Jack Nicholson and Shirley MacLaine pose together in front of a blue curtain, holding their Oscars for director James L Brooks'  film, 'Terms of Endearment' at the Academy Awards© Fotos International

Shirley MacLaine's surprising response to 'affair' rumors with Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson and Shirley MacLaine famously worked together on Terms of Endearment

US Writer
October 19, 2024

At 90 years old, Shirley MacLaine has had an incredible life, from being one of the great actresses to her relationships with a number of acting legends. Famously, the star told Oprah Winfrey she often fell for the leading men she worked with, having a number of affairs. 

© Getty Images

Shirley MacLaine at the 2023 Industry Dance Awards held at Avalon Hollywood on October 18, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

One leading man that she certainly didn't have a relationship with might surprise fans, due to his own high profile love life. Shirley claimed that the only two leading men she didn't fall in love with were Jack Lemmon, who she said was "like a sister to me," and Jack Nicholson. She famously worked with the latter on Terms of Endearment.

While they may not have fallen in love, there was no bad blood between Shirley and Jack, as she told People: "He just made me laugh all the time. He was one of my favorite people."

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American actress Shirley MacLaine as Fran Kubelik and Jack Lemmon (1925 - 2001) as C.C. 'Bud' Baxter in a scene from 'The Apartment', directed by Billy Wilder, 1960.

She joked: "I don't think he would've been my type to have an affair with anyway. I would laugh too much."

While the actress may not have fallen for the notorious actor, their chemistry spoke volumes. Playing across from the 87-year-old Oscar winner, Shirley finally won an Oscar for Terms of Endearment, after she'd been nominated five times.

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Los Angeles: Academy Award winners Jack Nicholson (R-Best Supporting Actor for Terms of Endearment), Shirley Maclaine (C-Best Actress for Terms of Endearment) and James Brooks (L-Best Picture, Best Director and Best Writing for Terms of Endearment) greet the press holding their Oscars and extremely happy.

Shirley previously described working with Jack as "crazy," due to his "unpredictable" nature, according to an interview with FOX411.

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"If I knocked on the door, for example, in a scene and he would come to it, he would come dressed practically nude," she revealed. "Another time, he answered the door with a hooker. Another time, he answered the door with his face all smashed up with sugar."

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Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston dated for 17 years

"That's one of the reasons why I was good in the movie — Jack was always doing stuff that I hadn't anticipated," she said.

The A Few Good Men actor's own relationships have received attention in the media, as he is believed to have fathered six children by five women, only marrying once. While he only married The Terror co-star Sandra Knight from 1962 to 1968, his most famous relationship was with Anjelica Huston. They were together on and off for 17 years between 1973 and 1990.

Shirley's ultra-famous younger brother, Warren Beatty, has had his own high profile love life, having reportedly been linked with over 100 female celebrities, including the likes of Madonna and Carly Simon. Cher famously said of the actor: "Warren has probably been with everybody I know."

© Michael Kovac

Annette Bening and Warren Beatty attend AARP The Magazine's 19th Annual Movies For Grownups Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on January 11, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California.

He famously settled down with Annette Bening in 1992, whom he has been with ever since; they share four children together.

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