Jack Nicholson's Grandson Duke Looks Like His Clone

Oct 17, 2020

As one of the most iconic actors of the past several decades, nearly everyone has heard of Jack Nicholson. After all, how could we forget Nicholson’s iconic portrayal of Jack Torrance in The Shining or Randle Patrick McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest? But given that the 83-year-old legend’s last role was a decade ago (How Do You Know, 2010), it’s safe to say that much of Nicholson’s career is behind him. Luckily for us, we have Duke Nicholson, Jack’s 21-year-old look-alike grandson.

Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of Duke. With his first role as a spooky carny in Jordan Peele’s well-reviewed 2019 horror film Us, the 21-year-old has just kicked off his acting career. Duke is also slated to star alongside Armie Hammer and Gary Oldman in Nicholas Jarecki’s upcoming thriller Dreamland. And, well, if you watch a scene or two from either of these movies, you’ll see why we just can’t help but make a comparison between Duke and his grandfather Jack.

Not only does Duke share his grandfather’s good looks, but he also has a bit of that mysterious — if not eerie — charm that Nicholson brought to so many of his roles. The striking resemblance probably has something to do with Duke’s upturned eyebrows and shaggy jet-black hair. Of course, there’s also the obvious similarity that Nicholson is following in his 83-year-old grandfather’s footsteps as a Hollywood actor.

For his first interview ever, The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Duke back in 2019 to talk about his grandfather, his new acting career, and how he got to be on the cover of Lana Del Rey’s most recent album.

When asked why he wanted to be an actor, Duke replied, “It wasn't a big moment, like, 'I want to be an actor,' " he told The Hollywood Reporter. "It was just a gradual thing."

Somewhat surprisingly, Duke also said that he and his grandfather don’t really talk about acting much — instead, the two bond over watching sports. But perhaps Duke’s reticence and “normal” relationship with his ultra-famous grandfather speak to the 21-year-old’s desire to carve his own path. Like, for example, his spontaneous decision to go out on a boat with Lana Del Rey for a photoshoot. 

"Lana is a friend of mine and she called me and said, 'Hey, we're doing the album cover tomorrow. You want to be on it?' " And as The Hollywood Reporter explains it, Duke didn’t really think. He just said yes — and now he’s on the cover of an album that’s sold the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of copies.

"I just went with it," he told the publication. "I don't try to analyze things too much."

While Duke certainly conjures up a sense of Jack Nicholson’s mystery and has been in a major motion picture, only time will tell if Duke continues to follow in his grandfather’s legendary footsteps or whether he’ll set his own course for greatness. 

What do you think about Jack Nicholson and Duke Nicholson's resemblance? And what path do you think Duke will take in life? Let us know, and be sure to pass this story on to fellow movie buffs and Nicholson fans.