Jack Nicholson: a career in film - in pictures

Jack Nicholson was first seen on the big screen in 1958 in the Roger Corman production The Cry Baby Killer. Photograph: Everett Collection/Rex Features

Throughout the Sixties Nicholson appeared in plenty of Westerns and B-Movies. In 1967's Hells Angels On Wheels, Nicholson plays a gas station attendant who is lured to the dark side by a gang of Hells Angels. Motorcycles were to play a big part in Nicholson's breakthrough. Photograph: Cinetext/Allstar

In 1969 Nicholson appeared alongside Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in the counter-culture cult classic Easy Rider. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Photograph: Cinetext/Allstar

The following year he was nominated again, this time for Best Actor for his role as Bobby Dupea in Five Easy Pieces. Here he is seen with Karen Black who also received a nomination for her role as Rayette Dipesto. Photograph: Columbia/Allstar

The classics just keep on coming. In 1974 Roman Polanski cast Nicholson as J.J. 'Jake' Gittes in the neo-noir thriller Chinatown. Another nomination ensued. Photograph: Paramount/Allstar

Nicholson received his first Oscar for Best actor for his portrayal of inmate Randle P 'Mac' McMurphy in 1975's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Here he is causing chaos with Delos V. Smith Jr. as Sanlon, Will Sampson as Chief Bromden, Danny Devito as Martini, Brad Dourif as Billy Bibbit and William Redfield as Dale Harding. Photograph: United Artists/Allstar

'Here's Johnny!' 1980's The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick, is now recognised as one of the best horror movies of all time. Based on Stephen King's novel, Nicholson is a writer who descends into madness at the Overlook hotel. Photograph: CineText/Allstar

Nicholson starred alongside Jessica Lange in the 1981 adaptation of James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice. The steamy sex scenes between the two led to all sorts of rumours. Photograph: Photo 12/Alamy

Nicholson won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as Garrett Breedlove in 1983's Terms of Endearment, a comedy-drama also starring Shirley Maclaine and Debra Winger. Photograph: Paramount/Allstar

Directed By John Huston, 1985's Prizzi's Honor starred Jack as hit-man Charley Partanna who becomes fatally entangled with fellow assassin Irene Walker, played by Kathleen Turner. Yet another nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Photograph: 20 Century Fox/Allstar

In 1987 Jack gets to play the Devil who charms/beds The Witches Of Eastwick played by Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer. Photograph: CineText/Allstar

Jack as The Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman stole the movie with an energetically hammy performance. Photograph: Warner Bros/Allstar

In 1996, another Tim Burton movie, the science-fiction comedy Mars Attacks!, saw Jack playing two roles with his customary gusto. Photograph: Warner Bros/Allstar

Here is the classic Nicholson shark-smile displayed in 1997's As Good As It Gets. The result - another Academy Award for Best Actor for portraying a misanthropic writer who finds love. Photograph: Columbia Tristar/Allstar

Jack's final nomination for Best Actor came in 2002's About Schmidt, a comedy drama about a man on a road trip struggling with the futility of life. J&B helps. Photograph: New Line/Allstar

Jack's last highly acclaimed role was in Martin Scorcese's 2006 crime thriller The Departed. Here the old rogue jokes with Leonardo DiCaprio, Scorcese and Ray Winstone. Photograph: Warner Bros/Allstar

If the rumours are true, Jack bowed out of filmmaking in the poorly received rom-com How Do You Know in 2010. That film, however, will not dim his star Photograph: Moviestore/Rex Features