Actor Jack Nicholson speaks out against abortion

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)

9/5/2013 (3 years ago)

Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Crediting moral character of mother, grandmother, Nicholson says he would never 'have gotten to live'

Movie actor par excellence Jack Nicholson has always maintained a rebel image, and outsider unafraid to speak his mind. He certainly goes against the grain of leftist-leaning Hollywood when it comes to the matter of abortion. Staunchly pro-life, he said in a 1984 interview, "I'm positively against it. I don't have the right to any other view."

Actor Jack Nicholson was raised Catholic, the religion of his mother, and grew up in Neptune City, New Jersey.

Highlights

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)

Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

9/5/2013 (3 years ago)

Published in Celebrity

Keywords: Jack Nicholson, actor, abortion, films

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Nicholson credited the moral character of his mother and grandmother that he himself escaped being aborted.

Born on April 22, 1937, his mother was all of 17 years old. Named June Frances Nicholson, she was a showgirl dancer. Nicholson in turn was raised by his maternal grandparents, John Nicholson and Ethel May. He only learned in 1974 after his birth mother was dying of cancer that he found out who she was, raised to believe that she was in fact his sister.

Nicholson described his mother and the life she had lived and also talked about abortion, saying, "I'm very contra my constituency in terms of abortion because I'm positively against it. I don't have the right to any other view.

"My only emotion is gratitude, literally, for my life," said Nicholson. "[If June and Ethel had been] of less character, I never would have gotten to live. These women gave me the gift of life.

"It's a feminist narrative in the very pure form," Nicholson said. "They trained me great, those ladies. I still, to this day, have never borrowed a nickel from anybody and never felt like I couldn't take care of myself. They made the imperative of my self-sufficiency obvious."

Nicholson never learned who his father was because the only people who really knew were his mother and his grandmother. "[T]hey never told anybody," said Nicholson.

Describing his mother in the interview, Nicholson said, "June and I had so much in common. We both fight hard. It didn't do her any good not to tell me, but she didn't because you never know how I would've reacted when I was younger. I got a job in Mexico when June was dying. First time with a studio, a lot of weeks. Sandra [Jack's wife 1962-68] was pregnant with Jennifer [Jack's daughter], and June was in a terminal state. She looked me right in the eye and said, 'Shall I wait?' In other words, 'Shall I try and fight this through?' And I said no."

Nicholson was raised Catholic, the religion of his mother, and grew up in Neptune City, New Jersey. He has won three Academy Awards, including best actor for his role in the 1975 film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," and the 1997 film "As Good as It Gets."

Now 76 years old, Nicholson has retired from acting due to "memory issues."

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