Jack Nicholson is a name everyone knows and, whether you like him or not, he's an actor who will go down in history as someone with an uncanny ability to portray characters we love to hate.
With a career that spans decades, Nicholson has played in several iconic films, such as The Shining (1980), Batman (1989) and Anger Management (2003). Yes, Nicholson definitely has a knack for being the bad guy.
That doesn't mean we should discount his ability to make us laugh, though. If anything, he's just as funny as he is despicable when on screen - and his many awards, which include three Oscars, give testimony to this man's innate ability to bring his characters to life in such a rich and real way.
You might not know, however, that Nicholson lost as many roles as he won. While he was a shoe-in for Jack Torrence in The Shining and did a fabulous job acting insane, he was also rejected for the now-iconic role of Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, losing out to Anthony Hopkins.
Hopkins, as it turned out, also went on to have his own incredible career. He also went on to reprise his role in the sequel to Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, in 2001.
Both men have had incredible careers, and regardless of whether or not Nicholson is still acting, his fans will never forget his most iconic roles. And those he was rejected for, whether the decision was correct or not, will always be different than they could have been without Nicholson at the helm.