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Nicholson: A Biography
THE GROUNDBREAKING NEW BIOGRAPHY OF A MAN WITH ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC AND FASCINATING CAREERS—AND LIVES—IN HOLLYWOOD.
For five decades, Jack Nicholson has been part of film history. With twelve Oscar nominations to his credit and legendary roles in films like Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Terms of Endearment, The Shining, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nicholson creates original, memorable characters like no other actor of his generation. And his personal life has been no less of an adventure—Nicholson has always been at the center of the Hollywood elite and has courted some of the most famous and beautiful women in the world.
Relying on years of extensive research and interviews with insiders who know Nicholson best, acclaimed biographer Marc Eliot sheds new light on Nicholson's life on and off the screen. From Nicholson’s working class childhood in New Jersey, where family secrets threatened to tear his family apart, to raucous nights on the town with Warren Beatty and tumultuous relationships with starlets like Michelle Phillips, Anjelica Huston, and Lara Flynn Boyle, to movie sets working with such legendary directors and costars as Dennis Hopper, Stanley Kubrick, Meryl Streep, and Roman Polanski, Eliot paints a sweeping picture of the breadth of Nicholson’s fifty-year career in film, as well as an intimate portrait of his personal life.
Equally at home on the bookshelves of serious film historians and fans of compulsively readable Hollywood biographies, Nicholson is both a comprehensive tribute to a film legend and an entertaining look at a truly remarkable life.
For five decades, Jack Nicholson has been part of film history. With twelve Oscar nominations to his credit and legendary roles in films like Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Terms of Endearment, The Shining, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nicholson creates original, memorable characters like no other actor of his generation. And his personal life has been no less of an adventure—Nicholson has always been at the center of the Hollywood elite and has courted some of the most famous and beautiful women in the world.
Relying on years of extensive research and interviews with insiders who know Nicholson best, acclaimed biographer Marc Eliot sheds new light on Nicholson's life on and off the screen. From Nicholson’s working class childhood in New Jersey, where family secrets threatened to tear his family apart, to raucous nights on the town with Warren Beatty and tumultuous relationships with starlets like Michelle Phillips, Anjelica Huston, and Lara Flynn Boyle, to movie sets working with such legendary directors and costars as Dennis Hopper, Stanley Kubrick, Meryl Streep, and Roman Polanski, Eliot paints a sweeping picture of the breadth of Nicholson’s fifty-year career in film, as well as an intimate portrait of his personal life.
Equally at home on the bookshelves of serious film historians and fans of compulsively readable Hollywood biographies, Nicholson is both a comprehensive tribute to a film legend and an entertaining look at a truly remarkable life.
351 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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875 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
December 5, 2014
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
I wonder what Jack’s reaction would be to me giving his biography 3 Stars . . .
Yep, that’s probably about right.
According to Goodreads 3 Stars means “I liked it” and . . . . well, I liked it – I just didn’t like it like it. Part of me wants to say that it was because this book was more of a filmography rather than a biography, but I’m pretty sure that’s not it because I wanted to read about Jack’s movie career and already knew about/could have really given two shits about hearing more regarding all the chicks he’s banged. The problem with this book (for me, at least) was that it got so mired down in the details and mechanics of what it took to make each Nicholson film that it lessened my enjoyment. Being inundated with budget overages, failed production timelines, hiring and firing of various producers, directors, actors, script writes and re-writes is not my idea of what I want to read when someone offers me a “Jack Nicholson biography." All that Negative Nelly crap now said, Nicholson was still an interesting read.
“My work motto is ‘everything counts’ . . . My life motto is ‘more good times’.”
This book discusses EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of Jack Nicholson’s movies. From the ones waaaaaay before my time, to the one that officially put him on Hollywood’s radar as the “next Brando” . . .
to his first Oscar win (and 5th nomination) . . .
to a change in attitude and acceptance of the fact that he was getting older and not thinner, which resulted in another Oscar win . . .
to playing one horny little devil . . .
to a BIG payday. . .
to one of the best movie quotes of all times . . .
Nicholson even tells us about all the movies Jack turned down (and holy crap did he turn some good roles down). This book is a great reminder that Jack has truly “been there and done that” when it comes to cinema. His dear friend Mike Nichols probably sums it up best:
“Jack is the hippest place in the universe, coolest place in America, the Independent Republic of Jack. The hardest thing to do is wear a gift well, and Jack wears it with a killer smile and a pair of shades.”
^^^^Okay, that’s the end of the “real review” (if you can call it that) – now I’m going to bore you with my personal history with Jack Nicholson.
If you follow my reviews you’re already aware that I know a whole lot about movies (and not a whole lot about much else). This is apparently a genetic defect that I inherited from one of my first best friends . . . my Uncle Rod. Let me tell you, Rod was a movie quoting mother*&^%r. We could hold entire conversations in movie speak and one of the most quotable of all Hollywood icons was none other than Jack Nicholson.
His two faves were One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Shining (both of which I highly recommend watching and reading if you have not done so yet).
Rod was a drinking man and LOVED to quote Jack Torrance from The Shining. We constantly heard “ I'm the kind of man who likes to know who's buyin' their drinks” and EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. OF. US called each other “Lloyd” after the bartender. (He used that nickname so much that my other uncle his DAMN DOG Lloyd after Rod passed away.)
Back in the 80s before there were eleventy billion television stations to watch, families actually spent time together. Any time we attempted to play cards or a game we would be inundated with quotes of "PLAY THE GAME, HARDING!!!!" until someone finally broke and got pissed off. It never stopped being funny. Rod was our resident McMurphy . . . a little crazy, but the nicest guy you’d ever want to meet.
His love for pop-culture and gift of endless movie knowledge lives on through me, and I’m happy to say my children appear to have the gene as well. Thanks to you, Lloyd, for introducing me to Jack. I’ll see you on the other side where I hope to be greeted with “Wendy, I’m home!”
ARC received from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest (and apparently super-touchy-feely) review
I wonder what Jack’s reaction would be to me giving his biography 3 Stars . . .
Yep, that’s probably about right.
According to Goodreads 3 Stars means “I liked it” and . . . . well, I liked it – I just didn’t like it like it. Part of me wants to say that it was because this book was more of a filmography rather than a biography, but I’m pretty sure that’s not it because I wanted to read about Jack’s movie career and already knew about/could have really given two shits about hearing more regarding all the chicks he’s banged. The problem with this book (for me, at least) was that it got so mired down in the details and mechanics of what it took to make each Nicholson film that it lessened my enjoyment. Being inundated with budget overages, failed production timelines, hiring and firing of various producers, directors, actors, script writes and re-writes is not my idea of what I want to read when someone offers me a “Jack Nicholson biography." All that Negative Nelly crap now said, Nicholson was still an interesting read.
“My work motto is ‘everything counts’ . . . My life motto is ‘more good times’.”
This book discusses EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of Jack Nicholson’s movies. From the ones waaaaaay before my time, to the one that officially put him on Hollywood’s radar as the “next Brando” . . .
to his first Oscar win (and 5th nomination) . . .
to a change in attitude and acceptance of the fact that he was getting older and not thinner, which resulted in another Oscar win . . .
to playing one horny little devil . . .
to a BIG payday. . .
to one of the best movie quotes of all times . . .
Nicholson even tells us about all the movies Jack turned down (and holy crap did he turn some good roles down). This book is a great reminder that Jack has truly “been there and done that” when it comes to cinema. His dear friend Mike Nichols probably sums it up best:
“Jack is the hippest place in the universe, coolest place in America, the Independent Republic of Jack. The hardest thing to do is wear a gift well, and Jack wears it with a killer smile and a pair of shades.”
^^^^Okay, that’s the end of the “real review” (if you can call it that) – now I’m going to bore you with my personal history with Jack Nicholson.
If you follow my reviews you’re already aware that I know a whole lot about movies (and not a whole lot about much else). This is apparently a genetic defect that I inherited from one of my first best friends . . . my Uncle Rod. Let me tell you, Rod was a movie quoting mother*&^%r. We could hold entire conversations in movie speak and one of the most quotable of all Hollywood icons was none other than Jack Nicholson.
His two faves were One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Shining (both of which I highly recommend watching and reading if you have not done so yet).
Rod was a drinking man and LOVED to quote Jack Torrance from The Shining. We constantly heard “ I'm the kind of man who likes to know who's buyin' their drinks” and EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. OF. US called each other “Lloyd” after the bartender. (He used that nickname so much that my other uncle his DAMN DOG Lloyd after Rod passed away.)
Back in the 80s before there were eleventy billion television stations to watch, families actually spent time together. Any time we attempted to play cards or a game we would be inundated with quotes of "PLAY THE GAME, HARDING!!!!" until someone finally broke and got pissed off. It never stopped being funny. Rod was our resident McMurphy . . . a little crazy, but the nicest guy you’d ever want to meet.
His love for pop-culture and gift of endless movie knowledge lives on through me, and I’m happy to say my children appear to have the gene as well. Thanks to you, Lloyd, for introducing me to Jack. I’ll see you on the other side where I hope to be greeted with “Wendy, I’m home!”
ARC received from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest (and apparently super-touchy-feely) review
July 26, 2016
Review based on ARC.
Sigh. I really like Jack Nicholson. At least, I really like what I think I know about him. I think he's a great actor and he seems really interesting. I knew someone who was at a fancy resort'y island restaurant that Jack was dining at, and she said he was a complete A**. This didn't shake my interest in the man or alter my favor of his acting. Nor was it really surprising. But then again, we all have bad days, and maybe that was just one of his.
I'm not a big tabloid girl (anymore) and I don't particularly love gossip. I'm happy to watch actors on TV/movies and then maybe some day I'll read a biography or an autobiography. Preferably authorized.
But, then again, this is Jack Nicholson, so I eagerly signed up for the advanced readers copy and I even more eagerly awaited my copy once I was informed that I'd won one!
So the "sigh." Sigh. This was not what I was hoping it would be. And, from reading other reviews of other disappointed readers, I'm not alone. The so-called biography felt more like an article in US Weekly than a biography. I don't deny that Eliot did research, and I'm sure that he spoke with many "close friends" of Nicholson. But the book took the tone of a gossip column... "hey, psst, READ IT HERE FIRST! Nicholson has problems 'down there'!" It just felt kind of sad.
Who knows, maybe Eliot was on the receiving end of one of Nicholson's bad days. But his tone was petty. I'm not saying lift the man (Nicholson) up as a god and ignore his faults. He has faults. Great. Show them. But there are ways to show a man's fault (see, e.g., Walk the Line re Johnny Cash) without being petty and gossipy about it. And, in this book, Eliot missed the boat.
So. it's not a terrible thing -- there's a lot of good information in there, and I appreciated the time that Eliot spent seeking to learn more about a man that so much of the world finds fascinating. So it gets a couple stars. But the tone, the lack of real depth, the lack of a greater understanding of what really drives Nicholson, those things make the biography a bit of a disappointment.
Overall, TWO AND A HALF of 5 stars -- a middle-of-the-road rating for a book with a lot of potential and some noteworthy disappointments.
This and other reviews can be found at AllBookReviewer.blogspot.com
Sigh. I really like Jack Nicholson. At least, I really like what I think I know about him. I think he's a great actor and he seems really interesting. I knew someone who was at a fancy resort'y island restaurant that Jack was dining at, and she said he was a complete A**. This didn't shake my interest in the man or alter my favor of his acting. Nor was it really surprising. But then again, we all have bad days, and maybe that was just one of his.
I'm not a big tabloid girl (anymore) and I don't particularly love gossip. I'm happy to watch actors on TV/movies and then maybe some day I'll read a biography or an autobiography. Preferably authorized.
But, then again, this is Jack Nicholson, so I eagerly signed up for the advanced readers copy and I even more eagerly awaited my copy once I was informed that I'd won one!
So the "sigh." Sigh. This was not what I was hoping it would be. And, from reading other reviews of other disappointed readers, I'm not alone. The so-called biography felt more like an article in US Weekly than a biography. I don't deny that Eliot did research, and I'm sure that he spoke with many "close friends" of Nicholson. But the book took the tone of a gossip column... "hey, psst, READ IT HERE FIRST! Nicholson has problems 'down there'!" It just felt kind of sad.
Who knows, maybe Eliot was on the receiving end of one of Nicholson's bad days. But his tone was petty. I'm not saying lift the man (Nicholson) up as a god and ignore his faults. He has faults. Great. Show them. But there are ways to show a man's fault (see, e.g., Walk the Line re Johnny Cash) without being petty and gossipy about it. And, in this book, Eliot missed the boat.
So. it's not a terrible thing -- there's a lot of good information in there, and I appreciated the time that Eliot spent seeking to learn more about a man that so much of the world finds fascinating. So it gets a couple stars. But the tone, the lack of real depth, the lack of a greater understanding of what really drives Nicholson, those things make the biography a bit of a disappointment.
Overall, TWO AND A HALF of 5 stars -- a middle-of-the-road rating for a book with a lot of potential and some noteworthy disappointments.
This and other reviews can be found at AllBookReviewer.blogspot.com
April 7, 2018
Въпреки че е неофициална биографията, съдържа изцяло популярни факти от професионалния и личния живот на Никълсън и мисля, че личното и професионалното са еднакво балансирани в книгата. За мен най-интересни бяха първите стъпки в Холивуд на Никълсън като сценарист и погледът върху независимото кино през 60-те с идеалисти като Роджър Корман, Питър Фонда и Денис Хопър. Подробно описано е трудното и параноично създаване на "Волният ездач". Това обаче не са опити за революция в киното, а идеализъм да се запази отиващото. Времената се променят, публиката и филмовата индустрия на 70-те правят революцията. И така, кариерата на Никълсън от независимо към мейнстрийм кино показва чаровната адаптивност на гениалния хедонист.
За съжаление, българското издание по никакъв начин не заслужава цената. Корицата е отблъскваща - тя е като онези за наркобосовете през 90-те... С това разочарованието не спира - вътре имената на много личности са написани по фрапиращо погрешен, различен начин и на места със сбъркани полове. Това 2017 година, когато преводачът има достъп до Интернет
За съжаление, българското издание по никакъв начин не заслужава цената. Корицата е отблъскваща - тя е като онези за наркобосовете през 90-те... С това разочарованието не спира - вътре имената на много личности са написани по фрапиращо погрешен, различен начин и на места със сбъркани полове. Това 2017 година, когато преводачът има достъп до Интернет
January 15, 2019
Intensa como sus personajes y su vida.
Un hombre excéntrico, centrado y trabajador; lleno de excesos: sexo, drogas y fiesta; amante del arte, repelente a las relaciones y un talento único e irrepetible.
Intense as his characters and his life.
An eccentric, centered and hardworking man; full of excesses: sex, drugs and partying; lover of art, repellent to relationships and a unique and unrepeatable talent.
Un hombre excéntrico, centrado y trabajador; lleno de excesos: sexo, drogas y fiesta; amante del arte, repelente a las relaciones y un talento único e irrepetible.
Intense as his characters and his life.
An eccentric, centered and hardworking man; full of excesses: sex, drugs and partying; lover of art, repellent to relationships and a unique and unrepeatable talent.
November 17, 2018
This bio of actor Jack Nicholson should have been retitled ONE READ OVER THE TYPOS.
It is so full of badly constructed sentences, mis-spelling, and actual incredibly laughable proof reading and fact checking. Ex: at one point, the author makes reference to Nicholson turning down an offer to once again play The Joker in BATMAN RETURNS:
"He was both amused and relieved when the trades announced that his friend Danny DeVito was going to play The Penguin in the eventual sequel, BATMAN RETURNS, scheduled for release in 1992. Let Robin have a turn at some big bucks glory."
Robin? Robin Williams? Didn't you just write Danny DeVito in the preceding sentence? Both were his buddies. C'mon.
Otherwise, this gives no reading matter on the inside making of his numerous films and even when it does, it's so scant. He made so many good films and classics that you do want to know about something regarding the making of the films. It mostly references his sexual conquests and reads more like a looooong article in a fan magazine. This means he cribbed from other articles, books, and such and never really interviewed anyone.
Amazingly not worth the time.
It is so full of badly constructed sentences, mis-spelling, and actual incredibly laughable proof reading and fact checking. Ex: at one point, the author makes reference to Nicholson turning down an offer to once again play The Joker in BATMAN RETURNS:
"He was both amused and relieved when the trades announced that his friend Danny DeVito was going to play The Penguin in the eventual sequel, BATMAN RETURNS, scheduled for release in 1992. Let Robin have a turn at some big bucks glory."
Robin? Robin Williams? Didn't you just write Danny DeVito in the preceding sentence? Both were his buddies. C'mon.
Otherwise, this gives no reading matter on the inside making of his numerous films and even when it does, it's so scant. He made so many good films and classics that you do want to know about something regarding the making of the films. It mostly references his sexual conquests and reads more like a looooong article in a fan magazine. This means he cribbed from other articles, books, and such and never really interviewed anyone.
Amazingly not worth the time.
April 7, 2014
If you read only one biography...you should probably read this one.
Eliot's crisp, accessible and seductive writing turns the story of Jack Nicholson into an nigh-operatic ode to the 2nd Golden Age of Hollywood (60s-80s). With a clear sense of dramatic narrative, he leads you along with ol' Jackie boy through a true American Dream: a continual rise and fall and rise and fall of this film icon and the world(s) he represents.
A real page-turner, 'Nicholson' dives into both the man and the myth of Hollywood's most notorious bad-boys, emphasizing how one does not exist without the other. Sufficed to say, having read this book I now have to brush up on my Nicholson filmography - thank the gods Eliot provides a ridiculously thorough film/award/bibliography for anyone who wants to delve deeper into the wonderful world of Jack Nicholson.
Eliot's crisp, accessible and seductive writing turns the story of Jack Nicholson into an nigh-operatic ode to the 2nd Golden Age of Hollywood (60s-80s). With a clear sense of dramatic narrative, he leads you along with ol' Jackie boy through a true American Dream: a continual rise and fall and rise and fall of this film icon and the world(s) he represents.
A real page-turner, 'Nicholson' dives into both the man and the myth of Hollywood's most notorious bad-boys, emphasizing how one does not exist without the other. Sufficed to say, having read this book I now have to brush up on my Nicholson filmography - thank the gods Eliot provides a ridiculously thorough film/award/bibliography for anyone who wants to delve deeper into the wonderful world of Jack Nicholson.
December 1, 2014
I gobbled this one up over Thanksgiving and it was a treat. We all know Jack Nicholson the actor but for me this was a better chance to get a look at him as a man and learning about his early challenges, his conquests and his failures and regrets was a wonderful experience. The films he has done, the people he has worked with...it's magnificent. The only thing I would have really liked is some more pictures and personal anecdotes from the man himself as sometimes the book feels like a reasonably well put together collection of easily accessed information with a bit of judgment from the author to give it some colour.
Very easy to read, I encourage you to give it a try!
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review
Very easy to read, I encourage you to give it a try!
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review
October 1, 2019
Прекрасен Джак. Човек, който се интересува от изкуството като цяло ( колекционер на едни от най- известните картини в света) , който не гледа телевизия, а предпочита да чете книги! Голям! Просто ГОЛЯМ!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2020
Mhh.., felt more like a very long film brochure than a Hollywood rake bio.
April 22, 2015
This is essentially a really well-researched biography paper for school mixed with a tabloid article, sometimes with a little of what seems like derision.
When I saw this, I thought it would be something that would actually be about Jack Nicholson. Which I guess it is, but it seems like the author could have gotten the vast majority of the information from this book by watching televised interviews and "The Making of..." features they always have on DVDs. I'll concede that I didn't know about the drama surrounding Nicholson's parents, so I did learn about that, as well as his early years breaking into acting. But it felt flat. The author used the "a close friend of Nicholson said..." thing a bunch of times, and that just made it feel like I was reading a tabloid article. Because they're always a close friend, aren't they? It just made me more skeptical, especially when I started to realize that I really wasn't reading an interview with Nicholson or anything. All the things that were brought up I'd be able to find myself if I had the time and desire.
And the attitude of the book was often mocking. Especially when Nicholson's later films were being written about (The Bucket List, for example) all I see is the author making little bitchy remarks. Generally a problem I face with reading biographies is that they tend to be a little too biased about showing the positive; this biography liked to knock Nicholson down. Which is ironic to me, because while Nicholson's attitude may need knocking down a bit, the author is making money on the guy he's mocking.
I would have liked it if he had actually written his own biography.
(I received this in a First Reads giveaway.)
When I saw this, I thought it would be something that would actually be about Jack Nicholson. Which I guess it is, but it seems like the author could have gotten the vast majority of the information from this book by watching televised interviews and "The Making of..." features they always have on DVDs. I'll concede that I didn't know about the drama surrounding Nicholson's parents, so I did learn about that, as well as his early years breaking into acting. But it felt flat. The author used the "a close friend of Nicholson said..." thing a bunch of times, and that just made it feel like I was reading a tabloid article. Because they're always a close friend, aren't they? It just made me more skeptical, especially when I started to realize that I really wasn't reading an interview with Nicholson or anything. All the things that were brought up I'd be able to find myself if I had the time and desire.
And the attitude of the book was often mocking. Especially when Nicholson's later films were being written about (The Bucket List, for example) all I see is the author making little bitchy remarks. Generally a problem I face with reading biographies is that they tend to be a little too biased about showing the positive; this biography liked to knock Nicholson down. Which is ironic to me, because while Nicholson's attitude may need knocking down a bit, the author is making money on the guy he's mocking.
I would have liked it if he had actually written his own biography.
(I received this in a First Reads giveaway.)
July 8, 2014
This is a somewhat interesting book about an extremely interesting life. I liked learning more about one of my favorite actors but it some how lacked pop and pizzaz that I expected. About halfway through the book I was wondering if it was me or if it was the book. Then I compared it to two recent biographies I read--an excellent biography about Johnny Carson and an autobiography by Billy Crystal. Unfortunately Nicholson is a somewhat rote telling of the tale, mostly structured around what movie scripts he accepted and which one Jack rejected. It's hard to make Jack Nicholson uninteresting.
November 22, 2025
Middling at best.
Seems to just cherry pick some weak quotes from other sources. And doesn’t really take him to task in any of his many transgressions
The autobiography is good cause it’s straight from the horses mouth. I like the non auto bio cause you (hope to) get the unbiased, unflattering version. This was an autobiography fluff without the actual quotes and first person view. Lame.
It does what it’s supposed to do. You get the chronology right and I can honestly say I know more about him than I did before. notably how much of a pizza chit he is. Multiple babies, no respect for women, giant man child. Disavowed one of the kids for 20 odd years. Treats Angelica Huston like trash. Sells one of his baby mammas houses while she’s still in it. Absolutely dawg with the young women. Never stops. The guy’s trash.
And then when you go through his filmography, perhaps I’m young, but I’m not blown away or anything. I want to see this Prizzi’s Honor, or whatever tf it’s called cause it gets a lot of time in the book and it kind of anchors his middle career but I’d never heard of it. And I watched the trailer for it after reading this and it looks absolutely terrible. He’s doing some sort of accent and has something stuffed in his mouth to give him a tight lip? Looks god awful.
The guys got movies, but when I go through them I’m not super eager to see so many, and there are a lot of stinkers peppered in there.
Ultimately I have a new found disrespect for Jack after reading this. So job well done. The guys a relic
Seems to just cherry pick some weak quotes from other sources. And doesn’t really take him to task in any of his many transgressions
The autobiography is good cause it’s straight from the horses mouth. I like the non auto bio cause you (hope to) get the unbiased, unflattering version. This was an autobiography fluff without the actual quotes and first person view. Lame.
It does what it’s supposed to do. You get the chronology right and I can honestly say I know more about him than I did before. notably how much of a pizza chit he is. Multiple babies, no respect for women, giant man child. Disavowed one of the kids for 20 odd years. Treats Angelica Huston like trash. Sells one of his baby mammas houses while she’s still in it. Absolutely dawg with the young women. Never stops. The guy’s trash.
And then when you go through his filmography, perhaps I’m young, but I’m not blown away or anything. I want to see this Prizzi’s Honor, or whatever tf it’s called cause it gets a lot of time in the book and it kind of anchors his middle career but I’d never heard of it. And I watched the trailer for it after reading this and it looks absolutely terrible. He’s doing some sort of accent and has something stuffed in his mouth to give him a tight lip? Looks god awful.
The guys got movies, but when I go through them I’m not super eager to see so many, and there are a lot of stinkers peppered in there.
Ultimately I have a new found disrespect for Jack after reading this. So job well done. The guys a relic
July 16, 2022
Very well researched. A bit rushed at the end, but still a very intriguingly story which captures many of the high and low points in his life. To JN's credit he acknowledged all his children and supported them but I had to laugh later in book when it was "assumed" by me that the houses he gave to the women were actually GIVEN to the ladies but not so ... the ownership was still in his name. For one lady he again took ownership of the house but this was after child was pretty much of age. She fought this and the house was then transferred into his son's name.
For some reason I was never a fan of Nicholson's but agree he was an amazing actor who did some outstanding work. His business dealings .... his backend deals ... crap ... he is still and will forever be receiving money long after he is gone.
His romances with the women ... if I had written down all the names I would have either ran out of ink or paper. Should I be shocked at Maggie Trudeau ... or Sally Field or of all ..... Meryl Streep? I have always felt sorry for Anjelica Huston, she tried so many times to be there for him but finally gave up.
For some reason I was never a fan of Nicholson's but agree he was an amazing actor who did some outstanding work. His business dealings .... his backend deals ... crap ... he is still and will forever be receiving money long after he is gone.
His romances with the women ... if I had written down all the names I would have either ran out of ink or paper. Should I be shocked at Maggie Trudeau ... or Sally Field or of all ..... Meryl Streep? I have always felt sorry for Anjelica Huston, she tried so many times to be there for him but finally gave up.
January 13, 2020
First off... I envy the amount of Hollywood history Marc Eliot has turned out in all the years of writing. At the same time, I'm always a little underwhelmed by his work, (this is the fourth biography of his I've read, and I'll still likely read his other work), yet material inevitably gets left out. "Nicholson" spends a lot of time in the tabloid, which to be fair, how can't you? Yet, it leaves the behind-the-scenes a little dry. Eliot blends his opinion in with history which can easily turn the reader off from watching certain films - or tracking down some. Yet "Nicholson" is balanced between the personal biography and the production biography, giving a really solid presentation of 70/80 years in under 300 pages.
February 25, 2023
Read another Nicholson bio seven years ago, which I liked a lot but I guess I liked this one just a little more. I think the early, pre-fame years pop more here and don’t drag the way the other book did. I liked this author’s books on Clint Eastwood and Michael Douglas so that was the tipping point for going down this road again. Tons of great stories and Nicholson comes off mostly like he does in the other book. The very last note of this is Nicholson’s moment with Jennifer Lawrence at the 2013 Oscars, which is odd and maybe mischaracterized. If not, it’s an abrupt and cruel final note to strike. Still liked the book but what the fuck?
April 5, 2025
If you like Jack, you should enjoy the book. I'm not impressed with the author. I enjoy that he didn't bash Jack and dig up dirt, as many authors do when writing about celebs. However, either he's not real bright, lazy, or both. He explained how Chinatown was a disaster at two screenings, people walking out halfway through the movie, being told by experts he should not release it, but didn't explain how they fixed it or why it became critically acclaimed and a success. He'll throw out some information, but not explain nor extrapolate, constantly giving you half the information, a good editor would crush him.
May 15, 2018
Legend!!! Джак Никълсън е мега звезда, самолична вселена, неповторяем и единствен по рода си!! Биографията на Марк Елиът в този си вид бе напълно удовлетворяваща! Авторът набляга повече на филмовата кариера на Джак, като междувременно вмъква и частична информация за личния му живот. За кинаджии книгата е перфектно четиво.
December 27, 2020
I LOVE Jack Nicholson and was expecting a great representation of him in this book. However, the book is hard to get through. It is a little dry and speaks more about his connections and the Hollywood bustle than it does to Jack. In addition, the grammar was hard to follow- a lot of run on sentences.
August 8, 2024
Addicted to sex. Addicted to coke. Addicted to acting. Personal degradation and brilliant acting. That seems to sum up this straightforward biography that doesn’t try to explain how a creep can balance his degeneracy with acting skills that make him one of the greatest actors of the 20th and 21st centuries.
October 20, 2024
Extremely dismissive and one sided biography; pretty clear that Eliot’s process was solely through interviews and Hollywood town gossip about Nicholson. But I love that guy and various stories about him through the years were really interesting. But very one sided and unreliable in its scope
May 10, 2018
Interesting bio. Language is rough but it fits Jack's character.
August 11, 2018
Esperaba algo más personal de la historia de Jack.
February 4, 2019
No sugar coating.
November 24, 2019
Es un lectura para conocer un poco mi autor favorito.
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May 2, 2020A great book but probably many would find dry and over detailed, I however found it had the right amount of detail. The author gives us an in depth look for а great actor.
July 12, 2020
A very detailed and well documented book about an interesting man. After peering into life in Hollywood, I feel like I need a shower, maybe two, and covered in disinfectant.
December 7, 2021
#146 of 150 books pledged to read during 2021
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November 17, 2022A detailed celebration of american filmography history and misogyny.
April 29, 2023
Marc Elliot refuses to criticize Jack Nicholson even a little bit in the entirety of this book. Makes me nostalgic for before the #MeToo movement, for that reason. Not that I approve.
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