This unauthorized biography examines the life of superstar, sex symbol and hellraiser Jack Nicholson - the leading role in such movies as "The Shining", "Terms of Endearment", "The Witches of Eastwick" and "Batman". Behind the "shadowy" image is an even more intriguing private life. Jack Nicholson discovered Hollywood at the age of 18, working as an office boy at MGM Studios, and three years later starred in his first film, "The Cry Baby Killer". Stardom did not come easy, however, and by the age of 32 he was becoming disillusioned and considered giving up acting for writing and directing - only to drift to stardom accidently with "Easy Rider". Then, at the age of 37, he discovered that the woman he had thought of as his elder sister was in fact his mother and he had been born illegitimately - a revelation that had a marked effect on his life and career. This is the story of a seemingly happy-go-lucky actor who often thrashes about in existential gloom, a man who has a strong affinity with women, but finds the perfect relationship hard to come by. It is also the story of the making of his films, of his stormy relationships and of his strange encounters with the likes of James Dean and Marlon Brando.
