John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer, and writer. He is known for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. His twelve Oscar nominations make him the second most nominated actor of all time, tied with Katharine Hepburn, and behind only Meryl Streep. He portrayed Dr. Buddy Rydell in the 2003 film, Anger Management.
Nicholson has twice won the Academy Award for Best Actor, for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and for As Good as It Gets. He also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the 1983 film Terms of Endearment. He is tied with Walter Brennan for most acting wins by a male actor (three). Nicholson is well known for playing villainous roles, such as Jack Torrance in The Shining, Frank Costello in The Departed, and the Joker in 1989's Batman.
Nicholson was one of only two actors to be nominated for an Academy Award for acting in every decade from the 1960s to 2000s; the other being Michael Caine. He has won seven Golden Globe Awards, and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2001. In 1994, he became one of the youngest actors to be awarded the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award. Notable films in which he has starred include Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Chinatown, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Passenger, The Shining, Reds, Terms of Endearment, Batman, A Few Good Men, As Good as It Gets, About Schmidt, and The Departed.