Jack Nicholson attends a basketball game in 2020 in Los Angeles,

Jack Nicholson's unexpected living situation at 86 explored - what happened to the actor?

The Shining actor will turn 87 years old in April 

US Deputy Editor
March 20, 2024

Jack Nicholson may call Hollywood home, but he no longer thrives in the glare of the spotlight.

The reclusive star is now rarely seen in public and prefers an off the grid lifestyle. 

But what happened to the former party animal and legendary performer and where does he reside now?

© Getty Images

Jack stepped away from the limelight years ago

Last public outing 

Jack disappeared from the public eye in October 2021 and wasn't photographed again until April 2023 when the Daily Mail published photographs of him looking disheveled on the balcony of his Beverly Hills home. 

Fans were concerned over his lengthy absence from the limelight and his appearance, however they were put at ease when he rocked up courtside at his beloved LA Lakers with his handsome son, Ray, in May. 

He's been snapped at several more NBA games since where he animatedly cheers on his team often with one of his kids by his side.

© Kevork Djansezian

Jack at the Lakers with his son Ray

Where does Jack Nicholson live?

He still has an extensive property portfolio reportedly worth $100 million with several homes across the US. But Jack favours his residence on Mulholland Drive in Beverly Hills. 

The compound features numerous properties and spans across three acres. 

© Getty Images

Jack Nicholson's Beverly Hills home in 1996

It's close to his heart as Jack bought the home in 1969 for $5 million and continued to add to it by buying adjacent plots, including his friend, Marlon Brando's estate which he purchased in 2005. 

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A 'quiet life' 

Jack's life today is a far cry from his former existence of sex, drugs and rock and roll. 

As he got older, he confessed that "a lot of what people think about me has to do with when I was younger."

Jack put his era of womanizing behind him a long time ago and now has a very different focus. 

© Bertrand Rindoff Petroff

Jack Nicholson with Winnie Hollman in Paris, 1976

Record producer, Lou Adler, shed light on Jack's current focus during an episode of the WTF with Marc Mason podcast when he said he "wants to be quiet".

Perhaps this is why when he was spotted on his balcony, he was content listening to the song birds and tranquility surrounding his home. 

Marc added: "A friend of mine wanted to put him in a movie. And he had a conversation with him.

© Photo: Getty Images

Jack is now eager for a 'quiet' existance after years in the spotlight

But Jack says, 'I don’t want to do it.' He goes, 'You know what I did today? I sat under a tree and I read a book.'"Lou remarked: "That sounds like Jack."

He then added: "Jack is doing whatever he really wants to do. He wants to be quiet. He wants to eat what he wants. He wants to live the life he wants."

Jack's health 

Despite reports suggesting Jack is suffering from some kind of mental illness such as dementia, it appears this isn't the case. 

Neighbors and friends voiced their concern for him according to a New York Post report and an article by Sky News.

© Getty

There have been rumors of ill health for Jack but his friends say he's doing great

But former news commentator and author, Bill O’Reilly, dismissed reports that Jack was suffering.

"I visited Jack Nicholson a few months ago," he said during an episode of his No Spin News broadcast shortly after it was reported that Jack was not in a good way.  "I had a long conversation with him and he follows the No Spin News very closely and had all kinds of intelligent questions for me.

"I have been friends with him for decades. He is 85, okay?" Bill said at the time.  "But he is more intellectually nimble than the president of the United States."

Is Jack Nicholson married?

Jack is a confirmed bachelor having fathered six children with five different women over the years. He has only been married once and that was to Sandra Knight. 

Jack also had a long-standing romance with Anjelica Huston, and was renowned for being "irresistible" with his charisma and charm. 

© Getty Images

Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston dated for 17 years

But he confessed in 2011 that this was sadly no longer the case. 

"If men are honest, everything they do and everywhere they go is for a chance to see a woman," he said. "There were points in my life where I felt oddly irresistible to women. I'm not in that state now and that makes me sad. 

"But I also believe that a lot of the improvements in my character have come through aging and the diminishing of powers. It's all a balancing act; you just have to get used to the ride."

Jack Nicholson's six children 

His oldest daughter, Jennifer Nicholson, 60, was born during his marriage to Sandra. The couple, who were co-stars on The Terror, were together from 1962 til 1968.

© Chris Weeks

Jack and his daughter Jennifer at Jennifer Nicholson Fall 2006

He shares Caleb Goddard, 53, with his Susan Anspach, who starred opposite the actor in Five Easy Pieces. 

Honey Hollman, 43, was as a result of Jack's reported relationship with Danish model, Winnie Hollman. He has never recognized her as his own. She was born in the middle of Jack's 17-year romance with Anjelica. 

Actress Rebecca Broussard shares two children with Jack; Lorraine Nicholson, 33, and Ray Nicholson, 32.

© Getty

Jack attends the basketball game with son Ray

The latter often accompanies his father during his rare outings, normally to the LA Lakers. 

Jack also reportedly fathered a daughter, Tessa Gourin, 29, with waitress, Jennine Gourin.

She called herself Jack's "illegitimate" daughter in an essay for Newsweek. 

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