Having been one of the most critically acclaimed actors there are, with 12 academy award nominations under his belt and a huge number of awards, including the AFI Life Achievement Award and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award among the rest, Jack Nicholson leaves most others in the duct.
What makes him one of a kind is his ability to play a wide range of starring and supporting roles, including comic characters, romantic leads, anti-heroes and villains.
When it comes to his personal life, it’s safe to say that The Shining star has led quite a life. Having five children with four different women, Nicholson has always been considered a ladies’ man.
The actor and filmmaker has only been married once, to actress Sandra Knight, with whom he has daughter Jennifer Nicholson, his eldest child.
The marriage ended before even Nicholson reached stardom because Sandra was aware he wouldn’t be faithful to her.
In 1970, the actor became a father to his second child, son Caleb, whom he has with Susan Anspach. He, however, only fully accepted Caleb as his son years later.
His relationship with Winnie Hollman resulted in the birth of his daughter Honey Nicholson. After this, he began a relationship with Rebecca Broussard and the couple welcomed daughter Lorraine and son Ray.
Speaking of co-parenting all of his children with their moms, the actor once said, “It’s a divided parenthood, with their wonderful [mothers] and myself. We’ve always gotten along. I want to be inspirational, or some kind of good influence on them without overburdening them.”
Nicholson has spent most of his life believing that his grandmother was actually his birth mother when in fact he was the son of her daughter June whom they presented to Nicholas as his sister. The actor only learned the truth when a journalist asked him for a comment. Nicholson was shocked at first, to say the least. His mother and grandma took the secret to their graves and he didn’t get the chance to confront them.
“It was pretty dramatic event, but it wasn’t what I’d call traumatizing…I was pretty well psychologically formed,” Jack told People of the revelation.
“I didn’t have to deal with it with them. They were dead. I am that kind of person-what do I feel-and had the tools to know what I feel. Gratitude. I’ve often said about them: Show me any women today who could keep a secret, confidence, or an intimacy to that degree, you got my kind of gal.”
During the last couple of years, the career of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest star has been drawn to a close.
According to people close to him, the actor suffers from memory loss. Media outlets reported in the past that Nicholson was diagnosed with dementia. “There is a simple reason behind his decision — it’s memory loss,” an insider told Radar Online. “Jack has memory issues and can no longer remember the lines being asked of him.”
He “doesn’t leave his house anymore” and his children are reportedly taking care of him, a source shared with Express, “Physically he is fine — but his mind is gone. It’s really sad to see such a super talented actor, like Jack, go out this way.”
It appears that Jack Nicholson’s latest public appearance was at the Kobe Bryant’s memorial, who was his close friend.
It truly is a sad, sad thing to see someone as talented and as successful as Jack Nicholson to completely withdraw from public life.
