Nicholson starred in 'The Witches of Eastwick', 'Broadcast News', and 'Ironweed'. He received an Oscar nomination for 'Ironweed'.
1987: Oscar Nomination for Ironweed
In 1987, Nicholson received an Oscar nomination for his role in 'Ironweed'.
1989: Portraying the Joker in Batman
In 1989, Jack Nicholson portrayed the Joker in Tim Burton's 'Batman'. The film was a major hit, earning Nicholson a significant percentage of the box office gross. Nicholson was "particularly proud" of his performance as the Joker.
1990: Presents Academy Award for Best Picture
In 1990, Jack Nicholson presented the Academy Award for Best Picture.
1990: Directed The Two Jakes
In 1990, Nicholson directed the film 'The Two Jakes'.
1992: Starring in A Few Good Men, Man Trouble, and Hoffa
In 1992, Jack Nicholson starred in 'A Few Good Men', receiving his tenth Academy Award nomination. He also starred in 'Man Trouble' and 'Hoffa', receiving Golden Raspberry Award nominations for Worst Actor for 'Man Trouble' and 'Hoffa'.
1992: Oscar Nomination for A Few Good Men
In 1992, Nicholson received an Oscar nomination for his role in 'A Few Good Men'.
1993: Presents Academy Award for Best Picture
In 1993, Jack Nicholson presented the Academy Award for Best Picture.
1995: Frustration over inability to make a film about Napoleon
In a 1995 interview, Jack Nicholson expressed his frustration over his inability to make a film about Napoleon, for which he owned the rights to the 1982 book, The Murder of Napoleon.
December 1996: Starring in Mars Attacks!
In December 1996, Jack Nicholson starred in 'Mars Attacks!', playing dual roles. The film received mixed reviews and flopped at the box office.
1997: Winning Third Academy Award for As Good as It Gets
In 1997, Jack Nicholson won his third Academy Award for his role in 'As Good as It Gets'. The film was a box-office success, grossing $314 million.
1997: Academy Award for As Good as It Gets
In 1997, Nicholson won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as an author with OCD in 'As Good as It Gets'.
2001: Receiving Stanislavsky Award and Starring in The Pledge
In 2001, Jack Nicholson received the Stanislavsky Award at the Moscow International Film Festival. That same year, he starred in 'The Pledge', receiving praise for his performance.
2002: Starring in About Schmidt
In 2002, Jack Nicholson starred in 'About Schmidt', receiving nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Actor Award, and winning a Golden Globe Award.
2002: Oscar Nomination for About Schmidt
In 2002, Nicholson received an Oscar nomination for his role in 'About Schmidt'.
2003: Starring in Anger Management and Something's Gotta Give
In 2003, Jack Nicholson starred in 'Anger Management' and 'Something's Gotta Give', receiving a Golden Globe nomination for 'Something's Gotta Give'.
2006: Presents Academy Award for Best Picture
In 2006, Jack Nicholson presented the Academy Award for Best Picture.
2006: Starring in The Departed
In 2006, Jack Nicholson starred in Martin Scorsese’s 'The Departed', earning worldwide critical praise and BAFTA, Golden Globe, Critics' Choice, and Actor Award nominations.
2007: Starring in The Bucket List
In 2007, Jack Nicholson co-starred with Morgan Freeman in 'The Bucket List', researching the role by visiting a Los Angeles hospital to see how cancer patients coped with their illnesses.
2007: Presents Academy Award for Best Picture
In 2007, Jack Nicholson presented the Academy Award for Best Picture.
2010: Supporting role in How Do You Know
In 2010, Jack Nicholson reunited with James L. Brooks for a supporting role in the film How Do You Know, starring Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, and Owen Wilson. The movie was a financial and critical failure.
2010: Starred in How Do You Know and Break from Acting
In 2010, Nicholson starred in 'How Do You Know' and then took a break from acting.
September 2013: Nicholson says he is less driven to 'be out there anymore'
In September 2013, Jack Nicholson stated in a Vanity Fair article that he did not consider himself retired, but that he was less driven to "be out there anymore".
February 15, 2015: Special appearance on SNL 40
On February 15, 2015, Jack Nicholson made a special appearance as a presenter on SNL 40, the 40th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live.
2017: Reported to star in Toni Erdmann remake, project abandoned
In 2017, Jack Nicholson was reported to be starring in an English-language remake of Toni Erdmann opposite Kristen Wiig, but the project was later abandoned.
2018: Declined appearance in Ready Player One
In 2018, director Mike Flanagan disclosed that Jack Nicholson had previously been approached to appear in Steven Spielberg's science-fiction film Ready Player One, but declined.
October 2019: Declines cameo appearance in Doctor Sleep
In October 2019, director Mike Flanagan revealed that he approached Jack Nicholson for a cameo appearance in The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep, but Nicholson declined.
February 16, 2025: Appearance on SNL 50
On February 16, 2025, Jack Nicholson made a rare appearance on SNL 50, the 50th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live, introducing Adam Sandler.
2025: Last film role
As of 2025, How Do You Know remains Jack Nicholson's last film role, bringing his filmography to 80 films.
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