Jack Nicholson movies in order

Since making his way into the movie business back during the late 1950s, Jack Nicholson has built up a reputation as one of the zaniest and best-loved actors in Hollywood. His career has spanned decades, and over the years he has appeared in a wealth of movies including Easy Rider (1969), Batman (1989), and A Few Good Men (1994), to name but a few.

His pictures have ranged from comedies and detective movies, to comic book adventures and horror films. To an entire generation of fans he is the Joker in the Batman movies, while to others he will forever be known as Jack Torrance in The Shining.

But do you know about all of his films? Well, if the answer is ‘no’, then don’t worry, because you’re about to.

In this post I am taking a look back at the film career of Jack Nicholson, with a rundown of all his movies. I will be going through his films, decade-by-decade, to showcase all of the pictures in his portfolio.

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The 1950s

As this post is covering all of Jack Nicholson’s movies, it only makes sense to begin in the 1950s. This is where Nicholson got his first movie gig, and it needs to be highlighted.

However, as you will see, Nicholson only appeared in one movie during the 1950s.

• The Cry Baby Killer (1958)

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The 1960s

Although the 1950s is where Jack Nicholson made his movie debut, it wasn’t until the 1960s that he started to make a name for himself. During this decade he appeared in a succession of films, on an almost annual basis.

Notable movies in this decade included the original version of The Little Shop of Horrors, Hell Angels on Wheels, and Easy Rider.

Jack Nicholson’s movies during the 1960s included:

• Teenage Lovers (1960)
• The Wild Ride (1960)
• The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
• Studs Lonigan (1960)
• The Broken Land (1962)
• Little Army (1962)
• The Raven (1963)
• The Terror (1963)
• Ensign Pulver (1964)
• Flight to Fury (1964)
• Back Door to Hell (1964)
• The Shooting (1966)
• Rise in the Whirlwind (1966)
• Hells Angels on Wheels (1967)
• The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967)*
• Psych-Out (1968)
• Head (1968)*
• Easy Rider (1969)

*Uncredited

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The 1970s

Moving into the 1970s, and Nicholson’s star continued to rise. At the beginning of the decade he appeared in Five Easy Pieces, before going on to star in films such as Chinatown and Tommy.

Arguably his most famous role during this period came in 1975, when the actor played the part of R. P. McMurphy for the movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Jack Nicholson’s movies during the 1970s included:

• Five Easy Pieces (1970)
• Carnal Knowledge (1971)
• A Safe Place (1971)
• The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)
• The Last Detail (1973)
• Chinatown (1974)
• The Passenger (1975)
• Tommy (1975)
• The Fortune (1975)
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
• The Missouri Breaks (1976)
• The Last Tycoon (1976)
• Goin’ South (1978)

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The 1980s

Having had multiple successes during the ‘70s, Nicholson continued to push ahead with his film career in the ‘80s, beginning with The Shining. The movie was an adaptation of the Stephen King book of the same name, and remains one of Nicholson’s most famous films.  

Other films this decade included The Postman Always Rings Twice, Terms of Endearment, and The Witches of Eastwick. And of course, no showcase of Nicholson’s movies would be complete without a mention for Batman.

Jack Nicholson’s movies during the 1980s included:

• The Shining (1980)
• The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
• Reds (1981)
• The Border (1982)
• Terms of Endearment (1983)
• Prizzi’s Honor (1985)
• Heartburn (1986)
• The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
• Elephant’s Child (1987)
• Broadcast News (1987)
• Ironweed (1987)
• Batman (1989)

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1990s

Onto the ‘90s now, and with this decade Nicholson continued to appear in a string of movies, beginning with The Two Jakes – a sequel to his 1974 movie, Chinatown. Other movies in this decade included Wolf, Mars Attacks!, and As Good as It Gets.

Jack Nicholson’s movies during the 1990s included:

• The Two Jakes (1990)
• Man Trouble (1992)
• A Few Good Men (1992)
• Hoffa (1992)
• Wolf (1994)
• The Crossing Guard (1995)
• Blood and Wine (1996)
• The Evening Star (1996)
• Mars Attacks! (1996)
• As Good as It Gets (1997)

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2000s

Onto the 2000s, and it was here that Nicholson began to slow down his work schedule. The actor continued to star in movies, including the likes of About Schmidt and Anger Management, but the films were much fewer than before.

Jack Nicholson’s films throughout the 2000s included:

• The Pledge (2001)
• About Schmidt (2002)
• Anger Management (2003)
• Something’s Gotta Give (2003)
• The Departed (2006)
• The Bucket List (2007)

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2010s

And finally, onto the 2010s – a decade which saw Jack Nicholson step away from acting. He appeared in a couple of movies to kick-start the decade, but then walked away from making movies from here on out.

Jack Nicholson’s movies throughout the 2010s included:

• I’m Still Here (2010)
• How Do You Know (2010)

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So, those are all the Jack Nicholson movies, but what are your favourites? Are you a fan of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest or is Witches of Eastwick your No.1 movie? Perhaps Batman is the film for you, or possibly Mars Attacks?

Whatever your favourite Jack Nicholson movie, be sure to drop a comment below.

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And if you are a fan of Jack Nicholson you might like to know that many of his hit movies are available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray, including one of his most acclaimed films, As Good as It Gets.

If you’ve not watched As Good as it Gets before, the film follows an unlikeable, obsessive-compulsive novelist, who begins to change his ways after becoming friendly with the neighbours in his apartment building.

The As Good as It Gets DVD is available from all good entertainment stockists, including Amazon US and Amazon UK.

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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about Jack Nicholson movies. For more movie-related content, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.

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