John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker who has performed for over sixty years. He is known for playing a wide range of starring or supporting roles, including satirical comedy, romance, and dark portrayals of anti-heroes and psychopathic characters.

Although Nicholson garnered no Academy Award for Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's "The Shining" (1980), it remains one of his more significant roles. He was Kubrick's first choice to play the lead role, although the book's author, Stephen King, wanted the part played by more of an "everyman". However, Kubrick as director won the argument, and described Nicholson's acting quality as being "on a par with the greatest stars of the past, like Spencer Tracy and Jimmy Cagney".

Nicholson's 12 Academy Award nominations make him the most nominated male actor in the Academy's history. Nicholson has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice - one for the drama "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975), and the other for the romantic comedy "As Good as It Gets" (1997). He also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the comedy-drama "Terms of Endearment" (1983).

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