Jack Nicholson looks at film negatives at his home, Los Angeles, 1969.

Jack Nicholson in his beloved Volkswagen convertible, Los Angeles, 1969. According to notes by writer Judy Fayard that accompanied Arthur Schatz’s film when it was sent to LIFE’s offices in New York, Nicholson said that “anyone out here who doesn’t drive a Volks is either ostentatious or stupid.”

(Source: TIME)

Jack Nicholson with his daughter Jennifer, 1969

(Source: TIME)

Jack Nicholson at home in 1969, taking his first piano lesson with teacher Josef Pacholczyk, prior to starring in the 1970 film, Five Easy Pieces.

(Source: TIME)

Jack Nicholson at home in Los Angeles, 1969. In an issue of LIFE from March 1970, the magazine noted that Nicholson “is a rock fan who enjoys his music with a headset.”

(Source: TIME)