Jack Nicholson said: "You live a life so that you have something to give when the time comes to give it." Over nearly 70 years, New Jersey-born Jack Nicholson has earned a reputation as one of the greatest of all film actors and one of the most distinctly recognizable personalities in cinema. Winner of 3 Oscars and 6 Golden Globes, Nicholson has refused type-casting, as this series will demonstrate with a close look at three of his best performances: as Bobby Dupea in Bob Rafelson's Five Easy Pieces (1970), an Oscar nominated turn that Roger Ebert labeled "one of the most unforgettable characters in American movies"; as Billy Badass Buddusky in Hal Ashby's The Last Detail (1973), another Oscar nominated role, one for which he turned down leads in The Godfather 2 and The Sting; and, more recently, as Warren Schmidt in Alexander Payne's About Schmidt (2002), which Nicholson regarded as "the least vain performance I've ever given." A lively discussion with actor-filmmaker Peter Josyph will follow each screening.
