Calling Jack Nicholson prolific would be an understatement, given how often he appeared in movies between the early 1960s and 2010, when the actor announced his retirement. In that time, he won three Academy Awards and had pivotal roles in some of the most acclaimed films of all time – from various genres – including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Shining, The Departed, and Chinatown.

Dozens of movies mean that not everything Nicholson’s appeared in is going to be well-known, because it’s hard to keep up when an actor averages one or two movies a year over the course of approximately 50 years. What follows is an attempt to highlight some of the more obscure movies he’s appeared in that are nevertheless worth checking out, alongside a couple that were a little more widely known, but feel underrated in the sense that some viewers misinterpreted them.

10 'Carnal Knowledge' (1971)

Director: Mike Nichols

Carnal Knowledge is an intentionally uncomfortable film, and one that would’ve been a shock to the system for many back in the early 1970s, considering some of the things it deals with still feel heavy today. It’s about two quite unlikable male friends as they navigate their respective relationships in flawed and sometimes hard-to-watch ways, with the film exploring what might nowadays be called toxic masculinity.

It's not a film that’s fun to watch, and it’s definitely not one that presents main characters who are likable, with Jack Nicholson impressing alongside Art Garfunkel as the two men at the center of the story. Carnal Knowledge is also one of the more under-appreciated movies directed by Mike Nichols, a director who collaborated with Nicholson a handful of times throughout his filmmaking career.

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9 'The Two Jakes' (1990)

Director: Jack Nicholson

As far as iconic movies from the 1970s go, few are held in as high regard as Chinatown. Released in 1974, it’s perhaps the pinnacle of the neo-noir genre, retaining various film noir characteristics and blending them seamlessly with the more hard-edge filmmaking found throughout the 1970s, predominantly as part of the New Hollywood movement. Film noir movies were already dark, but Chinatown just pushed the darkness, violence, and cynicism further than many had gone before.

Then, 16 years later, Chinatown got a somewhat surprising sequel called The Two Jakes, notable for being one of three feature films Jack Nicholson directed. He reprises his role as Jake Gittes here, too, a detective undertaking a new case while also being haunted by the events of the original movie. It’s not nearly as good as Chinatown, but it’s not awful, either, and is technically sound throughout, with Nicholson perhaps doing better work here as a director than an actor (he looks a little like he’s on autopilot when it comes to acting, at least by his standards).

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8 'Wolf' (1994)

Director: Mike Nichols

Jack Nicholson was of course in The Shining, which is one of the most iconic horror movies of all time, but it’s otherwise not a genre seen too often when exploring his most noteworthy film roles. Similarly, Mike Nichols tended to stay away from the genre, which makes Wolf interesting, because it was one of the few horror movies Nicholson appeared in and the only true horror film Nichols ever made.

It takes a werewolf narrative most horror fans are likely familiar with and pushes things a little further when it comes to violence and adult content, at least compared to the horror movies of old. Nicholson commits, and there are solid supporting performances from the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, and Christopher Plummer, too. Wolf is messy and doesn’t always work, but parts are engaging, and it’s certainly a worthwhile curiosity worth checking out for anyone who thinks it sounds intriguing.

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7 'Mars Attacks!' (1996)

Director: Tim Burton

Anyone expecting something that even comes close to feeling genuine might well have found themselves disappointed by Mars Attacks. It’s a throwback to the low-budget sci-fi B-movies of the 1950s, while also functioning as a parody of that style of filmmaking, complete with intentionally clunky special effects, a ridiculous story, and fairly one-dimensional characters who, in a subversive twist, are actually generally played by A-list stars.

There’s a contrast created by seeing well-regarded actors take part in the sort of B-movie that well-known actors tended to stay away from in the 1950s, and when judged as a parody, Mars Attacks can be pretty funny and entertaining. It’s well-known, but underrated in the sense that not everyone seems in on the joke. Hopefully, the idea of Jack Nicholson hamming it up as two characters – one of them being the President of the United States – will be enough to convince anyone on the fence to check Mars Attacks out.

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6 'Heartburn' (1986)

Director: Mike Nichols

One final Jack Nicholson + Mike Nichols collaboration worth mentioning, Heartburn sees the pair working with Meryl Streep, an actress who herself appeared in numerous movies directed by Nichols. Nicholson and Streep play two people who meet at a wedding, fall for each other, and then get married themselves, only to begin realizing they may have rushed into things too abruptly.

Heartburn is a little comedic early on, but goes on to feel more focused on drama as it gets heavier and more honest about things like love dying a slow death, infidelity, and absent parenting. No one should go in expecting a standard and breezy romantic comedy, but as a romantic dramedy, it works fairly well. There are some clichéd moments here and there, and it’s not perfectly written/assembled, but parts ring true, and the leads are both reliably great, as the two tend to be.

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5 'The King of Marvin Gardens' (1972)

Director: Bob Rafelson