Why Jack Nicholson called Roger Corman his “lifeblood”
After Jack Nicholson appeared in Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider, playing a fairly small but memorable role, he earned his first Academy Award nomination. That was his first taste of success, soon earning three more Oscar nods in the early 1970s before winning ‘Best Actor’ in 1976 for One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.
His role as the protagonist in Miloš Forman’s iconic film is still considered one of his greatest performances, establishing him as one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed stars. Proving himself capable of any genre thrown his way, Nicholson has won Oscars for the comedy-drama Terms of Endearment and the romantic comedy As Good As It Gets. One of his most recognisable characters, however, remains Jack Torrance from The Shining. It didn’t win him any significant awards, but Nicholson proved to be a natural in the horror world.
Nicholson’s understanding of the horror genre actually stems back to the early days of his career—when he was just starting out as an actor. While he was trying to become a star, he worked in an office for MGM, which led him to take acting classes and begin auditioning for parts. He got extremely lucky when he scored the leading role in his first movie, The Cry-Baby Killer, in 1958, which was an exploitation thriller directed by Roger Corman. Nicholson told Film Comment, “I read for it just like every other actor in town. I screamed and yelled—I know I gave the loudest reading, if not the best. And when I got the part I thought: ‘This is it! I’m made for this profession.’ Then I didn’t work for a year.”
Two years later, he landed himself another acting job, starring in a few low-budget B-movies before reuniting with Corman, who cast Nicholson in a string of horror films. The filmmaker is known as one of the exploitation genre’s biggest names, creating some of the most iconic horror and sexploitation flicks of the ‘50s and ‘60s.
He was a pioneer of independent cinema, churning out many influential movies and working with certain actors and filmmakers who would go on to become significant figures in the film world. Alongside Nicholson, actors like Robert De Niro and Peter Fonda also starred in some of Corman’s movies early on in their careers, helping them to gain exposure and allowing them to land more significant roles.
Nicholson appeared in 1960’s The Little Shop of Horrors, which marked his second collaboration with Corman. They joined forces once again for The Raven, a horror comedy inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, and then The Terror, which also starred Boris Karloff. He had a small role in The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre before stepping behind the camera for The Trip, writing the screenplay for Corman to direct.
Nicholson once expressed his appreciation for Corman in an interview, essentially owing his career to him. The actor praised him for supporting actors and filmmakers, explaining, “He was my main connect, my lifeblood to whatever I thought I was going to be as a person.” The actor even teared up thinking about Corman, who truly shaped the landscape of modern Hollywood. “I hope he knows that this is not all hot air… I’m going to cry now. [It’s] not just me who’s very sentimental, but these other people also love him.”
