but I am a writer, I am Irish, I have had problems with my family.' His mother married Italian-American showman Donald Furcillo (stage name Donald Rose 1909–1997) in 1936, before realizing that he was already married. Nicholson has identified as Irish, comparing himself to the playwright Eugene O'Neill, whom he played in the film Reds: 'I'm not saying I'm as dark as he was. Nicholson's mother was of Irish, English, German, and Welsh descent. John Joseph Nicholson was born on April 22, 1937, in Neptune City, New Jersey, the son of a showgirl, June Frances Nicholson (stage name June Nilson 1918–1963). His 12 Academy Award nominations make Nicholson the most nominated male actor in the Academy's history. He is one of only three male actors to win three Academy Awards, and one of only two actors to be nominated for an Academy Award for acting in films made in every decade from the 1960s to the 2000s. Nicholson has directed three films, Drive, He Said (1971), Goin' South (1978), and The Two Jakes (1990). Nicholson is also known for his notable roles in Carnal Knowledge (1971), The Shining (1980), Heartburn (1986), Broadcast News (1987), Batman (1989), Hoffa (1992), Mars Attacks! (1996), Something's Gotta Give (2003), The Departed (2006) and The Bucket List (2007).

He was Oscar-nominated for Easy Rider (1969), Five Easy Pieces (1970), The Last Detail (1974), Chinatown (1974), Reds (1981), Prizzi's Honor (1986), Ironweed (1987), A Few Good Men (1992) and About Schmidt (2002). Nicholson has won three Academy Awards, for Best Actor for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and As Good as It Gets (1997) and for Best Supporting Actor for Terms of Endearment (1983). He also received the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award in 1994 and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2001. He received numerous accolades throughout his five-decade-spanning career, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure.

He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker.

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