# What are the best Jack Nicholson performances of all time?

> From manic horror to tender comedy, Nicholson’s filmography spans Hollywood’s most memorable roles across six decades. Which one is his masterpiece?

*By YPB Team · Published April 11, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-are-the-best-jack-nicholson-performances-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **The Shining**
   A 1980 Stanley Kubrick horror film in which Nicholson plays a writer descending into madness at a remote hotel.
2. **One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest**
   A 1975 drama set in a psychiatric ward where Nicholson plays rebellious patient R.P. McMurphy.
3. **Chinatown**
   A 1974 neo-noir mystery in which Nicholson plays private detective Jake Gittes unraveling a dark conspiracy.
4. **As Good as It Gets**
   A 1997 romantic comedy where Nicholson plays an obsessive-compulsive misanthrope who slowly opens his heart.
5. **Batman**
   A 1989 Tim Burton superhero film in which Nicholson plays the flamboyant and murderous Joker.
6. **A Few Good Men**
   A 1992 legal thriller in which Nicholson plays the commanding and menacing Colonel Nathan Jessup.
7. **The Departed**
   A 2006 Martin Scorsese crime thriller in which Nicholson plays powerful Boston mob boss Frank Costello.
8. **Five Easy Pieces**
   A 1970 drama in which Nicholson plays a talented pianist who has rejected his privileged upbringing.
9. **Terms of Endearment**
   A 1983 family drama in which Nicholson plays eccentric former astronaut Garrett Breedlove, winning him an Oscar.
10. **Easy Rider**
   A 1969 counterculture road film in which Nicholson has a breakout role as alcoholic lawyer George Hanson.
11. **About Schmidt**
   A 2002 Alexander Payne drama in which Nicholson plays a recently retired widower questioning his life’s meaning.
12. **The Witches of Eastwick**
   A 1987 fantasy comedy in which Nicholson plays the devilish Daryl Van Horne opposite three witches.
13. **Reds**
   A 1981 epic historical drama in which Nicholson plays playwright Eugene O’Neill alongside Warren Beatty.
14. **Something’s Gotta Give**
   A 2003 romantic comedy in which Nicholson plays a commitment-phobic bachelor who falls for an older woman.

Tags: movies, actors, performances, jack nicholson