Born on April 22, 1937, in Neptune, New Jersey, Jack Nicholson grew up under the care of John and Ethel May Nicholson, though John was reportedly absent for the most part. John and Ethel May also had two daughters, Lorraine and June, whom Nicholson believed to be his older sisters while growing up. After June died, Nicholson learned the truth about how she was really his mother — not his sister. Since he was born to an unwed mother in the 1930s, a decision was made between Nicholson’s grandparents and mother to keep the secret and not reveal his true parentage to him.
Nicholson only found out the facts after a reporter researched the actor’s life and uncovered the detail, as he explained to Rolling Stone. “I was making ‘The Fortune,’ and someone called me on the phone — I think it was turned over by the investigative reporting for the Time cover story they did on me,” he said. “Ultimately, I got official verification from Lorraine. I was stunned.”
Nicholson explained how he and June always got on well, and he would even spend summers at her home in Stony Brook, Long Island, that she shared with her husband. However, he doesn’t resent her for keeping the truth from him, since he believes she made a difficult choice. “My only emotion is gratitude, literally, for my life,” Nicholson told Rolling Stone.
