Jack Nicholson was acting in low-budget films for years before his breakthrough in Easy Rider (1969), directed by Dennis Hopper. This photograph was taken January 26, 1970 for a “People Are Talking About …” feature of Vogue. Nicholson is described as “handsome, with unsettling light-brown eyes and the grin of a juvenile lead.” His “hands are quick-signaling devices, interpreting everything he says”, and although he is “serious about his work” he is often “wry or flip about himself.” Nothing was the same after the just released Easy Rider, “I’ll never have better reviews, he says”, yet he went on to become one of Hollywood’s most enduring stars, with twelve Academy Award nominations and four wins.