I’ve always been a big fan of Jack Nicholson. I’ll never forget watching The Shining for the first time—or the sleepless nights that followed. Nicholson’s performance showed me the true power of acting; I was glued to the screen.
Now 81, Nicholson can look back on an incredible Hollywood career spanning over 50 years, marked by his distinctive brows, gravelly voice, and unforgettable roles in films like The Shining and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
But few know the shocking secret his family kept from him for decades.
Born on April 22, 1937, in New York, Jack was raised in New Jersey by his grandmother, Ethel, who ran a beauty salon. He believed Ethel was his mother and that his sister, June, was simply his older sibling. When June died of cancer in 1963 and Ethel seven years later, Jack continued pursuing acting with determination.
Then, at 37, during research for a Chinatown article, a journalist revealed a stunning truth: Ethel and her husband were actually Jack’s grandparents—and June was his biological mother.
At first, Jack refused to believe it, but his other “sister,” Lorraine (actually his aunt), confirmed the story. June had been only 18 and unmarried when Jack was born, so her parents chose to raise him as their own.
Jack never knew his real father, though some speculate it was June’s manager. Despite the deception, Nicholson holds no resentment.
“It was dramatic, but not traumatizing,” he said. “I feel gratitude. Show me any women today who could keep a secret that well—you’ve got my kind of gal.”