Actor, screenwriter, producer, director. Born John Joseph Nicholson, on April 22, 1937, in Neptune, New Jersey. After graduating from high school in New Jersey at age 17, Nicholson moved to Los Angeles, where he got a job as an office boy at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film studio. He made his film debut in the 1958 thriller The Cry Baby Killer, produced by cult filmmaker Roger Corman.
Over the next decade, Nicholson would appear in a string of low-budget B-movies, ranging from horror films (1960's The Little Shop of Horrors, 1963's The Raven, and 1963's The Terror, all directed by Corman) to Westerns (1966’s The Shooting). He also began a short-lived screenwriting career, penning the scripts for the political thriller Thunder Island (1963) as well as two of his starring features, including Ride the Whirlwind (1966) and Flight to Fury. In 1968, he co-wrote and co-produced (with Bob Rafelson) Head, a comedic fantasy romp starring the boyish pop band The Monkees.

Nicholson also wrote the screenplay for Corman’s 1967 film The Trip, starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. Two years later, he replaced Rip Torn in the cult hit Easy Rider (1969), written by co-stars Fonda and Hopper, who also directed the film. His portrayal of a burnt-out lawyer marked Nicholson’s breakthrough performance and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 1970, Nicholson cemented his status as an acclaimed up-and-comer with his Oscar-nominated starring turn in Five Easy Pieces, written and directed by Rafelson.

During the 1970s, Nicholson attained A-list status in Hollywood, making a number of very different films and continuing to elude definition with an array of complex performances. In 1971, he appeared opposite Candice Bergen in the Mike Nichols-directed drama Carnal Knowledge; he also starred in Rafelson’s crime drama The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) and earned his second Best Actor Oscar nod for The Last Detail (1973). His star rose even higher in 1974 with his starring role as Los Angeles private detective Jake Gittes in Roman Polanski’s acclaimed film noir Chinatown, written by Robert Towne and co-starring Faye Dunaway and John Huston.