To these six people, Hollywood icon is known simply as ‘Dad’

Jack Nicholson, 87, is considered one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, having leant his talents to classics like The Shining and the 1989 Batman and earned numerous accolades throughout five decades in Hollywood.

But to six people, he is simply known as Dad.

One of those people is actress Lorraine Nicholson, best known for starring in the 2011 film Soul Surfer, who saod in a recent essay for Vanity Fair that while her dad may have been a lively presence on screen he was very different at home.

“We lived among an almost mausoleum-level quiet. By his own admission, my dad had a hard time connecting to us as children – though he loved beautiful women, he had no interest in playing with dolls,” she wrote about her childhood.

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It was Nicholson’s on-and-off partner Lara Flynn Boyle who Lorraine says helped her father connect with her and her siblings.

“For my father, Lara acted as a bridge between him and his children,” she wrote.

“Since his relationship with my mum,” she later added, “I had never seen my father with another woman. Like in the Mary Poppins films, I understand why it was Lara who sent the other applicants blowing ass-over-heels down the street.”

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Lorraine met Boyle when she was nine years old, approximately five years after Nicholson separated from her mother Rebecca Broussard.

Nicholson shares two children, Lorraine and son Ray Nicholson, with Broussard.

While Nicholson didn’t have any children with Boyle, he has four other children from four separate relationships. Read on to learn more about each of Nicholson’s children.

Jennifer Nicholson

Nicholson welcomed his first child, now 61, with his first and only wife, actress Sandra Knight. The pair met while filming The Terror and were married soon after in 1962. They welcomed their daughter Jennifer Nicholson in 1963. Nicholson and Knight split in 1968.

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According to the LA Times, Nicholson grew up mostly in Hawaii with her mother.

She went on to pursue a career as a movie set designer and interior designer. She also started her own fashion brand, opened a vintage boutique and tried her hand at acting with some small roles including one in the 2017 film Johnny Christ. 

Jennifer has said that she is “proud” of her dad but says being the megastar’s child hasn’t always been easy.

“I like being Jack Nicholson’s daughter and I’m proud of him, but people don’t understand the pressures that come along with that,” she told the LA Times in 2003.

Caleb Goddard

Actress Susan Anspach fell pregnant with her son, Caleb Goddard, now 54, in 1970 claiming that Nicholson, her Five Easy Pieces co star was the father.

Anspach went on to marry actor Mark Goddard while she was still pregnant who later adopted Caleb. The pair split in 1978 and Anspach died in 2018, aged 75.

Nicholson reportedly publicly denied his paternity, but Caleb told People in 1995 that Jack had recognised him as his son in private.

Honey Hollman

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Nicholson welcomed his third child Honey Hollman, now 44, with model Winnie Hollman in 1981. She was raised by her mother in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Honey initially followed in her parents footsteps, starring in two Danish films Empire North and Go’ aften Danmark.

She is now reportedly married to Peter Duffy, an Irish pub owner, and lives in Ireland with him and their three children.

Lorraine Nicholson

Lorraine is one of Nicholson’s better known children having pursued a career in Hollywood. She is the eldest child from Nicholson’s relationship with Broussard.

Lorraine starred in her dad’s 2003 hit Something’s Gotta Give, the 2011 film Soul Surfer and has made her directorial debut in 2017 with her short film Life Boat.

Recently Lorraine shared a rare photo with Nicholson in an Instagram post celebrating the holiday season.

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Ray Nicholson

Ray Nicholson, now 32, is Nicholson and Broussard’s second child. He was born in 1992.

Over the years, Ray and Nicholson have been spotted courtside at basketball games for the Los Angeles Lakers.

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The 32-year-old, like his parents and sister, has pursued a career as an actor. He is best known for his roles in The Benchwarmers, Licorice Pizza, Promising Young Woman and Something From Tiffany’s.

He also starred in the recently released Smile 2 for which he attended the premiere. During that premiere he sang praises about his dad.

“I love him. He’s also my hero. I’m the luckiest kid in the world,” he told Deadline.

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Tessa Gourin

Actress Tessa Gourin, 31, is Nicholson’s youngest daughter, although he has never publicly claimed paternity. Her mother is Jennine Gourin.

In 2023, Tessa spoke about her experience as Nicholson’s “illegitimate” daughter in a piece she penned for Newsweek.

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“I don’t hide the fact that Jack Nicholson is my biological father. Why should I?” she wrote.

“However, it is also not something I’ve ever led with in a conversation. So many people have been forced to live with the pain of a parent’s absence, famous or not.

“But it makes it that much harder when that absent parent is actively in the lives of their other children, which is the case for me.”