He will probably be remembered for his compelling manic role in the 1980s psychological horror film, the brilliant, an adaptation of a 1977 novel written by Stephen King of the same name. Born in April 1937 in Neptune City, New Jersey, he nearly gave up his acting career for an earlier interest he had as an animator. He even worked in the MGM cartoon office under professional animators and is said to have been successful in that as well. But his desire to act was too great, and Nicholson ultimately chose to be the on-screen performer we love and appreciate today. Not only did his decision earn him worldwide recognition and the experience of co-starring with celebrities such as Adam Sandler, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine to begin with; it also helped him develop a net worth of $400 million. Here’s how!
Early entry into show biz
As you may know by now, Jack Nicholson is not a young pup. In fact, he’s been acting professionally for over five decades now! Performing and entertaining may be in his blood, with the fact that his mother, June Frances Nicholson, who worked as a showgirl, was just seventeen when Jack was born. Sources claim that due to her age and single status, June gave Jack to her parents to raise as their own child. Time magazine research confirmed in 1974 that June, thought to be Jack’s sister, was in fact his mother. Is it a hard pill to swallow? !
However, remaining fearless despite the shocking revelation of his life and family, he stubbornly pursued his acting career. He honed his skills with a group called Players Ring Theatre, which groomed him for an appearance on an episode of Matinee Theater as an unnamed character, as well as minor roles on soap operas.
His first role as a named character came in the 1958 teen movie, The crying baby killer, where he played the role of Jimmy Wallace. It would be another two years before he was a regular cast member, working with Roger Corman on a variety of films, such as The Little Shop of Horror (1960); a horror movie called The crow; Terror (1963) where Nicholson portrays a French officer; The Wild Ride (1960), and the Andy Griffith show. At the same time, he also acted in The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967) – a gangster film based on the murder of seven rival gang members commissioned by Al Capone.
Even after a steady stream of acting gigs in a variety of different genres, The Bucket List the actor still wasn’t where he imagined himself to be in his career. He would retire from the stage to work behind the camera as a writer/director. His off-screen ability excelled after writing the screenplay for the 1967 counterculture film, The trip, starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. With a budget of just $100,000, Nicholson’s psychedelic film grossed $10 million, making it his most successful project at the time, despite not being on screen. After the acclaimed triumph of The tripJack would land his breakout role in the 1969s Easy Rider. In this drama, Nicholson plays the role of an alcoholic lawyer named George Hanson who befriends drug dealers Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) in prison. The film would mark Nicholson’s highest-grossing film at the time, earning $60 million worldwide on a budget of no more than $400,000. He also earned an Oscar nomination for his efforts, which increased his value in the film industry, allowing him to negotiate more expensive film contracts and, by default, increasing his net worth.
Become a Hollywood legend
His next films after the award nomination include On a clear day you can see forever, starring Barbra Streisand and Bob Newhart, which grossed $14 million, of which it earned around $12,500. In the same year, the independent biker film The Rousing Rebels came out, starring Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd. Also the same year, he starred in Five easy pieces opposite Karen Black, for which he won another Oscar. The project was a major success, grossing $18.7 million against a budget of $1 million. Jack was now officially the “It” factor of Hollywood cinema, and he knew it!
As his fame and salary grew over the years, Jack’s acting creativity and boundless talent quickly cemented him as America’s newest on-screen anti-hero – a description that he kissed her gladly. Such representations are clearly visible in films such as those of 1971 carnal knowledge, where he co-stars with Arthur Garfunkel, Rita Moreno and Candice Bergen. The comedy-drama grossed over $12 million and Jack was again nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor.
Some other highlights of this actor’s outstanding career include The last detail (1973), co-starring Randy Quaid which grossed $10 million; the neo-noir mystery crime thriller, Chinese district (1974), alongside Faye Dunaway, which was a favorable hit with $29.2 million; and a minor role in a romance film with Robert De Niro titled The Last Tycoon (1976).
Throughout his career, his acting sophistication only increased, as did his pay per role. According to JustRichest, he withdrew $1.25 million from the brilliant (1980); $4 million from the romantic comedy, Stomach pains (1986), co-starring Meryl Streep and Jeff Daniels; $5 million for Ironweed (1987); $10 million worth Hoffa (1992) directed by Danny DeVito); $15 million for As good as it gets (1997) with Helen Hunt and Cuba Gooding Jr.; $20 million for anger management (2003) with comedian Adam Sandler; and over $60 million for his role as Joker in Batman (1989) which ended up grossing over $400 million.
Real estate and other sound investments
Nicholson’s phenomenal $400 million net worth can be attributed to more than just his acting career. According to Celebrity Net Worth, his ownership alone is well over $100 million. His primary residence is on Mulholland Drive in Beverly Hills, but he owns about 12 properties across America. The property spans 3 acres and is home to four other additional properties on the grounds. One of the more recent additions was that of his good friend Marlon Brando, which Nicholson acquired for $5 million in 2005 after Brando’s death.
He also owns a 70-acre mansion in Malibu worth $4.5 million as well as numerous other homes in Santa Monica and around Los Angeles. It was reported that he also owns a beachfront home in Kailua, Hawaii, and a few properties in Aspen, Colorado, one of which sold for $11 million in 2016.
In addition to real estate investments, Wolf The actor is also a renowned art collector. Since the 1960s, Nicholson has collected timeless works of art by some of the biggest names in art and painting, such as Picasso, Rodin, Botero, Bouguereau, Modigliani and Matisse. Unlike NFTs, these artworks are the highest quality handcrafted creations and are estimated to be around $150 million.
At 84 years old, Jack Nicholson has lived a full life with a legacy of at least 82 movies he starred in, wrote or directed in his lifetime.
