Lorraine Nicholson
Birth nameLorraine Broussard Nicholson
Birth dateApril 16, 1990 (age 36)
Birth placeLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materBrown University
OccupationActress
Years active2003–present
FatherJack Nicholson
RelativesRay Nicholson (brother)
MotherRebecca Broussard

Lorraine Broussard Nicholson (born April 16, 1990) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Alana Blanchard in the biographical film Soul Surfer (2011).

Early life

Nicholson was born in Los Angeles to actors Jack Nicholson and Rebecca Broussard. She was named after her father's aunt. She has a younger brother, Raymond, as well as two older half-siblings (a half-sister, Jennifer Nicholson and a half-brother, Caleb Goddard) and a younger half-sister Tessa. She was four years old when her parents separated.[1] She was childhood friends with Hugh Hefner's children.[2]

Nicholson served as Miss Golden Globe at the 2007 Golden Globe Awards ceremony.[3]

In 2008, she graduated from Brentwood School in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.[4]

In 2012, she graduated from Brown University.[5]

Career

Nicholson's first on-screen appearance was as an extra, at the age of 13, in her father's movie Something's Gotta Give. In 2008, she provided the voice of Katie in the animated film Fly Me to the Moon.[3]

After mostly minor roles as a child actor, Nicholson landed her first major role in Soul Surfer, playing Bethany Hamilton's best friend Alana Blanchard, who was there to help her after a shark attack took her left arm.[6] As Blanchard was a competitive surfer, Nicholson had to take a crash course in wave riding.[7]

In a 2011 interview, Nicholson stated, "I love to act and I also hope to one day write and direct and create my own projects. I feel that in the film industry, especially as a woman, it's really important to make your own luck – and create projects to give other people really strong opportunities as well as yourself."[8]

Nicholson starred in Anonymous (2016), playing an expert hacker.[9]

Nicholson wrote, produced, and directed a 15-minute coming-of-age drama titled The Instant Message.[10] She later directed and wrote a short film titled This Magic Moment. In 2017, Nicholson released her third short film, Life Boat, which premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.[11] That same year, she was accepted into the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, a mentorship and education program geared towards female filmmaking.[12] She has directed music videos for K. Flay and Metric.[13][14]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2003Something's Gotta GiveYoung Girl in Market
2004The Princess Diaries 2: Royal EngagementPrincess Lorraine
2006ClickSamantha Newman (at 16 years old)
2008Fly Me to the MoonKatieVoice role
2009World's Greatest DadHeather
2011Soul SurferAlana Blanchard
2012The CottageVanessa
2014The Pimp and the RoseShort film
2015HackerKira Whittal
2015Endings, Inc.Nikki WheatonShort film
2016Room 105Sam

References

  1. ^ Collins, Nancy (2 April 1994). "Wolf, Man, Jack". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  2. ^ Hennemuth, Britt (October 18, 2023). "Lorraine Nicholson on Hollywood Eccentrics and "Female Scumbags"". Vanity Fair
  3. ^ Berk, Bethany Hamilton with Sheryl & Bundschuh, Rick (2004). Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. Trade pbk. ed. New York: MTV Pocket. ISBN 978-1416503460.
  4. ^ "Lorraine Nicholson Bio". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24.
  5. ^ "Lorraine Nicholson Talks Her Life in Parties". W. March 27, 2026.
  6. ^ Carter, Nicole (3 February 2010). "Jack Nicholson's daughter, Lorraine, set to make splash in Bethany Hamilton biopic 'Soul Surfer'". New York Daily News
  7. ^ Aftab, Kaleem (15 July 2010). "Lorraine Nicholson". Interview
  8. ^ Deena, Bustillo (March 31, 2011). "Exclusive Interview: 'Soul Surfer' Star Lorraine Nicholson". Zimbo. Archived February 5, 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ^ Jessica Kiang (30 November 2016). "Film Review: 'Anonymous'". Variety. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  10. ^ Beth Anne, Heesen. "2 Nicholson kids and city-born actress shoot local film". Reading Eagle Company.
  11. ^ Saito, Stephen (April 21, 2017). "Tribeca '17 Interview: Lorraine Nicholson on Letting People in With the Buoyant "Life Boat"". The Moveable Fest. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  12. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (February 7, 2017). "Paul Feig To Mentor AFI Directing Workshop For Women As Participants Set". Deadline. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  13. ^ Legaspi, Althea (September 21, 2018). "Watch Metric Explore Bleak Late-Night Club Scenes in 'Now or Never Now' Video". Rolling Stone
  14. ^ Acevedo, Angelica (March 19, 2019). "K.Flay Breaks Out of Prison in New Music Video for 'Bad Vibes': Watch". Billboard