Jack Nicholson: How Many Oscars Does He Have & for Which Movies?
And no, The Shining is not on the list.
Jack Nicholson has become a true legend of cinema, winning three Oscars during his career. He is rightly considered one of the most talented and brilliant actors of all time.
However, the last movie with Nicholson was released 14 years ago. In 2017, the actor confirmed his intention to retire, and since then we have heard little from him.
However, this is another reason to remember and re-watch the films with the actor that brought him the most important award in the world of cinema.
1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) – Academy Award for Best Actor
A masterpiece and a role for Jack Nicholson for which he finally gets his first Oscar for Best Actor. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is an adaptation of the cult novel of the same name by Ken Kesey.
Jack plays Randle McMurphy, who agrees to go to a mental hospital to avoid prison. Nicholson's character is so full of energy, lust for life and unstoppable drive – he seems to be constantly in motion, and if he is not gesturing with his arms, legs or body, then at least with an eyebrow.
The complex story of relationships in a psychiatric clinic includes conflicts between people and between a person and the system, but above all it is an ode to life.
2. Terms of Endearment (1983) – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
When you think of a classic drama that could have become triumphant in the '80s and '90s, Terms of Endearment first comes to mind. Director James L. Brooks adapted Larry McMurtry's novel of the same name into a Hollywood gold standard movie: the life of a middle-class family becomes a local epic of joys and disappointments.
In addition to its solid literary foundation, the film is remembered as a parade of on-screen acting transformations: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson and John Lithgow. All four were nominated for Oscars, and two – MacLaine and Nicholson – went home with statuettes. In total, Terms of Endearment won five out of ten Oscar nominations, including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture.
3. As Good as It Gets (1997) – Academy Award for Best Actor
Jack Nicholson's performance in As Good as It Gets earned him his third Academy Award for Best Actor. In this romantic tragicomedy, the actor plays a hot-tempered writer who, because of his obsessive-compulsive disorder and hatred of others, does not leave the threshold of his own home.
He plays the piano, writes books and occasionally communicates with the neighbors. One day, the writer is forced to take care of one of the neighbor's dogs – shortly before, he threw it down the garbage chute. As a result, he becomes attached to the dog, even dedicating a song to it.