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When you think of Jack Nicholson, “legendary” might be the word that comes to mind.

He’s a titan of cinema, a master of revelry, and a modern-day Casanova. But for a man who’s lived as long and as intensely as Nicholson, the road was anything but smooth.

Imagine discovering the true identity of your mother only as an adult, or manoeuvring through the treacherous maze of Hollywood’s spotlight. Nicholson faced these trials head-on and came out the other end of all his challenges, only to eventually retreat into a life of seclusion.

Lately, a tragic aura has begun to shroud Jack Nicholson’s image – an old man, alone in his mansion, once a notorious spot on California’s ‘Bad Boy Drive’ – named, in part, because of him, per The List.

Yet, this image might not be entirely accurate, considering Nicholson’s own admitted love for solitude and his proud reflections on a life filled with wild and wonderful exploits.

“When you look at life retrospectively you rarely regret anything that you did, but you might regret things that you didn’t do,” he told The Talks.

Now, almost retired from acting and public life, Nicholson continues to captivate our curiosity.

In their New Jersey home, Jack grew up alongside his two older sisters, June and Lorraine, and their mother, Ethel May Nicholson, who took on the role of the family matriarch in the absence of a father figure.

“These were strong women — made their own way in a period of time when it just wasn’t done that much,” Nicholson told Rolling Stone.

His words hold more weight when you realise the truth of his female-fronted family dynamics. As it turned out, June was actually Nicholson’s mother, Lorraine his aunt, and Ethel May, his grandmother. Thanks to the conservative 1930s, the family were forced to hide June’s illegitimate relationship with a man Nicholson never met, and Jack remained unaware of this family secret until he was well into his 30s.

Adding to the trauma of this truth, Nicholson was not told by his mother or grandmother, both of whom had passed away by 1974, but rather by the Media. At the time, Time magazine was doing a cover story on Nicholson and uncovered this significant detail while researching his past. Though the article itself didn’t expose Nicholson’s family dynamics, the actor was notified of the truth.

Nicholson was naturally thrown off when he first heard it but, over the years, appeared to have made his peace with the falsehood. “I was very impressed by their ability to keep the secret, if nothing else.”

Today, Jack Nicholson stands out as one of Hollywood’s most revered stars, with an unparalleled achievement of 12 Oscar nominations underscoring his extraordinary acting ability. But that took him a long and winding while to reach, navigating the fickle and ferocious world of Hollywood.

Acting happened by a stroke of chance for Nicholson, who ended up staying in Los Angeles after visiting for a holiday at 17. He started with odd jobs around production houses and eventually got his foot in the door as an actor but he still hadn’t gotten his big break yet.

“I was making a living, everyone who knew me said I was good, but everyone who knew me said I wouldn’t make it — because I hadn’t made it so far,” he told the Independent.

Eventually, Nicholson made his debut in 1958 with The Cry Baby Killer, but it wasn’t until a decade later that he truly hit his stride. His breakthrough came with Easy Rider, propelling him into stardom and setting the stage for iconic roles in Chinatown, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and The Shining.

From hearing that he wouldn’t succeed to matter-of-factly claiming, “I am probably the most successful actor in the history of movies, financially speaking,” it has been quite a journey for Nicholson.

Although, support for Jack was still tentative. Ray Winstone, his co-star in The Departed, made an infamous declaration about Nicholson’s supposed arrogance, telling the Independent, “There’s no need for it. This kind of feeling of being above everyone else.”

Once Jack Nicholson stepped into the limelight, it was impossible for him to escape it. His larger-than-life persona and flamboyant lifestyle captivated both the press and the public, with his legendary home on Mulholland Drive becoming known as “the wildest house in Hollywood,” where parties never seemed to end. The buzz surrounding his star-studded soirees was amplified by tales of substances flowing freely, and Nicholson’s own drug use was a constant media fixture. His roles in counterculture films like Easy Rider and Psych-Out only fueled the myth of his drug-fueled exploits even more.

“I think Jack sort of used it, probably like Freud did, in a rather smart way,” actor Anjelica Huston told Vulture about her ex-boyfriend’s cocaine use, adding that it helped him with lethargy.

Nicholson, too, suggests that he always had a handle on his wild ways, telling the Daily Mail once that “I’ve woken up in trees, I’ve woken up almost hanging off cliffs, but I’ve always known how to sort myself out,” he said, “contrary to opinion.”

The Wolf star’s track record for controversy doesn’t end there, once being at the centre of a lawsuit that alleged he assaulted a sex worker whose services he had availed in 1996.

The woman accusing Nicholson claimed he had offered to pay her $1,000 but later backtracked on his word, becoming “loud and abusive” (via The Guardian).

Nicholson initially settled the case quietly, but it resurfaced years later when the woman’s legal team alleged that his forceful actions had caused severe damage to her brain and vision. The ’90s brought further controversy, with Nicholson’s alleged violent tendencies coming under scrutiny once more. Another woman accused him of such aggression that he reportedly damaged her breast implants.

To add to this shameful side, Nicholson would rub shoulders with some of Hollywood’s worst, including his troubling friendships with the disgraced filmmaker Roman Polanski. Polanski directed Nicholson in the 1974 classic Chinatown, and three years after its release, Polanski apparently visited Nicholson’s house in his absence with a 13-year-old girl, where he drugged and raped her.

Despite the incident of sexual abuse committed on his property — which led to Polanski’s conviction — Nicholson did not dissociate himself from the director, referring to him as a “genius” in a piece for Vanity Fair.

Jack Nicholson’s legendary status in film circles doesn’t offset his promiscuous reputation that has left many female co-stars uncomfortable. A Nicholson biography in 2013 alleged that the actor’s “relentless sexual overtures” drove Meryle Streep to boot him out of her hotel room and pledge never to make another film with him.

While the actor has always been unapologetic about the many relationships he has had with women, he has had a thornier time building a relationship with the children he has fathered. Though Jack Nicholson has six kids — Jennifer Nicholson, Caleb Goddard, Honey Hollmann, Lorraine Nicholson, Ray Nicholson, and Tessa Gourin — he has bothered to build relationships with only a few members of his brood.

Jack Nicholson finally out in public at a basket ball game with his kids.
Dude looks like he’s in a scene from the HBO T.V show, Succession! pic.twitter.com/6RYFCkfXWB

— umitbali (@umitbali) May 2, 2023

In recent years, Jack Nicholson has retreated from the world to the extent that any rare sighting of him now is enough to make global headlines. It happened last in 2023 when the star was photographed out on the balcony of his longtime Mulholland Drive residence after over a year of absence from public view.

“He’s made it clear his home is his castle,” a source told RadarOnline, which reported that Nicholson was more or less living as a recluse. “It’s like he doesn’t want to face reality anymore — and that’s just sad.”

Hey, internet….BACK-OFF. Jack Nicholson hasn’t been seen in 18 months, and we should all know EXACTLY how that looks and feels. Remember the pandemic?? Leave this man alone!!
My kids see this look on my face every morning when they ask: Mommy, what are we doing today? pic.twitter.com/ruld557CLm

— Julie Banderas (@JulieBanderas) April 15, 2023

He also looked shockingly haggard at another public appearance at last year’s Lakers playoff with his son Ray:

Jack Nicholson waking up to go sit courtside at a Lakers playoff game #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/p6TqRR0J6s

— Pepe Silvia (@pepe_silvia7) May 13, 2023

There have been concerns about Nicholson’s health, with reports alleging for years that the actor is living with dementia.

At 87, Nicholson had already admitted to his gradual withdrawal from public life, telling the Daily Mail, “My life has changed. … People won’t believe that, but it’s true. But you adjust your life to your circumstances, and I can spend a lot of time on my own.”

Fans can only hope he’ll come out of the house every now and then to reassure everyone that he’s okay.

[source:thelist]