The Shining Net Worth of Jack Nicholson
What’s your favorite Jack Nicholson moment? I’m certain there are a few that come to mind almost immediately…
“Wendy, I’m home! Heeeeere’s Johnny!” (from The Shining)
“You can’t handle the truth!” (from A Few Good Men)
“Have You Ever Danced With The Devil In The Pale Moonlight?” (from Batman)
“I think of a man. And I take away reason and accountability.” (When asked how he writes female characters so effectively in As Good As It Gets)
“I must be crazy to be in a loony bin like this.” (from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest)
“You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline.” (OK, that’s also from A Few Good Men, but it was just such a great speech!)
Of course, Nicholson is almost as much of a force of nature off the screen as he is on. He used to be a regular presence at any L.A. Lakers home game (usually near the visiting teams’ bench so he can more easily antagonize them). He once spent several months completely nude, including during interviews or family visits. His voice and vocal stylings are legendary whether he’s performing high drama or ordering breakfast.
Now, at age 85, Nicholson has largely retired from public life. That’s OK - he’s certainly carved out an eternal role for himself in the history books. Plus, he can afford it. Jack Nicholson’s net worth is currently estimated to be just over $400 million.
Clearly, he’s doing something right.
Where did Jack Nicholson’s Net Worth Come From?
For all his personality and style, Nicholson is famously reserved when it comes to giving interviews. When he does, however, he comes across as realistic about his own strengths and weaknesses without veering into false humility or cliches. Way back in 1983, in an interview with movie critic Roger Ebert (while promoting Terms of Endearment, which had just been released), Nicholson shared this about his approach to financial security:
I like that line I wrote that we used in 'The Border,' where I said, 'I just want to do something good before I die.' Isn't that what we all want? I know I can act. There aren't too many other jobs I know how to do. Financially, I've lost money and made money, but I know my way around financially.
He wasn’t exaggerating. Nicholson’s entire professional life has been on screens both large and small. His success at doing what he does best has paid off over time - both literally and figuratively.
You Oughta Be In Pictures
Nicholson was born in Neptune, New Jersey in 1937 during the final years of the Great Depression. He grew up in Manasquan, New Jersey, not far from there. The U.S. entered World War II before he began kindergarten and declared victory before he was done with elementary school. He hit his teenage years during the 1950s. He was a bit more handsome than most, and a decent student, but he had little interest in college or traditional careers.
Nicholson moved to Los Angeles when he was only 17 where he stayed with the woman he believed was his older sister. It would later turn out that Jack’s “older sister” was actually his mother and the folks he’d always believed to be his parents were, in fact, his grandparents. June (his mom/sister) had gotten pregnant at a young age and the family worried that folks in the 1930s might not be particularly gracious about such things. So, her parents claimed the child as their own and June was able to still be in his life as “big sister.”
Jack Nicholson in his debut low-budget teen drama “Cry Baby Killer” (1958).
In L.A., Nicholson cycled through part-time jobs, one of which was working as a “gopher” for MGM’s animation department. A producer noticed his rugged good looks and liked the way he carried himself and secured him a spot in a local acting class. He did some live theater and picked up parts in various TV shows.
In 1958, Jack landed a role in Cry Baby Killer, a low-end crime flick by King of the ‘B’ movies, Roger Corman. But it was a movie, and Nicholson made the most of the part. For the next decade, he worked in similarly humble pics, throwing himself into each role as if it were his best or last opportunity to shine.
Eventually, he began writing or co-writing the screenplays himself. After a dozen or so, he became a producer. Between movies and TV, Nicholson was certainly staying busy - but “busy” wasn’t enough.
He wanted something more. He wanted something… bigger.
Easy Rider
In 1969, Richard Nixon took the oath of office and became President of the United States. The Vietnam War raged on while protests at home grew in both size and intensity. Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Monty Python’s Flying Circus debuted on the BBC. Jimi Hendrix played the National Anthem at Woodstock. And Easy Rider was released in theaters across the country.
For most of us, Easy Rider is one of those films we’ve heard referenced all our lives or maybe seen clips of as part of the “history of Hollywood” or someone’s A&E Biography. Unless you’re a serious movie buff or over the age of about 70, however, it’s difficult to appreciate what an impact it had at the time.
Don’t feel bad - your kids feel the same way about Led Zeppelin and M*A*S*H. There are times you just have to be there.
Jack Nicholson as George Hanson in “Easy Rider” (1969).
Easy Rider starred Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. (Fonda also wrote and produced the film; Hopper directed.) It was the first of an edgier era in Hollywood - lots of motorcycles, disillusioned teenagers, drugs, and everyone scowling at everyone else. Fonda won an Academy Award for the screenplay, and Jack Nicholson won Best Supporting Actor.
He was now officially legit. Jack Nicholson’s net worth was about to explode. More important to him at the time, Jack began receiving more interesting offers for more prominent roles.
His next film was 1970’s Five Easy Pieces. You may not remember this one (again, except for movie aficionados or folks who remember when films could be great without CGI or bass-thumping explosions), but it was here Jack really began leaning into the style and personality with which he’d be associated for the next half-century. That quirky drawl, the ever-present suggestion of something unglued and potentially explosive radiating from just underneath the surface - it was in Five Easy Pieces that most movie-goers first fell in love with that Jack Nicholson.
And he was off!
As Good As It Gets
From the 1970s through the early 2000s, Jack Nicholson gave us nearly a dozen films per decade - On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Chinatown, The Postman Always Rings Twice, About Schmidt, Batman, As Good As It Gets, The Two Jakes, A Few Good Men, Broadcast News, The Witches of Eastwick, Terms of Endearment, The Shining, and too many others to list here.
Many believe that Jack Nicholson’s Joker is the best interpretation of this character.
Nicholson proved himself adept at characterization, able to subtly pull up layer after layer of his characters, major or minor. Other times, however, he seemed to prefer the outrageous over the introspective - his “Joker” in 1989’s Batman helped jumpstart not only that specific franchise but the entire modern genre of superhero movies. Nicholson has done comedies, artsy avante-garde dramas, and a few sentimental heart-wrenchers.
He was married for six years in the 1960s but never tried again after that. He has one daughter from that relationship and a half-dozen other children from different relationships over the years. He enjoys the company of others, but believes strongly in self-reliance - both emotionally and financially. He’s a serious collector of 20th century and modern art and respected in the art world for both his taste and artistic savvy.
Most importantly, he seems genuinely happy with how things have turned out for him. Not just the money - although that’s certainly helpful - but all of it. Here’s to looking back and figuring things have gone about as well as you might have hoped.
Jack Nicholson’s Net Worth
As I mentioned above, Jack Nicholson’s current net worth is estimated to be just over $400 million. Depending on who’s making the list, that lands him somewhere in the Top 10 wealthiest actors in the world - right up there with Tom Cruise, George Clooney, and Robert De Niro.
Almost every penny comes from his acting career. While Nicholson by all accounts loves his craft and was able to pick and choose his roles based on what interested him, he was never afraid to push for better terms or a few more dollars. As far as investments go, his primary interest is art, currently valued at an estimated $150 million. He also has real estate scattered around the globe and worth around $100 million.
Nicholson hasn’t written any books, founded any charities, invested in any start-ups, or sponsored his own line of shoes or personal hygiene products. From his earliest days until retirement, he acted (with a little script-writing and production) in movies and on TV. Period.
Let’s Handle The Truth
So, is there anything to be learned from Nicholson’s success which might benefit those of us not likely to pull in hundreds of millions of dollars from our work on the silver screen? Can I draw any lessons from someone whose tax bracket I can’t even pronounce?
Maybe.
The first thing I’d point out is something which may seem obvious but nevertheless bears repeating: figure out what you like and what you’re good at, then do it as well and as intensely as you can. Nicholson was willing to work temp gigs here and there to put food on the table, but he never chased other careers or opportunities once he found his calling.
The second thing worth noticing about Nicholson’s success is the balance he strikes between enjoying the fruits of his labor and avoiding the typical pitfalls of wealth. It wouldn’t be practical for me, for example, to attend that many pro sporting events or buy Warhols and Picassos. In my world, however, the ability to eat out somewhere decent once a week and periodically spend a few dollars on a traveling production of Something Rotten or see my favorite band in concert makes me feel rich compared to a few decades ago. Where Nicholson invests in art, I invest in stripping and repainting the upstairs bedroom and hallway. (In some ways, that’s even more impressive since my wife and I do our own painting while Jack just buys the works of others.)
What we don’t have much of over Nicholson’s half-century career are stories of him partying large on gold-plated islands wearing diamond-studded underwear while snorting caviar laced with shredded hundred-dollar bills. While no one would deny that his lifestyle is comfortable, there’s really not much about it which qualifies as audacious.
Let Goalry Help
When you have Jack Nicholson’s net worth, you can hire all the high-end financial managers in the world to help keep your finances straight. If he’d ever return my phone calls, however, I’d tell Jack that even for him, that’s not really necessary.
Goalry can give you the tools and resources you need to manage your accounts, categorize your spending, prepare for tax season, or project long-term earnings. Our intuitive, easy-to-use personal finance app can help you compare credit card offers, find cheaper auto insurance, or decide whether or not to refinance your mortgage.
The decisions are always up to you, but now you can have as much (or as little) information and assistance as you choose before making them - all as easily as you post pictures of your kids or complain about your elected representatives on social media.
You don’t have to be Jack Nicholson to take more effective control of your personal or small business finances. You just have to let us know that you’re ready to get started.
