What an ungracious way to be put out to pasture after a career spanning five decades. An announcement from a ‘source’, not from an official representative or the man himself, claiming Jack Nicholson has “quietly retired” from acting because he can’t remember his lines. I would have thought you could just retire because your 76, surely there’s no need to make the guy appear senile.

What an ungracious way to be put out to pasture after a career spanning five decades. An announcement from a ‘source’, not from an official representative or the man himself, claiming Jack Nicholson has “quietly retired” from acting because he can’t remember his lines. I would have thought you could just retire because you're 76, surely there’s no need to make the guy appear senile.

The story broke on RadarOnline.com, with a source saying “Jack has - without fanfare - retired.” A well-placed Hollywood insider confirmed this to Radar, and then went on to say, “There is a simple reason behind his decision — it’s memory loss. Quite frankly, at 76, Jack has memory issues and can no longer remember the lines being asked of him.”

Apparently Nicholson has no plans to give up on public life. He will still be available to attend, present and flirt with young stars (like he did with Jennifer Lawrence at the Oscars this year) at award ceremonies, and there’s little chance of him giving up his courtside seats at Lakers’ games.

However, this report was quickly refuted by NBC’s Maria Shriver who declared that reports of Nicholson retiring from acting due to memory loss or dementia are 100 percent false, and the star is not suffering from any memory-related illness or dementia and has no current plans to retire.

We can handle the truth Jack, let us know.

In the meantime, it does offer us the excuse to ponder – what’s Jack Nicholson’s greatest performance? Nicholson holds the record as the most Oscar nominated actor in Hollywood history - eight nominations for Best Actor and four for Best Supporting Actor. My suggestions begin with the roles that won him Oscars. 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) - R.P. McMurphy

One of his most famous performances, the role of Randle P. McMurphy won Nicholson his first Oscar (as it did Michael Douglas who accepted Best Picture as producer). Based on Ken Kasey’s novel, Nicholson plays the lead character, an anti-establishment wise-guy sent to a state mental home for rehabilitation, where he rebels against a sadistic Nurse. It was a stellar performance by Nicholson, and exceptional performances throughout the cast contributed to 9 Oscar nominations and 5 wins. Louise Fletcher won an Oscar for her portrayal of Nurse Ratched, a role turned down by Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn and Faye Dunaway. 

Terms of Endearment (1983) - Garrett Breedlove

Directed by James L. Brooks, who also worked with Nicholson on Broadcast News, As Good as It Gets and the recent How Do You Know, Terms of Endearment took home 5 Oscars at the 1984 Academy Awards. A tearjerker, this drama based on Larry McMurty’s novel looked at the difficult and strained relationship between a mother (Shirley MacLaine) and daughter (Debra Winger). Nicholson plays a carefree astronaut and one of MacLaine’s suitors, and they steal the show with their experience and rapport. 

Easy Rider (1969) – George Hanson

Dennis Hopper directed, Peter Fonda produced and they both stared and wrote (with Terry Southern) this crazy, anti-establishment roadtrip film. A story about a couple of pothead bikers on a trip across America, it cost only around half a million US dollars to make. Easy Rider made over US$19 million at the box office, Nicholson’s turn as George Hanson who joins the boys on their adventure made him a star, and it moved independent filmmaking and socially relevant movies into the spotlight. Its legacy continues today. 

Chinatown (1974) - J.J. Gittes

Robert Towne wrote Chinatown for Jack Nicholson, and while the film won Towne an Oscar for best screenplay, Nicholson missed out on the Best Actor award to Art Carney for his role in Harry and Tonto. Produced by Robert Evans and directed by Roman Polanski, Nicholson appears in every scene of this hard-boiled detective movie as world weary, wisecracking private investigator J.J Gittes. With this character, he created a persona that had an air of both danger and comfort that endeared him to men and women – an ability that remains with him today. 

The Shining (1980) - Jack Torrance

Nicholson’s blood-curdling cry “Heeeeeeeeere’s Johnny” launched him into the realm of superstardom and helped create one of the most memorable movie scenes ever. A dark, terrifying and eerie adaptation of Stephen King’s novel by director Stanley Kubrick, Jack Nicholson’s descent into madness is at times over the top, but when it comes to being erratic, violent and abusive – he nails it. 

The Pledge (2001) – Jerry Black

Directed by Sean Penn (who Nicholson worked with on The Crossing Guard) this is Nicholson’s most recent best performance. Featuring a fabulous cast that included Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Clarkson, Aaron Eckhart, Helen Mirren and Vanessa Redgrave, Nicholson plays a newly retired detective who makes a pledge to the mother of a murdered child to find the man who did it. There’s no self-parody, which Nicholson became known for in some of his later performances (eg Batman), rather a subtle, heartbreaking performance that’s about Jerry Black rather than Jack.

There are many more films Jack Nicholson has left his mark on: The Shooting (1967), The Passenger (1975), Reds (1981), Prizzi's Honor (1985), Braodcast News (1987), Batman (1990), As Good As It Gets (1997) A Few Good Men (1992) and About Schmidt (2002) – what’s your favourite or most memorable Jack Nicholson role?