Affair Rumors That Swirled Around Jack Nicholson In The '70s

The 1970s were a messy time for celebrities, and Jack Nicholson was no exception. Between his six kids across five different mothers, rumored beefs with other actors, and publicized drug use, it's no surprise that there are so many stories (and tragic details) out there about Nicholson's life. When it comes to his womanizer reputation, however, one might begin to wonder about the award-winning actor's romantic affairs.

Besides his only marriage to date with fellow actress Sandra Knight, Nicholson also had very public relationships with Angelica Huston from 1973 to 1990, and then Rebecca Broussard in the 1990s. It should be noted here that he fathered another child with Broussard while still technically dating Huston, which eventually led the longtime on-and-off-again couple to split for good.

But outside of these very public connections, it was also revealed years later that he had actually had an affair with his "Five Easy Pieces" co-star, Susan Anspach, and they had one son during said affair. According to a 1984 Rolling Stone interview, Nicholson had initially denied fathering a child with Anspach, only for Anspach to correct the record with Vanity Fair in 1994. Though Nicholson said he eventually developed a close relationship with his son Caleb Goddard, his relationship with Anspach remained problematic. Specifically, they got into a legal battle over a house and money she had borrowed from the "The Shining" actor. The legal case was eventually settled out of court.

The list of Jack Nicholson's possible relationships is long, and maybe even exaggerated, but other than beginning his yearslong relationship with Angelica Huston, he is rumored to have also dated (and maybe cheated on Huston with) Michelle Phillips, Joni Mitchell, Margaret Trudeau, and Melanie Griffith.

In her 2014 memoir "Watch Me," Huston detailed many of Nicholson's womanizing antics, including witnessing his flirtations with Mitchell at a concert. She also noted that the evidence would always surface despite his attempts at discretion: "Occasionally, I'd find a piece of female apparel — once a jacket of mine turned up on a girl in the street — or I'd find some hand cream, or a trinket might get left behind in the soap dish" (via New York Post).

It would seem that Nicholson's messy romantic life would only continue over the years. As of this writing, he has yet to marry again, and his late 1990s relationship with Lara Flynn Boyle did not last. Hopefully, for the next lady he dates, he finally manages to remain faithful.