The legendary actor Jack Nicholson turned 84 and the Audiovisual Maniac Club could not pass that special date without paying a tribute to this star, who is undoubtedly one of the greatest names in the History of Cinema.
John Joseph Nicholson, better known as Jack Nicholson, was born in New York, USA, 84 years ago, on 22 April 1937. Jack Nicholson has been acting since the 60’s and he has built a reputation as one of Hollywood’s greatest thespians, as well as one of its most enigmatic “real-life” personas.
Director, actor, producer and screenwriter, Nicholson has been nominated for the Academy Awards twelve times, having won three times. This event is not for any artist. In addition to the coveted Oscar award, he won more than seven Golden Globes and four BAFTAs. Recall 7 memorable performances in Mr Nicholson’s career:
Chinatown (1974)
Jack Nicholson brought Jake Gittes to life in Roman Polanski’s Chinatown production that became a classic film and was nominated in 11 categories at the 1975 Oscars.
Nicholson plays private detective Jake Gittes who is hired by a wealthy woman to investigate her husband, who appears to cheat on her. Gittes soon discovers that the woman was an imposter and finds the real Evelyn Mulwray, daughter of one of the most powerful men in the city. The detective finds himself in the middle of a dangerous power game, in a surprising plot that involves diversion of water supply, land acquisitions and people linked to the Water and Energy Company.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
It is considered by the American Film Institute one of the best American films ever made, and gave Jack Nicholson, in 1976, the first Oscar for Best Actor. Set in a psychiatric clinic, the film tells the story of Randall McMurphy, a free-spirited individual who ends up escaping from prison and leads patients in a rebellion against the oppressive team, led by Nurse Ratched.
The Shining (1980)
Jack Nicholson is well remembered for the role of Jack Torrance in Stanley Kubrick’s classic horror movie. It tells the story of a writer, Jack Torrance, who becomes a winter caretaker at the isolated ‘Hotel Overlook’ in the Colorado Mountains, hoping to cure his writer’s block. He settles down with his wife Wendy and son Danny, who is tormented by premonitions. Jack is unable to write and Danny’s visions become more disturbing. The writer discovers the hotel’s dark secrets and begins to transform himself into a homicidal maniac, terrorizing his family.
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
In The Witches of Eastwick, Jack Nicholson plays Devil literally. He doesn’t want to bring the apocalypse, however, he just wants to go to bed with many beautiful women as he can get his hands on. In this film, Nicholson is charming, charismatic, and seductive. The only problem is, he may have bitten off more than he can chew when he decides to pursue Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer. These are the holder “Witches of Eastwick”, you see, and they don’t enjoy sharing. Hell hath no fury, as the saying goes, and if Nicholson thought he knew hell before, he ain’t seen nothing yet.
Batman (1989)
Showing how versatile he can be, Nicholson entered the universe of superheroes and played the unforgettable Joker in this Batman which is one of the most significant edition, thanks to Nicholson talent. The actor was not overshadowed by the hero and ended up having much more prominence and stealing the production scene. Tim Burton’s film went on to win an Oscar for “Best Art Direction” and is well-liked by critics and audiences.
As Good as It Gets (1997)
Melvin Udall is an obsessive-compulsive romantic fiction writer who is rude to everyone he meets, including Simon, his homosexual neighbour. When Simon is hospitalised, the neighbour’s dog is left in the care of the grumpy writer. Little by little, he tries to improve and thinks he can have a relationship with the waitress of the local restaurant, the only one who serves him and tolerates his peculiarities.
In giving life to the obsessive-compulsive writer, Jack Nicholson won the third acting Oscar. Besides, the film received the statuette of “Best Actress” for Helen Hunt.
The Bucket List (2007)
Billionaire Edward Cole and mechanic Carter Chambers are two terminally ill patients in the same hospital room. When they meet, they decide to write a list of the things they want to do before they die and flee the hospital to do them. The film has received mixed reviews regarding the script, but the fact is that Jack Nicholson’s and Morgan Freeman in the lead roles save the film from failure and it is valid to be on this list of Nicholson’s best performances.
We wish long live the star Jack Nicholson and that he has a lot of health and energy to give life to many anthological characters!
Which of these Jack Nicholson performances are your favourites? Leave your comment here !!!
