"A star on a movie set is like a time bomb. That bomb has got to be defused so people can approach it without fear", says Jack Nicholson. Jack Nicholson, nicknamed classic bad boy, has been involved with several actresses, notably his 17-year-relationship with actress Anjelica Huston (born on July 8, 1951) and Susan Anspach (born on November 23, 1942). Also noticed for his on-off relationship with model Rebecca Broussard, Nicholson surprised the public by dating The Practice fame, Lara Flynn Boyle (born on March 24, 1970) and arguably with his Something's Gotta Give fellow actress Diane Keaton. Raised in an ill-fated family by his alcoholic grandfather John and beautician grandmother Ethel May Nicholson, Jack Nicholson was raised believing that his mother June was his older sister. Given the name John Joseph Nicholson, Jack Nicholson was born on April 22, 1937 in Neptune, New Jersey, where he attended Manasquan High School and became the 1954's Class Clown. On June 17, 1962, he married actress Sandra Knight but they divorced four years later, on August 8, 1968. Nicholson has one daughter from Sandra, Jennifer (born in 1964), who gave him his first grandson Sean (born on February 20, 1996). Jack Nicholson has two children from his relationship with Rebecca Broussard, daughter Lorraine Broussard (born on April 16, 1990) and son Raymond (born on February 20, 1992). He also has one alleged son, Caleb (born September 26, 1970), from Susan Anspach.

An office boy for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film studio at age 17, Jack Nicholson learned to act with the Players Ring Theater and appeared in both television and on stage. Spotted by Roger Corman, he then debuted his film work playing a small role in The Cry Baby Killer (1958). Jack Nicholson continued to play characters for follow-up B-movies including Little Shop of Horrors (1960), The Raven (1963), The Terror (1963, alongside Francis Ford Coppola), Ensign Pulver (1964) and The Shooting (1967). Meanwhile, Nicholson tried his hand in screenwriting, which produced the thriller Thunder Island (1963), Flight to Fury (1964) and Ride The Whirlwind (1966). He also helped Bob Rafelson in writing and producing the comedy Head (1968), penned the drama film The Trip (1967) as well as helping write, produce and direct Mike Nichols' hit Carnal Knowledge. Jack Nicholson achieved his first break costarring with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in the film Easy Rider (1969), for which he was nominated for his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Another nomination followed in Rafelson's Five Easy Pieces (1970). Throughout the 1970s, Nicholson was included in Hollywood's A-list actors and gained many roles including films like Carnal Knowledge (1972, opposite Candice Bergen), Henry Jaglom's A Safe Place (1972), The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) and Hal Ashby's critically acclaimed The Last Detail (1973). Jack Nicholson earned another breakthrough when starring in Roman Polanski's classic film, Chinatown (1974, worked with Faye Dunaway and John Huston).

After being nominated several times, Jack Nicholson eventually received his first Academy Award for best Actor for portraying Randle McMurphy in Milos Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). His renowned acting skills scored him roles in Michelangelo Antonioni's The Passenger (1975), Ken Russell's Tommy (1975) and in several low-received films like Western The Missouri Breaks (1976, co-starring Marlon Brando) and F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel adaptation film The Last Tycoon (1976, Robert De Niro). Nicholson went back to the limelight by playing in Stanley Kubrick's The Shinning (1980) and in the remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981). Following his appearances in Warren Beatty's Reds (1981, teamed with Diane Keaton) and The Border (1982), Jack Nicholson garnered an Oscar for his supporting role in James L. Brooks' comedy-drama Terms of Endearment (1983, joined with Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger) and was nominated for Best Actor in John Huston's comedy Prizzi's Honor (1985, with then-girlfriend Anjelica Huston). He also achieved rave reviews for playing characters in Hector Babenco's Ironweed (1987, opposite Meryl Streep) and in 1987's The Witches of Eastwick, shared the screen with Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Jack Nicholson's limelight seems to never dim. With his role like the Joker in Tom Burton's blockbuster Batman (1989, costarred with Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger), from which he earned multimillion dollars for both the film and the merchandise, he stays on top. In the following year, he both directed and starred with Harvey Keitel and Meg Tilly in The Two Jakes (1990), a sequel to Chinatown. Cast as Col. Nathan R. Jessep in A Few Good Men (1992, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore) he received another Oscar nomination. Subsequently, he played the title role in Danny DeVito's Hoffa and joined Michelle Pfeiffer in Mike Nichols' Wolf (1994) as well as costarring with Anjelica Huston in Sean Penn's The Crossing Guard (1995). Following in 1996, he acted in Tim Burton's Mars Attacks and took home an Oscar for portraying Melvin Udall in the acclaimed James L. Brooks' As Good As It Gets (1997, opposite Helen Hunt). After four years of hiatus, Jack Nicholson reunited with Sean Penn in The Pledge (2001) and set a record by being nominated for a 12th Oscar for playing Warren R. Schmidt in Alexander Payne's About Schmidt (2002, costarring Kathy Bates). In the following year, he was cast as Dr. Buddy Rydell (costarring Adam Sandler) in the popular comedy Anger Management. In 2006, Jack Nicholson is scheduled to star in the remake of gangster clash Internal Affairs (a.k.a. Wu Jian Dao), The Departed. He will portray an Irish gang boss and star with actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon.