“Jack’s Life feels true. . . . Fascinating.”—Entertainment Weekly Jack Nicholson has lived large on and off the screen. Patrick McGilligan, one of America’s outstanding film biographers, has plumbed research and interviews to expand his definitive biography since its publication twenty years ago. Jack’s Life captures the essence of this most private and public of stars with a vivid depiction of Nicholson’s tangled Dickensian upbringing, his hungry years as actor and writer, his nearaccidental breakthrough in Easy Rider, and his prolificacy and artistry ever since, with roles in Chinatown, Five Easy Pieces, The Shining, A Few Good Men, As Good As It Gets, and The Departed, to name a beloved handful of his sixty-plus films. McGilligan captures the life and legacy of this unabashed and complex personality

Interviews with the currently renowned actor and with producers, directors, and fellow actors reveal something about his character, life, and outlook

Throughout his career, Jack Nicholson has portrayed unique and challenging roles in classic movies such as Easy Rider (1969), Chinatown (1974), The Shining (1980), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), Terms of Endearment (1983), The Witches of Eastwick (1987) and The Departed (2006). Nicholson's twelve Oscar nominations make him the most nominated male actor in history. Jack Nicholson: Anatomy of an Actor is a new addition to Cahiers du cinema, a fascinating series from the world-renowned cinema magazine. The book focuses on ten key performances, exploring the unparalleled career of Jack Nicholson through narrative and analytical text accompanied by 300 images, including film stills and set photographs, as well as film sequences, script notes, and more. This thoughtful and lively examination of Nicholson's craft will appeal to film professionals and casual movie fans alike.

Originally published in 1975, this book is about the enigmatic star and the only one to have Nicholson's participation. In 1975 Nicholson was just becoming a household name in spite of having already starred in, written or produced 25 films.

Praise for Five Easy Decades: How Jack Nicholson Became the Biggest Movie Star in Modern Times "Dennis McDougal is a rare Hollywood reporter: honest, fearless, nobody's fool. This is unvarnished Jack for Jack-lovers and Jack-skeptics but, also, for anyone interested in the state of American culture and celebrity. I always read Mr. McDougal for pointers but worry that he will end up in a tin drum off the coast of New Jersey." — Patrick McGilligan, author of Jack's Life and Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light Praise for Privileged Son: Otis Chandler and the Rise and Fall of the L.A. Times Dynasty "A great freeway pileup—part biography, part dysfunctional family chronicle, and part institutional and urban history, with generous dollops of scandal and gossip." — Hendrick Hertzberg, The New Yorker "McDougal has managed to scale the high walls that have long protected the Chandler clan and returned with wicked tales told by angry ex-wives and jealous siblings." —The Washington Post Praise for The Last Mogul: Lew Wasserman, MCA and the Hidden History of Hollywood "Real glamour needs a dark side. That is part of the fascination of Dennis McDougal's wonderful book." —The Economist "Thoroughly reported and engrossing . . . the most noteworthy trait of MCA was how it hid its power." —The New York Times Book Review "Over the years, I've read hundreds of books on Hollywood and the movie business, and this one is right at the top." — Michael Blowen, The Boston Globe

Examining eight films produced between 1969 and 1980, this book explores how the actor and the filmmakers played upon audience expectations of "Jack Nicholson" to challenge prevailing attitudes about masculinity and power. In each of these films-Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, C...

Jack Nicholson has been part of the Hollywood movie scene for more than 40 years. Since his role in Easy Rider in 1969, he has lived in the limelight. This book explores the truth about the secret life of the actor who calls himself Dr Devil. Writer and investigative journalist, Peter Thompson catches Nicholson unguarded in off-screen moments to examine the contradictions of his personality. Nicholson reveals the truth behind his feud with Susan Anspach, the mother of his 26-year-old son Caleb, the truth about his other children, how Marlon Brando comforted him after the murder of his half-sister, Pamela, and why he continues to pursue a vendetta against her grieving husband. He also discloses the intimate secrets of his stormy relationships with Anjelica Houston and Rebecca Broussard. The book exposes him as a spoiled playboy trying to escape reality with sex and drug binges. Thompson paints a picture of a tormented man who inflicts pain on his loved ones and ultimately on himself.