Nicholson has practically retired from acting and public life but remains a subject of endless intrigue.
He went from childhood to youth, backed by his female kin.
Except, things weren’t as straightforward as he had been led to understand.
Nicholson was unaware of this family secret until he was well into his 30s.
While the article didn’t publicize Nicholson’s true family dynamics, the actor was duly informed.
“I was very impressed by their ability to keep the secret, if nothing else.”
Nicholson’s relationship with “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” director Milos Forman was also strained.
This kind of feeling of being above everyone else."
Not unlike its freewheeling director, the independent feature scandalized the industry.
Not to mention, Nicholson’s debut directorial venture wasn’t commercially successful either.
Yet, he persisted and made “Goin' South” just a few years later.
The 1978 Western comedy, which also starred Nicholson, failed to hit the mark as well.
“Discussions of my directing always get meinto trouble.
I either have a fist fight or a heart attack,” he toldFilm Comment.
Even so, there was still the slight issue of Nicholson not receiving any offers to direct.
In his heyday, Nicholson was rubbing shoulders with some of Hollywood’s best and baddest.
It has been suggested, however, that the truth was far more sinister.
It ended for good when actor Rebecca Broussard got pregnant with his child in 1989.
It was almost unsurprising when Nicholson’s relationship with Broussard ended.
The man wasn’t exactly known for settling down with one woman, after all.
“You’re left.
Consequently, breakups were supposedly painful for Nicholson, often taking years to fully heal.
And then, as it so happens, age began catching up to him.
On the personal front too, things were changing for Hollywood’s aging Lothario.
“I’m definitely still wild at heart.
But I’ve struck bio-gravity,” he told the Daily Mail.
“There were points in my life where I felt oddly irresistible to women.
I’m not in that state now and that makes me sad.”
That said, Nicholson barely lost his charm with age.
As he toldThe Guardian, his character seemed to have improved as he gained years.
A topic that has proved thornier for him to navigate is about the children he has fathered.
“What do I do well as a father?
I’m there all the time.
I give unconditional love.
Not all his children can probably attest to that though.
Honey Hollmann, Nicholson’s daughter with model Winnie Hollman, has kept away from the spotlight.
“It’s like he doesn’t want to face reality anymore and that’s just sad.”
