Nick Nolte

Early life

Nolte was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on February 8, 1941. His father, Franklin Arthur Nolte (1908-1969), was a farmer's son who ran away from home, nearly dropped out of high school and was a three-time letter winner in football at Iowa State University (1929–31). His mother, Helen (; 1914–2000), was a department store buyer, then became an antique dealer, co-owning an antique shop. His father was of German ancestry. Nolte's maternal grandfather, Matthew Leander King, invented the hollow-tile silo and was involved in early aviation. Nick Nolte's mother was of mostly Scottish ancestry. His maternal grandmother ran the student union at Iowa State University. He has an older sister, Nancy, who was an executive for the Red Cross.

Nolte attended Kingsley Elementary School in Waterloo, Iowa. He studied at Westside High School in Omaha, where he was the kicker on the football team. He also attended Benson High School, but was expelled for hiding beer before practice and being caught drinking it during a practice session. Following his high school graduation in 1959, he attended Pasadena City College in Southern California, Arizona State University in Tempe (on a football scholarship), Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher and Phoenix College in Phoenix. At Eastern Arizona, he lettered in football as a tight end and defensive end, in basketball as a forward, and as a catcher on the baseball team. Poor grades eventually ended his studies, at which point his career in theatre began in earnest. While in college, he worked for the Falstaff Brewery in Omaha.

After stints at the Pasadena Playhouse and the Stella Adler Academy in Los Angeles, Nolte spent several years traveling the country and working in regional theater, including the Old Log Theater in Minnesota for three years.

Career

Modeling

Nolte was a model in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In a national magazine advertisement in 1972, he appeared in jeans and an open jean shirt for Clairol's "Summer Blonde" hair lightener sitting on a log next to a blonde Anne Powers; and they appeared on the packaging.

Acting

Nolte first starred in the television miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, based on Irwin Shaw's 1970 best-selling novel. Later, he appeared in over 40 films, playing a wide variety of characters. Diversity of character, trademark athleticism, and gravelly voice are signatures of his career. In 1973, he guest-starred in the Griff episode, "Who Framed Billy the Kid?", as Billy Randolph, a football player accused of murder. Nolte also made two guest appearances in the television series Barnaby Jones in 1974 and 1975. He co-starred with Andy Griffith in Winter Kill, a television film made as the pilot of a possible television series, and another one, Adams of Eagle Lake, but neither was picked up.

Nolte starred in , Who'll Stop the Rain (1978), and North Dallas Forty (1979) which is based on Peter Gent's novel. In 1982, he starred in 48 Hrs. with Eddie Murphy and Cannery Row with Debra Winger. During the 1980s, he also starred in , , Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), , Three Fugitives (1989) and New York Stories (1989). Nolte starred with Katharine Hepburn in her last leading film role in Grace Quigley (1985). Nolte and Murphy starred again in the sequel Another 48 Hrs. (1990). In 1991, Nolte starred in The Prince of Tides and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Later, he starred in Martin Scorsese's remake of Cape Fear with Robert De Niro and Jessica Lange. Nolte also starred in Lorenzo's Oil (1992), Jefferson in Paris (1995), Mulholland Falls (1996) and . Nolte co-starred in I Love Trouble (1994) with Julia Roberts. Following its release, the Los Angeles Times reported that the two did not get along well and had multiple spats on-set. He received his second Academy Award (Best Actor) nomination for the 1997 film Affliction. Nolte starred with Sean Penn in three films, including U Turn (1997), Terrence Malick's war epic The Thin Red Line (1998), and Gangster Squad (2013).

In 1992, Nolte was named the Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine. When asked about the selection he said "Are you sure you didn't make a mistake? My personal choice is Walter Cronkite."

Nolte continued to work in the 2000s, appearing in , , and taking smaller parts in 2004's Clean and Hotel Rwanda, both performances receiving positive reviews. He also played supporting roles in the drama Peaceful Warrior (2006), the fantasy adventure and the comedy Tropic Thunder (2008). He provided voice work in the animated films Over the Hedge (2006), Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010), Zookeeper (2011) and Noah (2014). In 2011, Nolte played recovering alcoholic Paddy Conlon in Warrior, and was nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Beginning in 2011, Nolte starred with Dustin Hoffman in the HBO series Luck. At the start of production of the second season, however, HBO ended the series after the death of three horses during filming. He appeared in the political thrillers and Angel Has Fallen (2019). In 2013, he was in the movie Parker which starred Jason Statham. In 2015, Nolte starred in the biopic comedy-drama A Walk in the Woods and in the revenge thriller Return to Sender.

From 2016 to 2017, Nolte starred in Graves on Epix about a volatile, hard-drinking former U.S. president who has been retired for 25 years and who has a political epiphany to right the wrongs of his past administration in very public and unpredictable ways.

For Nolte, acting is not a career but something he needs to do, he says, "a need in the sense that I can't find anything as complex and interesting to do, but I need it in a story," and "I don't want to do reality because reality never runs smooth". He likes to vanish into a role "if the story reaches up to where the great actor is, the great actor disappears, and the story becomes number one, that's as real as it gets". Nolte appeared as recurring character Kuiil in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian in 2019.

Personal life

Nolte married Clytie Lane in 2016. He had been previously married to Sheila Page, Sharyn Haddad, and Rebecca Linger. Nolte and Linger have a son, Brawley (b. 1986), an actor who is married to Indian-American actress Navi Rawat. Nolte and Lane have a daughter, Sophia (b. 2007). Sophia played his granddaughter in Head Full of Honey. Nolte and Linger also had a daughter in 1983 who was stillborn. Nolte lived with Karen Eklund, who later sued him for palimony. He has also dated Debra Winger and Vicki Lewis.

Legal troubles and substance abuse

Nolte is known for his "bad-boy reputation".

In 1961, he was arrested for selling counterfeit draft card documents and given a 45-year prison sentence and a $75,000 fine, but the sentence was suspended. However, the felony conviction left him ineligible for military service. He had felt obligated to serve in the Vietnam War, and says that he felt incomplete as a young man for not going to Vietnam.

On September 11, 2002, Nolte was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Malibu, California. Tests later showed that he was under the influence of GHB. Nolte responded that he has "been taking it for four years and I've never been raped." Three days later, he checked himself into Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut for counseling. On December 12, 2002, he pleaded no contest to charges of driving under the influence. He was given three years' probation, with orders to undergo alcohol and drug counseling with random testing required.

In 2005, The Independent reported that Nolte had struggled with substance abuse for "the majority of his adult life" and had begun abusing alcohol at an early age. After remaining sober for nearly 10 years, he resumed drinking in the late 1990s. Following his 2002 arrest, he again stopped drinking. In 2018, he told The Saturday Evening Post that he did not have a drug problem and that he had been "relatively clean outside of prescription stuff for years".

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Accolades

Other honors

• 1992 – People: Sexiest Man Alive
• Nolte received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 20, 2017.

Notes

References

References

1. "Iowa State Records".
2. (March 1, 2003). "To the brink and back".
3. de Jonge, Peter. (October 27, 1991). "Off-Balance Heroes". [[The New York Times Magazine]].
4. Donnelly, Marea. (February 8, 2016). "I caught an STD from Miss New York on a trampoline". [[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney).
5. (December 5, 2004). "Call the Courier". [[The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier]].
6. E. W. Smith, Jr., ''Athletes Once: 100 Famous People Who Were Once Notable Athletes'', Fireship Press, 2010 p45
7. Fischbach, Bob. (June 8, 2013). "The homes where Omaha's stars got their starts". [[Omaha World-Herald]].
8. Longsdorf, Amy. (January 27, 1989). "ON THE RUN WITH NICK NOLTE 'THREE FUGITIVES' STAR EXPLAINS HOW HE THRIVES ON CHAOS". [[The Morning Call]].
9. [http://famewatcher.com/nick-nolte-rolex-submariner-watch-young-and-old-photos.html Nick Nolte as a Young Man & Male Model (Photos) + Rolex Watch] {{Webarchive. link. (May 14, 2012 Famewatcher.com. Retrieved on August 8, 2012)
10. King, Susan. (July 19, 1992). "Back Again With the Jordache Clan". Los Angeles Times.
11. Terrace, Vincent. (2020). "Encyclopedia of Television Pilots: 2,470 Films Broadcast 1937–2019, 2d ed.". [[McFarland & Company]].
12. Edwards, Henry. (September 19, 1976). "Shooting 'The Deep' in A Million-Dollar Pool". [[The New York Times]].
13. (December 31, 1977). "Who'll Stop the Rain". [[Variety (magazine).
14. Maslin, Janet. (August 1, 1979). "Film: 'Dallas Forty':Cynicism and Comedy". The New York Times.
15. Maslin, Janet. (December 8, 1982). "NICK NOLTE AND EDDIE MURPHY IN '48 HOURS'". The New York Times.
16. Bernstein, Richard. (October 30, 1983). "ISSUES RAISED BY 'UNDER FIRE'". The New York Times.
17. Maslin, Janet. (October 4, 1984). "FILM: 'TEACHERS,' WITH NICK NOLTE". The New York Times.
18. Benson, Sheila. (January 31, 1986). "MOVIE REVIEWS: MAKING MOST OF INFLUENCE: 'Down and Out in Beverly Hills' Is Up and at 'Em With On-Target Satire". Los Angeles Times.
19. Thomas, Kevin. (April 24, 1987). "MOVIE REVIEW : STYLISH EXPLOITATION IN 'EXTREME PREJUDICE'". Los Angeles Times.
20. Maslin, Janet. (January 27, 1989). "Review/Film; Fugitives, Ne Fugitifs". The New York Times.
21. Maslin, Janet. (March 1, 1989). "Review/Film; New York as Magic, Money and Mom". The New York Times.
22. Canby, Vincent. (May 17, 1985). "HEPBURN STARS IN 'GRACE QUIGLEY'". The New York Times.
23. Rainer, Peter. (June 8, 1990). "MOVIE REVIEW : Another 95 Minutes : Sequel: 'Another 48 HRS.,' a crude rehashing of the 1982 hit, reteams Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in wall-to-wall mayhem.". Los Angeles Times.
24. Spiller, Nancy. (August 7, 1992). "'Prince of Tides' affirms life as it explores emotional trauma". [[The Baltimore Sun]].
25. Morgan, David. (February 17, 1991). "COVER STORY : ON LOCATION : Back to Cape Fear : Director Martin Scorsese loves those old thrillers. Now, teaming on film No. 7 with Robert De Niro, he's (re)making one for himself". Los Angeles Times.
26. Turan, Kenneth. (December 30, 1992). "MOVIE REVIEW : A Bracing Prescription : 'Lorenzo's Oil' takes an unsentimental look at a boy's devastating disease . . . and his parents' struggle to cope.". Los Angeles Times.
27. Maslin, Janet. (March 31, 1995). "FILM REVIEW; Jefferson's Entanglements, In History And in Love". The New York Times.
28. Wilmington, Michael. (April 26, 1996). "DRESSED TO KILL". [[Chicago Tribune]].
29. Maslin, Janet. (December 25, 1997). "'Afterglow': Stellar Performances from Nick Nolte and Julie Christie". The New York Times.
30. Lia Beck. (2022-02-16). "Julia Roberts Called This Co-Star 'Completely Disgusting'". Yahoo.com.
31. King, Susan. (January 4, 1999). "'Out of Sight' Is Not Out of Mind With National Critics". Los Angeles Times.
32. Hornaday, Ann. (October 3, 1997). "One wild ride Review: Oliver Stone takes a 'U-Turn' from his deadly serious side to his darkly humorous side.". The Baltimore Sun.
33. Maslin, Janet. (December 23, 1998). "FILM REVIEW; Beauty and Destruction in Pacific Battle". The New York Times.
34. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (August 29, 2011). "Nick Nolte Joins 'Gangster Squad'". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
35. AP staff writers. (March 7, 1992). "Nolte named 'sexist man alive'". [[Star-Gazette]].
36. Vice, Jeff. (July 7, 2006). "Film review: Actress shines in drug drama". [[Deseret News]].
37. Holden, Stephen. (December 22, 2004). "Holding a Moral Center as Civilization Fell". The New York Times.
38. Germain, David. (May 30, 2006). "Nolte shines in 'Peaceful Warrior'". [[Today (American TV program).
39. Phillips, Michael. (August 13, 2008). "'Tropic Thunder' ***". Chicago Tribune.
40. Labrecque, Jeff. (December 19, 2011). "Nick Nolte talks 'Warrior'".
41. (March 14, 2012). "HBO Ends 'Luck' After Horse Deaths".
42. Cohn, Paulette. (September 2, 2015). "Robert Redford, Nick Nolte's friendship shines through in 'A Walk in the Woods'". [[Fox News]].
43. Genzlinger, Neil. (August 13, 2015). "Review: In 'Return to Sender,' Rosamund Pike Connects With Her Attacker". The New York Times.
44. Goldberg, Lesley. (December 21, 2017). "'Graves,' Starring Nick Nolte, Canceled at Epix (Exclusive)". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
45. (October 9, 2016). "Nick Nolte: "Reality never runs smooth"". CBS News.
46. Scribner, Herb. (November 15, 2019). "'Star Wars: The Mandalorian' second episode 'The Child' has strong 'A New Hope' vibes". Deseret News.
47. "Nick Nolte Facts".
48. "He's No Teachers' Pet, but from His New Wife, Bad Boy Nick Nolte Wants a Good Conduct Award".
49. "IMDb".
50. (August 29, 2012). "Exclusive: Numbers Star Navi Rawat Marries Nick Nolte's Son, Brawley!". Life&Style.
51. "Nick Nolte: Life in pictures". [[Los Angeles Times]].
52. (November 29, 2018). "Nick Nolte's 11-year-old daughter calls him 'Grandpa'". [[New York Post]].
53. Associated Press (May 19, 1978). "[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/757361835 Nick Nolte's ex-girlfriend sues him for $5 million]". ''Corpus Christi Caller-Times''.
54. (October 24, 2008). "Debra Winger: The return of a class act". [[The Independent]].
55. Voll, Daniel. (January 29, 2007). "Nick Nolte Has a Drawer Full of Tourniquets".
56. "Hollywood bad-boy Nick Nolte tells all in his memoir, 'Rebel'".
57. Ryan, Patrick. "Hollywood bad-boy Nick Nolte tells all in his memoir, 'Rebel'".
58. "Busted: Stories Behind 30 Classic Celebrity Mug Shots".
59. link. (April 7, 2008 . Futuremovies.co.uk (March 10, 2008). Retrieved on December 21, 2010.)
60. [https://www.slashfilm.com/2010/01/24/weekend-weirdness-an-intimate-doc-on-nick-nolte-who-killed-teddy-bear-in-nyc-the-house-of-the-devil-on-vhs/ Weekend Weirdness: An Intimate Doc on Nick Nolte; Who Killed Teddy Bear?] in NYC; The House of the Devil on VHS {{Webarchive. link. (August 26, 2010 . [[/Film]] (January 24, 2010). Retrieved on December 21, 2010.)
61. "Nick Nolte: No Exit". [[IMDb]].
62. (2009-02-11). "Nick Nolte Charged With DUI". CBS News.
63. (June 10, 2005). "Nick Nolte: The bad stage was good too".
64. Wilson, Stan. (December 12, 2002). "Nolte pleads no contest to DUI count". [[CNN]].
65. (December 13, 2002). "NOLTE PLEADS NO CONTEST, GETS PROBATION". [[Sun-Sentinel]].
66. (April 19, 2018). "3 Questions for Nick Nolte | The Saturday Evening Post".
67. (March 7, 2012). "'Memorias de mis putas tristes' y una película con Nick Nolte, en el Festival de Cine". El Mundo.
68. Gomez, Marta. (July 7, 2011). "Nick Nolte afronta el calor en el rodaje de 'A puerta fría'". [[El Mundo (Spain)]].
69. McNary, Dave. (March 20, 2018). "Nick Nolte, Matt Dillon to Star in Drama 'Honey in the Head'".
70. Wiseman, Andreas. (October 28, 2020). "'Blackout': Josh Duhamel, Abbie Cornish, Nick Nolte & Omar Chaparro To Star In Mexico City-Set Action-Thriller – AFM".
71. McCall, Kevin. (August 16, 2022). "'Eugene the Marine' Taps Nick Nolte for Lead Role in Psychological Thriller".
72. (September 23, 2022). "BRANDON ERIC KAMIN SET TO PREMIERE NEW FILM RITTENHOUSE SQUARE AT PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL NEXT MONTH".
73. (May 14, 2014). "Nick Nolte | Phoenix Theater: An Eccentric History".
74. "Nick Nolte".
75. "Nick Nolte – Hollywood Walk of Fame".
76. Variety. (February 9, 2017). "Toshiro Mifune – Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony".
77. [https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/301985564:62094 Birth registration for Nicholas K Nolte] in the Nebraska Birth Index, 1912-1994. ''Ancestry.com''.
78. Onofrio, Jan. (1999). "Nebraska Biographical Dictionary". Somerset Publishers.
79. Hellman, Paul T.. (2006). "Historical Gazetteer of the United States". Taylor & Francis.
80. "Nick Nolte Filmography". The Washington Post.
81. Bivona, Michael. (February 7, 2012). "Wake Up, Crystal Lake - February 8".
82. (February 16, 2012). "Nick Nolte".
83. "Nick Nolte: Life in pictures". [[Los Angeles Times]].
84. (February 8, 2022). "UPI Almanac for Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022".
85. (February 8, 2022). "This Day in History — February 8". Jamaica Observer.