It has been with Smile 2 that Ray Nicholson (32) has started to shine, moving away from the long shadow of his father, Jack Nicholson (87), who has been away from the public eye for several years due to an illness. The last images together date back to 2020 when they attended a Lakers game and to 2014 when they went to a dinner at the Apollo in the Hamptons.
He is the fifth of the six children that the Hollywood star has had with five women. In this case, the actor's mother is former model and actress Rebecca Broussard (61), who also gave birth to a daughter, Lorraine (34). The physical resemblance between father and son is astonishing, especially when Ray flashes a somewhat disturbing smile. Many compare it to that of The Shining. His mother joked that he was very attractive as a child until he suddenly started to resemble his father.
Born in Los Angeles, he attended elementary school at Brentwood School, where he excelled in football as an extracurricular activity, and later went to Manasquan High School. However, he decided not to enroll in college because he was determined to be an actor.
As a teenager, he made a cameo in The Benchwarmers (2006) where another Hollywood nepobaby, Patrick Schwarzenegger (31), also worked. He would later land more significant roles in Licorice Pizza (2021), Panic (2021), and Coming Home in the Dark (2022) where he was paired with Diane Kruger (48). Regarding his father, Ray states, "I love him, he is my inspiration," and adds that it is normal for the media to start making comparisons between them, but "we are very different people, I was born in 1992, he was born in 1937. The things that affect me do not necessarily affect him," he told Deadline.
Ray has not spoken much about his childhood. It is known that he spent time at his father's mansion in Beverly Hills "where we had dinner together every night," and whenever the three-time Oscar winner had free time, father and son would go see the Los Angeles Lakers. Seeing them on the court applauding is part of the legend of this historic team, also supported by Dyan Cannon (87), Denzel Washington (69), and Snoop Dogg (53), among others.
Since he can remember, Ray began to take an interest in his father's profession and on more than one occasion, he accompanied him to film sets. In another interview, he stated, "My father and I don't talk much about acting, I think that would probably make me cling too much to what he says. I think it's important to follow my own path."
Both he and his sister Tessa, the star of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), were read bedtime stories, taken to see opera and ballet, and helped with schoolwork. On one occasion, Jack took them to the set of The Departed, specifically when his death scene was being filmed, and thought, "If I can get these two kids to really care, I'm doing my job" (laughs).
Ray, with his current girlfriend, model Sara Sampaio.GTRES
Since July 2023, he has been in a stable relationship with top model Sara Sampaio (33), one of the stars of the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show. It is easy to see the couple strolling the streets of Hollywood, and they recently took a trip to Portugal to visit the model's family and friends.
Ray's other siblings are Jennifer (61), Caleb (54), Honey (43), Lorraine (34), and Tessa (30).