Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson portrayed Jack Napier/The Joker in Batman.

Significant roles

• Wilbur Force in Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
• Weary Reilly in Studs Lonigan (1960)
• Lt. Andre Duvalier in The Terror (1963)
• Dolan in Ensign Pulver (1964)
• George Hanson in Easy Rider (1969)
• Robert Eroica Dupea in Five Easy Pieces (1970)
• J.J. Gittes in Chinatown (1974)
• David Locke in Professione: reporter (1975)
• The Specialist in Tommy (1975)
• R.P. McMurphy in Someone Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
• Jack Torrance in The Shining (1980)
• Frank Chambers in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
• Eugene O'Neil in Reds (1981)
• Garrett Breedlove in Terms of Endearment (1983)
• Charley Partanna in Prizzi's Honor (1985)
• Mark Forman in Heartburn (1986)
• Daryl Van Horne in The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
• Bill Rorich in Broadcast News (1987)
• Francis Phelan in Ironweed (1987)
• Jack Napier/The Joker in Batman (1989)
• J.J. "Jake" Gittes in The Two Jakes (1990)
• Col. Nathan R. Jessep in A Few Good Men (1992)
• James R. "Jimmy" Hoffa in Hoffa (1992)
• Will Randall in Wolf (1994)
• Garrett Breedlove in The Evening Star (1996)
• President James Dale/Art Land in Mars Attacks! (1996)
• Melvin Udall in As Good as It Gets (1997)
• Jarry Black in The Pledge (2001)
• Warren Schmidt in About Schmidt (2002)
• Dr. Buddy Rydell in Anger Management (2003)
• Harry Sanborn in Something's Gotta Give (2003)
• Frank Costello in The Departed (2006)
• Edward in The Bucket List (2007)
• Charles in How Do You Know (2010)

Quotes

• "I warned him to be careful with the Joker."
• "Around the time of Batman I realized I was fooling around careerwise. It was great work and a great film but I didn't want to be seen as this crazy, Joker figure anymore. I think I had a conversation with myself, a real heart-to-heart, and decided I didn't like people thinking of me as a fool. I'd done such good work, whether it was Goin' South or One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest or Easy Rider... But I think I was kind of losin' it a little in the quality department. I was doing some movies that I should have backed away from."
• "Let me be the way I'm not in interviews. I'm furious. [about Ledger playing the Joker] I'm furious. [He laughs.] They never asked me about a sequel with the Joker. I know how to do that! Nobody ever asked me. It's like, in any area, you can't believe the reasons things do or don't happen. Not asking me how to do the sequel is that kind of thing. Maybe it's not a mistake. Maybe it was the right thing, but to be candid, I'm furious."
• "Well, the Joker comes from my childhood. That's how I got involved with it in the first place. It's a part I always thought I should play."
• "I'm not inclined to watch it because of what I said. But if it's a good movie, I'll catch up with it somewhere. I don't think they ever really captured Tim Burton's spirit [since he stopped being involved]. They kind of drove the franchise into the ground. Tim Burton's a genius. He had the right take on it. That's why I did the movie. I did the movie based on a single conversation with him. We both come from the cartoon world originally. We had similar ideas. Tim said [the Joker] should have a humorous dark side to him. [Burton is] one of the great moviemakers. I think the world of him. He's the most unassuming man. And he doesn't feel pressure. That's what I love about him. Once he's in there, he's smiling making the movie. That's it!'?"

Trivia

• Nicholson was considered for the role of Lex Luthor in Superman: The Movie before Gene Hackman was cast.