The iconic Stephen King universe character of Jack Torrance has now been played by four different actors in four different film and TV projects. Jack Torrance made his first, and most impactful appearance in King’s 1977 classic novel The Shining, ending up as the primary antagonist after falling prey to the influence of the Overlook Hotel’s malevolent ghosts. He then played a smaller, but important role in King’s 2013 Shining sequel novel Doctor Sleep, which centers on his now adult son Danny Torrance.
The Shining was of course famously adapted into a film by legendary director Stanley Kubrick in 1980. The movie eventually became regarded as one of the greatest horror films in history, although King himself has never been very kind to it. He went on to re-adapt The Shining as a 3-part TV miniseries for ABC in 1997, although most would say it pales in comparison to the Kubrick film. Doctor Sleep was recently adapted into a movie in fall 2019, earning positive reviews but terrible box office.
With the 2020 Super Bowl providing an unexpected flashback to Jack Torrance’s greatest moment, here’s a quick rundown of the actors to play the corrupted character in all his forms. All four of these actors kindly insist that anyone reading this take their medicine as scheduled.
Every Actor Who’s Played Jack Torrance
The first, and most well-known actor to play Jack Torrance was of course Hollywood legend Jack Nicholson in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 movie adaptation of The Shining. As much as Stephen King doesn’t like how crazy Nicholson’s Jack appears from the beginning of the film, it remains an incredibly captivating, endlessly entertaining performance. In King’s 1997 miniseries version of The Shining, Jack is played by Steven Weber, an actor best known for playing Brian Hackett on the sitcom Wings. However, Weber is a noted horror fan, and has turned in quite a bit of good dramatic and frightening work in the years since Wings ended. His performance is probably the best thing about the miniseries.
More recently, actor Henry Thomas portrayed Jack Torrance in the 2019 movie adaptation of Doctor Sleep. Jack plays a different role in the movie than he did in King’s book, as the Doctor Sleep film follows on from Jack’s characterization in Kubrick’s The Shining. Thomas is best known for playing Elliot in E.T. as a kid, but has carved out a respectable adult career, repeatedly collaborating with Doctor Sleep director Mike Flanagan. Finally, the 2020 Super Bowl commercials brought with them a fun of bit Shining nostalgia, as Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston was cast as Jack Torrance opposite Tracee Ellis Ross’ Wendy in a commercial for Mountain Dew Zero Sugar.
More: The Shining: Jack’s Freezer Escape Proves the Ghosts Are Real
