After rising to fame with the film ‘Easy Rider’, Jack Nicholson appeared in the film industry to become one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood. An intense artistic career that led him to receive three Oscars for best actor, best supporting actor and best leading actor with the feature films ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, ‘The Force of Affection’ and ‘Better… Impossible’, respectively.
His great fame led him to build a fortune of approximately 400 million dollarspart of which has been invested in real estate, a diverse art collection and, surprisingly, in the conservation of a protected habitat in Coldwater Canyon, Los Angeles. A facet that until a few years ago was unknown, but that made it possible to avoid the construction of luxury homes in one of the state’s native forests and preserve both its fauna and flora.
Made the donation anonymously
To understand this fact, we must go back to 1994, when An anonymous donor decided to give up 24 hectares of land located near Franklin Canyon to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. An area for which the city council had already issued its approval for the construction of four lots of luxury homes in one of the most sought-after areas of the city of Los Angeles.
Despite the economic benefits that these properties would have given him, the anonymous donor decided to donate the land to an organization dedicated to the protection of nature in Southern California, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. The reason: on that land there was an oak forest where different animals lived such as deer, coyotes and different species of native birds. Something similar to what actor Clint Eastwood did a year later.
Due to this reason, the organization had already managed to acquire part of the plots that were in the area, with the intention of create a natural and protected habitat. The actor considered that he should use it for this purpose, but he did not want to receive recognition for it, so he decided to make an anonymous donation, as was published at that time in the American media “Los Angeles Times.”
The land has been converted into a protected natural habitat
The truth came to light years later, when some of those in charge of purchasing the land and a report from the Longridge-Alomar Neighborhood Committee, published in “The Times”, revealed the identity of the donor: the well-known actor Jack Nicholson, who at that time was already the winner of several Oscar awards. Once it was known, the land became registered as a donation from the artist.
More than two decades later, the land is still protected land, forming a natural habitat in which species such as mule deer, lynx, coyotes and native birds coexist. Regarding flora, the area is characterized by the presence of oaks and bushes. All of this surrounding the famous Mulholland Drive in the Santa Monica Mountains.
For his part, Jack Nicholson has become one of the most recognized actors in Hollywood thanks to such iconic roles as Jack Torrance in ‘The Shining’ or Joker in ‘The Dark Knight’. However, he decided to retire from the world of acting in 2010, surrounded by rumors about a possible illness. Currently, at 89 years old, he enjoys the company of his children and family.