You love Jack on the screen, but would you feel comfortable with him sitting next to you on a bench? Tough call. As America's uncle who would probably buy us booze at age 12, Jack has that unparalleled mix of cool, insanity, and terror.
Here's a little compilation of his greatest hits.
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1. "Beer. It's the best damn drink in the world."
2. "I was particularly proud of my performance as the Joker. I considered it a piece of pop art."
3. "I only take viagra when I am with more than one woman."
4. "There's only two people in your life you should lie to... the police and your girlfriend."
5. "I'm not a raver anymore. All good things must come to an end."
6. "Well, a girlfriend once told me never to fight with anybody you don't love."
7. "My motto is: more good times."
8. "With my sunglasses on, I'm Jack Nicholson. Without them, I'm fat and 60."
9. "I don't think many people have a very good understanding of leisure and the importance it plays in our lives."
10. "I always knew there wasn't going to be anybody to help me and emotionally support me, that whatever I did I'd have to do on my own."
11. "Well, I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I haven't been a rogue most of my life."
12. "What's beautiful is all that counts, pal. That's all that counts."
13. "I can't hit on women in public any more. I didn't decide this; it just doesn't feel right at my age."
14. "I have a lot of vanity."
15. "In this industry, there are only two ways up the ladder. Rung by rung or claw your way to the top. It's sure been tough on my nails."
16. "Down deep in my heart, when all is said and done, I still live under the illusion that basically people think of me as an up-and-coming young actor."
Ethan Wolff-Mann is an editor at Supercompressor. He replaced Nicholson's Joker in Christopher Nolan's seminal The Dark Knight.