Top Women Jack Nicholson Has Dated

Jack Nicholson’s private life has been as headline-grabbing as his film career. Across several decades he formed long relationships, brief romances, and a few complicated chapters that intertwined with some of the most recognizable names in entertainment. While he married only once, he’s connected to a constellation of partners whose careers span acting, modeling, and music, and several relationships led to children who have gone on to build creative lives of their own.

Below is a look at the most notable women Nicholson has dated. You’ll find when they were together, how they met, projects or milestones that overlapped with their time as a couple, and where applicable the family ties that came from those relationships. Dates reflect the best-documented timelines available, and the focus here is on concrete details rather than guesswork.

Anjelica Huston

Nicholson and Anjelica Huston began an on-and-off relationship in the early 1970s that lasted until 1990. They met in Los Angeles and spent much of the 1970s and 1980s together while both were working extensively in film. During their years as a couple they appeared in multiple projects in the same era, including the period when Huston won an Academy Award for her performance in ‘Prizzi’s Honor’ and Nicholson was starring in films like ‘Terms of Endearment’ and ‘The Witches of Eastwick’.

Their relationship ended in 1990 when it became public that Nicholson was expecting a child with another partner. Despite the breakup, Huston has spoken at various times about their enduring connection, and the two have remained in occasional contact over the years. Their long romance is often cited among Hollywood’s most storied pairings from that period.

Lara Flynn Boyle

Nicholson’s relationship with actress Lara Flynn Boyle started in the late 1990s. They were together on and off for several years, with a first split around 2000 and a reconciliation that lasted until the mid-2000s. Their romance unfolded while Boyle was known for roles in projects such as ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘The Practice’, and while Nicholson continued a late-career run that included ‘As Good as It Gets’ and ‘About Schmidt’.

The couple eventually parted ways for good after several years of tabloid attention. In later interviews Boyle has acknowledged they remain friendly and that Nicholson was an important figure in her life during that time, offering a rare bit of clarity about a relationship often treated as pure celebrity gossip.

Sandra Knight

Nicholson married actress Sandra Knight in 1962 after meeting while working on early projects, including ‘The Terror’. The marriage lasted until 1968, with a separation beginning in 1966. During their time together they welcomed a daughter, Jennifer, born in 1963. This was Nicholson’s only marriage, predating his mainstream breakthrough at the end of the decade.

After the divorce, both pursued their own paths, with Knight stepping back from acting and Nicholson transitioning into the period that would define his career. Their daughter Jennifer later worked in fashion and design and has made occasional public appearances connected to film events and family milestones.

Susan Anspach

Nicholson and actress Susan Anspach were romantically involved around the time they worked on ‘Five Easy Pieces’. Anspach gave birth to son Caleb in 1970 and said Nicholson was the father. Over the years, reporting has noted that Nicholson did not publicly confirm paternity for some time, while accounts from the family have described private acknowledgment and a later improvement in relations.

Caleb, who has worked in the industry, has largely maintained a low public profile. The Anspach connection is one of the more discussed chapters in Nicholson’s personal history because it intersected with a pivotal period in his career as he moved from character actor to leading man.

Michelle Phillips

Nicholson dated singer and actress Michelle Phillips in the early 1970s. Phillips, known for her role in the music group The Mamas & the Papas and her later acting career, moved in the same Los Angeles circles as Nicholson at a time when both were constant presences on the West Coast arts scene.

Their relationship was relatively brief but well documented by the media of the era. It unfolded as Nicholson’s film profile was expanding quickly and as Phillips transitioned from music into acting, reflecting a moment when Los Angeles culture and entertainment were closely intertwined across film and music.

Jill St. John

Nicholson and Jill St. John were linked in the mid-to-late 1970s. St. John, widely known for her work in film and television including ‘Diamonds Are Forever’, was part of the same social set that frequently overlapped with Nicholson’s circle of colleagues and friends.

Reports from the time placed them together at industry events and around Hollywood. While the relationship was not long term, it remains one of the better-known connections from Nicholson’s 1970s dating history, a decade when his public and private lives were both under intense scrutiny.

Paz de la Huerta

Nicholson was linked to actress Paz de la Huerta in the mid-2000s. They were photographed together at events during the period when he appeared in ‘The Departed’ and de la Huerta was building her résumé with film and television roles that would lead to higher-profile work.

Coverage at the time characterized their connection as brief. The sightings and event photos placed them in the same social spaces in New York and Los Angeles, adding a short but well-publicized chapter to Nicholson’s later-career dating timeline.

Kate Moss

Nicholson and model Kate Moss were rumored to have a brief fling in the mid-2000s. The speculation arose from their being seen together at high-profile industry gatherings in New York, including fashion-week events and parties attended by actors, musicians, and models.

While neither treated the matter as a formal relationship, the reports were widely circulated due to their prominence in their respective fields. The episode remains part of Moss’s long-tracked dating timeline and of Nicholson’s post-2000 social life.

Cynthia Basinet

Nicholson dated singer and actress Cynthia Basinet in the late 1990s. Basinet has discussed their relationship in later profiles and interviews that also chronicled her music releases, including her well-known recording of “Santa Baby”.

Their time together coincided with Nicholson’s continued run of major studio films and Basinet’s efforts to build a cross-disciplinary career in entertainment. After they split, Basinet remained active in music and advocacy while occasionally addressing questions about her connection to Nicholson.

Share your thoughts below on which chapter of Nicholson’s dating history you remember most vividly and why.