Jack S Life A Biography Of Jack Nicholson Updated And Expanded

“Jack’s Life feels true. . . . Fascinating.”—Entertainment Weekly Jack Nicholson has lived large on and off the screen. Patrick McGilligan, one of America’s outstanding film biographers, has plumbed research and interviews to expand his definitive biography since its publication twenty years ago. Jack’s Life captures the essence of this most private and public of stars with a vivid depiction of Nicholson’s tangled Dickensian upbringing, his hungry years as actor and writer, his nearaccidental breakthrough in Easy Rider, and his prolificacy and artistry ever since, with roles in Chinatown, Five Easy Pieces, The Shining, A Few Good Men, As Good As It Gets, and The Departed, to name a beloved handful of his sixty-plus films. McGilligan captures the life and legacy of this unabashed and complex personality

"Volatile Jack Nicholson has found the perfect biographer in Patrick McGilligan, who gives us a rich, absorbing portrait of one of the greatest movie stars ever." —Patricia Bosworth No male American film star of the post-Brando era has demonstrated the talent, the charisma, the larger-than-life audacity, and the string of screen triumphs of Jack Nicholson. In Jack's Life, Patrick McGilligan, one of our finest film historians, has produced the definitive biography of this most private and public of stars, from his tangled Dickensian upbringing in New Jersey, his formative years as an actor and screenwriter, his near-accidental breakthrough to stardom in Easy Rider, and his string of great roles in Chinatown, Five Easy Pieces, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Last Detail, The Shining, and other films that mark him as a searching, complex artist. Here as well is the often Rabelaisian life behind the smiling mask, the legendary romances and appetites for sex and drugs, the obsessions with money and control, and the perpetual restlessness.

The movie audience respects talent but revels in charisma, and is always ready to elevate a star who is as much as character off the screen as on it. Ever since he came to the attention of the American public in the 1960s, Jack Nicholson has been the whole package. But who among us really knows the man who smiles that wicked grin from behind the darkest of shades? His generation's Mr. Hollywood, a fixture next to the Los Angeles Lakers bench, is in fact a native New Yorker: the son of a showgirl, born in the city in 1937 and raised largely by his grandmother so that Jack's mom could continue her career as a hoofer. Starting out, he appeared in B-movies directed by Roger Corman, then burst through in the counter-culture classic Easy Rider. Immediately, his abilities were recognized in dramas, comedies, anything — and the awards and nominations began to pile up (he's been nominated for a dozen Academy Awards and has won three). Meantime, his rascal's persona and happily loose social life provided another kind of delicious entertainment; he has, down the decades, spent as much of his career in front of still cameras (often LIFE's) as he has on the set. If you want to know Jack, and enjoy his colorful life in all its ever-blazing glory, this latest, lavishly illustrated edition in LIFE's new Icons series is the book for you. LIFE Icons celebrates the larger-than-life figures among us, and none is larger than Jack Nicholson.

A biography based on personal interviews with the actor as well as his friends and fellow filmmakers: “Entertaining . . . A must for cinema students.” ―Hollywood Reporter In 1975, Jack Nicholson was just becoming a household name after starring in, writing, or producing twenty-five films including Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Last Detail, and Chinatown. At the time, Robert Crane and Christopher Fryer interviewed Nicholson for what began as a thesis for a University of Southern California film class—but quickly morphed into a larger portrait of Nicholson’s unique craft. It would become the first book about the icon, and the only one done with his participation. Crane and Fryer conducted their interviews with Nicholson with the intent of showcasing the young star as he saw himself, while also interviewing many of Nicholson’s close friends and fellow filmmakers, including Dennis Hopper, Roger Corman, Hal Ashby, Ann-Margret, Robert Evans, and Bruce Dern, providing a comprehensive profile of the actor's early years in the industry. The result is a unique portrait of the life and career of a man who has to date earned three Academy Awards and twelve nominations, seven Golden Globes, and the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award. “A true insider’s look at Nicholson not only as a writer, director, and actor, but also as a private man who desires a private life.” ―Los Angeles Daily News Includes photographs Originally published as Jack Nicholson: Face to Face

Praise for Five Easy Decades: How Jack Nicholson Became the Biggest Movie Star in Modern Times "Dennis McDougal is a rare Hollywood reporter: honest, fearless, nobody's fool. This is unvarnished Jack for Jack-lovers and Jack-skeptics but, also, for anyone interested in the state of American culture and celebrity. I always read Mr. McDougal for pointers but worry that he will end up in a tin drum off the coast of New Jersey." — Patrick McGilligan, author of Jack's Life and Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light Praise for Privileged Son: Otis Chandler and the Rise and Fall of the L.A. Times Dynasty "A great freeway pileup—part biography, part dysfunctional family chronicle, and part institutional and urban history, with generous dollops of scandal and gossip." — Hendrick Hertzberg, The New Yorker "McDougal has managed to scale the high walls that have long protected the Chandler clan and returned with wicked tales told by angry ex-wives and jealous siblings." —The Washington Post Praise for The Last Mogul: Lew Wasserman, MCA and the Hidden History of Hollywood "Real glamour needs a dark side. That is part of the fascination of Dennis McDougal's wonderful book." —The Economist "Thoroughly reported and engrossing . . . the most noteworthy trait of MCA was how it hid its power." —The New York Times Book Review "Over the years, I've read hundreds of books on Hollywood and the movie business, and this one is right at the top." — Michael Blowen, The Boston Globe

Jack Nicholson is one of the longest-lasting and most recognized sex symbols of our time. This sizzling biography goes deep in-depth, relating exclusive interviews with past flames and flings, to shed light on the unique charisma and magnetism of one of America's most respected and desired movie stars. Among the startling revelations: A longtime girlfriend who describes Jack's reaction when he at last discovered the long-buried, dark secret of his childhood Jack's notorious penny-pinching, such as the time he came home from a movie set with a doggie bag of catered Mexican food The woman Jack "shared" with Robert Evans and Warren Beatty The night Christina Onassis, who'd had a fling with Jack in Los Angeles, got mad at him for seducing a girl in her party at Xenon The beauty queen who was still married to drug dealer Tom Sullivan when she was drawn to Jack The beautiful, talented costar who showed up at Jack's house at 1 A.M. and what happened when live-in girlfriend Anjelica Huston answered the intercom The night Steve Rubell ran around Studio 54 saying, "We got to keep Ryan O'Neal and Jack Nicholson away from each other. There's going to be a big fight." Why Rebecca Broussard refused him when Jack asked for her hand in marriage in 1993, even after having two children with him Why Katharine Hepburn's goddaughter still loves Jack and has spent years looking for a man who can measure up to him Diane Keaton's reaction to Jack passing gas during filming of a love scene for Something's Gotta Give Jennifer Howard, who found Jack's lovemaking "very oomph! He knows what he's doing. You can kind of just let go. Let him le-e-e-ad the way!"In Jack, Edward Douglas offers us a provocative, fascinating portrait of the man, the legend, the star: Jack Nicholson.

Easily the hippest, wildest, and most talented actor of his generation, Jack Nicholson has ridden the Hollywood roller coaster for more than 40 tempestuous years. In this explosive biography, investigative journalist Peter Thompson catches Nicholson in his unguarded, off-screen moments to examine the contradictions of his personality and his shrewd, outrageous genius. of photos.

INDIVIDUAL ACTORS & PERFORMERS. This comprehensive biography explores Nicholson's life with the help and co-operation of many of his Hollywood associates. Born in 1937 in New Jersey, he was raised, unbeknownst to him, by his grandparents, who had agreed to raise their teenage daughter's child. It was just the beginning of his journey from humble beginnings to award-winning success and multiple high-profile relationships with Hollywood's most glamorous women. The most nominated male actor in Academy Award history and a true bon viveur, Nicholson has lived the most extraordinary of lives. John Parker delves into the life of this fascinating man, discovering that far more lies beneath the surface than one might think. The real Jack Nicholson and his legacy is examined in enthralling detail in this must-read for any film lover.