Alex Carson
In the world of Hollywood, there is a whole legion of legends and icons worth taking note of. Jack Nicholson, however, seems to be in a league of his own. His illustrious career has spanned nearly half a century and he is still a key player in the film industry – although he shies away from acting these days.
You would be hard-pressed to find anyone that doesn’t know his name and aren’t familiar with his idiosyncrasies. He is truly a unique breed unlike any other and his remarkable list of film credits is in and of itself a testimony of his greatness.
But it’s not just his movies that have made him the talk of the town. Nicholson’s personal life has also created quite a bit of buzz over the years as well. His romantic and professional relationships have given the media a lot to discuss and his career – complete with its highs and lows – have kept him relevant and revered.
One Of The Highest-Paid Actor In Hollywood In the 1980s
Back in the late 1980s, he was one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. That shouldn’t be surprising either, seeing as how he is one of the most talented actors of his generation.
Jack Nicholson is far from being one-dimensional. Throughout his career, he has shined in many different roles such as the up-and-coming actor coming into his own, the heartthrob love interest, the leading man, and he’s one heck of a terrific supporting actor as well. His versatility is something to marvel at.
But, many will note that he can also be notoriously difficult to work with on set. He calls things as he sees them. He’s not afraid to speak his mind and step on toes and don’t expect to ever hear him apologize for anything – it’s just not his style.
If you’re a fan of Jack Nicholson, you might think that you know all there is to know about him but this video is going to show you how little you actually know about the One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest star.
So buckle up and get ready to see Nicholson in a whole new light. Seriously, this guy is quite the enigma. Just when you think you got him pegged, he shows you an entirely different side of himself that keeps you guessing.
So let’s get down to it.
The Secret Playboy Mansion Tunnels
Okay, this one’s going to blow your minds. So, Playboy.com staff members released some blueprints that they found a few years ago that shows that underneath the Playboy mansion a series of tunnels were constructed to link Hugh Hefner’s world-famous domicile to the homes of Jack Nicholson, James Caan, Kirk Douglas, and Warren Beatty.
The blueprints, which show that the construction project was built in the 70s and 80s, were discovered in the Playboy archives by staff writers looking for a juicy story. Polaroids detailing the construction were dated to 1977 and showed a large excavation project underneath the house.
Upon further investigation, a large treasure trove of maps and blueprints was discovered in the Playboy mansions basement which clearly show how the tunnel system connected all the bachelor’s homes to the iconic estate.
Apparently, the tunnels were sealed up sometime around 1989 when Hugh got married to Kimberley Conrad. Unfortunately, Hef himself can’t give us any more clues about whether the tunnels still exist since he passed away a couple of years ago. Representatives for his estate refuse to comment on the issue as well.
Nicholson, Caan, Douglas, and Beatty also have declined to discuss what they know about the tunnels..
It’s actually rather peculiar why such an incredible story has been kept under wraps for so many years. Everyone knows that Nicholson and company were up to no-good back in the day. They were the bad boys of Tinseltown and lived a free and loose life.
It’s fascinating to think about what those tunnels might have been used for. They probably hold a ton of secrets just waiting to be uncovered. Hopefully, someday they’ll be opened back up again and we’ll get the full story.
Nicholson Is A Huge Lakers Fan
Jack Nicholson has earned a reputation of not only being one of the greatest contemporary actors but also for being one of the biggest LA Lakers fans in the state of California. He’s been a season ticket holder since the 70s, and has had courtside seats for a quarter of a century,. He sits next to the away teams bench.
One of his favorite pastimes at a game is to engage in heated arguments with the officials, players, and coaches of the opposing team. Like we already mentioned, Nicholson isn’t afraid to give anyone a piece of his mind. He’s even marched out onto the court to scream at referees a few times.
In 2003, he was always kicked out of a game for taking his argumentative attitude to the court during a playoff game.
The King of Oscar’s
Currently, Nicholson has the record for the most Oscar nominations of any male actor. At 12, only Meryl Streep has Jack beat. Nicholson has been nominated for at least one Oscar per decade since the 1960s.
He’s taken home three Academy Awards. His first win was in 1975 for One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest. He scored his next win in 83 for his role in Terms of Endearment. His third Oscar win came in 97 for As Good As It Gets.
Additionally, Nicholson has starred in a long laundry list of films that have been nominated for won Best Picture.
The Bad Boy Club
As we already alluded to with the Playboy Mansion tunnels, Nicholson’s neighbors were all party animal bachelors with quite a raucous reputation. In addition to being James Caan, Kirk Douglas, and Warren Beatty’s neighbor, Nicholson also lived next door to Marlon Brando.
This ragtag crew of Hollywood heavyweights all lived on Mulholland Drive – although the street was colloquially known as ‘Bad Boy Drive’ at the time. They loved to live it up, party, and get themselves into trouble. Unfortunately, they also earned the reputation of being womanizers.
Nicholson Considered Becoming An Animator
When Nicholson moved to Hollywood in the mid-50s, he set out to become an actor but for quite some time he couldn’t find any work. He started weighing his options. If he couldn’t be an actor right out of the gate then maybe there was another way for him to get his foot in the door.
He applied to be an assistant to the animators over at Hanna-Barbera and landed the job. After working there for a while, they extended to him the offer to work as a full-fledged animator. Nicholson considered the offer but he still desired to be an actor so he turned down the job.
It’s pretty obvious now that he made the best decision for his career path but at the time he was actually quite torn. It was unclear whether his acting dreams were going to pan out and there he was being offered a pretty incredible job. A year later, however, he made his acting debut, which just goes to show that patience pays off.
Partied It Up With Fidel Castro
Everyone knows that Jack Nicholson was one of the most notorious partiers in show business. Throughout the years, Nicholson has brushed shoulders, taken shots, and gotten down on the dance floor with a pretty impressive list of influential people.
In 1998, however, he raised quite a few eyebrows when he vacationed in Cuba and partied with Fidel Castro. The two got real chummy and traveled around various spots throughout Cuba while chiefing on some of Cuba’s finest cigars.
Nicholson apparently was quite impressed by Castro and called him a genius – although it’s pretty clear that he was oblivious to the fact that the communist dictator gave him extra special treatment that the people of Cuba aren’t privileged too.
Nicholson Was Estranged From His Son For Years
When Nicholson wasn’t on set of one of his 69 films, he very much so appreciated the company of beautiful women. He liked to get down – can you blame the guy?
He fathered 5 children with 4 different ladies over the years.
In 1970, Susan Anspach, Nicholson’s girlfriend at the time got pregnant and gave birth to a child named Caleb Goodard. Jack Nicholson was convinced for many years that he wasn’t his father. He was certain that Anspach must have been sleeping around.
In 1996, however, Nicholson and Caleb got together and smoothed things out. Jack now recognizes that Caleb is his son and the two are apart of each other’s lives.
Jack Wrote and Directed The Monkee’s Movie
Long before Nicholson really evolved into the superstar that he became, he did a lot of work behind-the-scenes in Hollywood. He wrote a couple of screenplays that ended up getting greenlit such as The Trip in 1967 and Head in 1968. The lather film starred the band members of The Monkees and Nicholson reportedly penned the script while he was high on various psychoactive and hallucinogenic substances. The movie was a major flop though and was panned by critics and fans alike. It’s typically credited with destroying The Monkees image and reputation.
He’s an Impassioned Art Collector
A lot of celebs like to collect art, but few have collections that come close to Jack Nicholson’s. He has been an avid art collector for decades and his gallery looks very much so like a prestigious museum. He owns works by Picasso, Rodin, Warhol, and Fernando Botero. His entire collection is estimated to be worth north of $150 million.
Jack’s Still Upset That He Wasn’t Asked To Play The Joker In The Dark Knight
In Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film, Jack played one of his most applauded roles, The Joker.
Among the cast members of that film, Nicholson was the highest-paid and received the top credit as well. Granted, everyone agreed that his portrayal of the Joker was absolutely phenomenal. It would seem that he was born to play that role.
And for many years, no one else would even dare try and play the Joker again.
In 2007, though, Christopher Nolan began casting for The Dark Knight. When the late Heath Ledger was cast as The Joker, Nicholson felt personally offended that he hadn’t been asked to play the role. Fans also out-poured their frustration for the decision – although many would retract their criticism when they saw Ledger’s incredible performance.
He Turned Down The Godfather
Nicholson has no shortage of phenomenal film credits under his Belt. There’s Chinatown, The Departed, About Schmidt, A Few Good Men, The Shining, and Easy Rider just to name a few, but he has also turned down roles in some of the most celebrated films in history.
Frances Ford Coppola originally wanted Nicholson to play Michael Corleone before the part was given to Al Pacino. Nicholson felt like he wasn’t fit for the role of the Italian mafioso because of his Irish heritage.
Jack was also considered for roles in The Graduate, Apocalypse Now, and Taxi Driver. Granted, even without starring in those films, he’s still managed to amass a net worth of more than $400 million.
Well, these days, Nicholson isn’t doing much acting. It’s not that he is retired or anything, he’s just picky and nothing in recent years has caught his eye. His last film was in 2010 when he played Charles in James L. Brook’s romantic comedy How Do You Know.
Nicholson, now 83, has mellowed out quite a bit in his old age but he certainly still has his signature attitude and wit. We wouldn’t mind seeing him take it to the screen one more time so hopefully, the right role comes his way.
What do you think Nicholson’s best film was, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest or The Shining? Let us know what you think in the comments section below
And before you go, make sure you show us a little support by tapping the like button and subscribing to our channel. Tap the bell icon to turn on notifications so you can keep up with all of our latest facts-cinating videos.
