Profile of the Day: Jack Nicholson

Posted April 22, 2024 by Amanda | No Comment

Happy birthday to Jack Nicholson! Today the actor turns 87.

Image: Jack Nicholson / Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Nicholson was born on April 22, 1937 in Neptune, New Jersey. For the first 37 years of his life, Nicholson believed his parents were John Nicholson and Ethel Rhoads. In 1974, a Times reporter researching a cover story on Nicholson discovered that the person Nicholson believed to be his older sister June was in fact his biological mother. Only 17 years old and unmarried at the time of his birth, June’s parents agreed to raise Nicholson as their own. By the time Nicholson learned the truth, his mother and his grandmother had already passed away.

In 1969, Nicholson landed his big break with a supporting role in the film Easy Rider. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting actor for the role. It would be the first of 12 Academy Award nominations he would earn over the course of his long career, making him the most nominated male actor in the Oscar history. Some of his biggest and most celebrated films include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Shining, and The Departed.

What’s your favorite movie?

Explore Jack Nicholson’s family tree on Geni and share how you’re connected to the star.