50 Reasons Why Jack Nicholson Could Be The Greatest Living Actor

6. Robert Eroica Dupea in Five Easy Pieces (1970)

Jack plays an angry, brilliantly articulate construction worker in Bob Rafelson's superb drama film Five Easy Pieces. The best bit: Jack telling a difficult waitress to hold a chicken between her knees after trying to order a supplementary meal in this classic diner scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wtfNE4z6a8 €”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€“

7. Most Quotable Character Parts

Whether it's the aforementioned chicken salad sandwich scene from Five Easy Pieces, reciting the 'Fuck like a Chinaman' joke in Chinatown or the simple, sharp, hard-hitting one-liners like "Heeeere's Johnny!" (The Shining), "If you gotta go, go with a smile!" (Batman) or "You Can't Handle The Truth!" (A Few Good Men) there's no denying Jack's characters have provided some of the most quotable cinematic prose. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7JB68sLGY8 €”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€“

8. Has Worked With Some of the Best Directors

The impressive line-up, amongst others includes, Roman Polanski, Rob Rafelson, Arthur Penn, Monte Hellman, Hal Ashby, Tony Richardson, Michelangelo Antonioni, Milos Forman, Stanley Kubrick, Elia Kazan, Ken Russell, James L Brooks, Warren Beatty, John Huston, Rob Reiner, George Miller, Sean Penn, Tim Burton, Alexander Payne and Martin Scorsese. €”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€“

9. Took Part in One of Cinema's Most Notorious Sex Scenes

Nicholson's kitchen table romp with Jessica Lange in Bob Raelson's remake of the 1946 classic The Postman Always Rings Twice was so notorious at the time that it sparked debate as to whether the sex was real. €”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€”€“

10. Stood His Own Ground Opposite John Huston

Nicholson's final tete a tete with John Huston in Chinatown is a masterstroke; the actor more than holds his own against the legendary filmmaker; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYMWkRrC7UY
Contributor

Oliver Pfeiffer is a freelance writer who trained at the British Film Institute. He joined OWF in 2007 and now contributes as a Features Writer. Since becoming Obsessed with Film he has interviewed such diverse talents as actors Keanu Reeves, Tobin Bell, Dave Prowse and Naomie Harris, new Hammer Studios Head Simon Oakes and Hollywood filmmakers James Mangold, Scott Derrickson and Uk director Justin Chadwick. Previously he contributed to dimsum.co.uk and has had other articles published in Empire, Hecklerspray, Se7en Magazine, Pop Matters, The Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle and more recently SciFiNow Magazine and The Guardian. He loves anything directed by Cronenberg, Lynch, Weir, Haneke, Herzog, Kubrick and Hitchcock and always has time for Hammer horror films, Ealing comedies and those twisted Giallo movies. His blog is: http://sites.google.com/site/oliverpfeiffer102/