Nick Nolte Biography
Summary
"Nicholas King Nolte" (born February 8, 1941) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor, model, and producer.
Biography
Early life
Nolte was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of Helen (née King), a department store buyer, and Franklin Nolte, a farmer's son who worked in irrigation pump sales and was an All-American candidate at Iowa State in 1934. Nolte's father was of German descent. Nolte's maternal grandfather, Matthew Leander King, invented the hollow-tile silo and was prominent in early aviation. His maternal grandmother ran the student union at Iowa State University.
Nolte went to a public high school at Omaha Benson High School. While he was at Omaha Benson High School he was the kicker on the football team. Nolte got kicked out of Benson for digging a hole and hiding beer before practice and then getting caught drinking it during a practice session. After his expulsion, he attended Westside High School in Omaha. Nolte went on to attend Arizona State University (on an football scholarship); Eastern Arizona College, Thatcher, Arizona; and Phoenix College, Phoenix, Arizona. During a summer break worked at Falstaff Brewery, in Omaha. Poor grades eventually ended his studies, at which point his career in theatre began in earnest. After stints at the Pasadena Playhouse and Stella Adler's Academy in Los Angeles Nolte spent several years travelling the country and working in regional theaters. In 1962, Nolte was convicted of selling fake draft cards and sentenced to five years probation. He has since declined all invitations to visit the White House on the grounds that the president should not be associating with convicted felons.
Career
Nolte first gained national attention and critical acclaim for his performance in "Rich Man, Poor Man", the 1976 television miniseries based on Irwin Shaw's 1970 best-selling novel. Since then he has had a successful career playing a wide variety of characters in more than 40 films. Diversity of character is Nolte's signature of his film career. He is known for his trademark athleticism and gravel-voiced characters. According to a written note owned by Richard Donner, Nolte was the first choice to play Superman in the 1978 film starring Christopher Reeve. He also lost the role of Han Solo to Harrison Ford in the 1977 classic, "Star Wars".
Personal life
Nolte has long been a heavy drinker. In July 2007 he was found passed out at the Kauai Airport in Hawaii. While working on a 1984 film with Nolte, Katharine Hepburn was known to have remarked that Nolte was falling down drunk in every gutter in town, to which Nolte replied, 'I've got a few to go yet.'
Nolte has been married and divorced three times. His wives are Sheila Page, Sharyn Haddad and Rebecca Linger, with whom he has a son named Brawley. He has also been involved with Karen Louise Eklund, Debra Winger, and Vicki Lewis. On October 3, 2007, Nolte's longtime partner Clytie Lane gave birth to their daughter. The baby's name has not yet been publicly revealed.
Nolte has an older sister, Nancy, who was an executive for the Red Cross. His son Brawley Nolte is also an actor, having been prominently featured as Mel Gibson's kidnapped son in the 1996 film "Ransom".
Nolte currently resides in Malibu, California.
Filmography
"Dirty Little Billy" (1972)
"Electra Glide in Blue" (1973)
"The California Kid" (1974)
"Return to Macon County" (1975)
"Northville Cemetery Massacre" (1976)
"The Deep" (1977)
"Who'll Stop the Rain" (1978)
"North Dallas Forty" (1979)
"Heart Beat" (1980)
"Cannery Row" (1982)
"48 Hrs." (1982)
"Under Fire" (1983)
"Teachers" (1984)
"Grace Quigley" (1985)
"Down and Out in Beverly Hills" (1986)
"Extreme Prejudice" (1987)
"Weeds" (1987)
"Three Fugitives" (1989)
"New York Stories" (1989)
"Farewell to the King" (1989)
"Everybody Wins" (1990)
"Q&A" (1990)
"Another 48 Hrs." (1990)
"Cape Fear" (1991)
"The Prince of Tides" (1991)
"The Player" (1992) (Cameo)
"Lorenzo's Oil" (1992)
"I'll Do Anything" (1994)
"Blue Chips" (1994)
"I Love Trouble" (1994)
"Jefferson in Paris" (1995)
"Mulholland Falls" (1996)
"Mother Night" (1996)
"Affliction" (1997)
"Nightwatch" (1997)
"U Turn" (1997)
"The Thin Red Line" (1998)
"Breakfast of Champions" (1999)
"The Golden Bowl" (2000)
"The Good Thief" (2002)
"Hulk" (2003)
"Northfork" (2003)
"Clean (2004)
"Hotel Rwanda (2004)
"Neverwas" (2005)
"Over the Hedge (Voice)" (2006)
"Off the Black (2006)
"Paris, je t'aime" (2006)
"Quelques jours en septembre" (2006)
"Peaceful Warrior" (2006)
"The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" (2007)
"The Spiderwick Chronicles" (2008)
External links
(a candid interview with Nick Nolte in Stumped? Magazine)
" (To the brink and back) " - "The Guardian", March 1, 2003.
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Nick Nolte.
