(76 years old)
8 February 1941
Omaha, Nebraska, USA
6' (1,83 m)
Nick Nolte said that when he played a young man in the early scenes of the project, he weighed about 160 pounds. When he played a middle aged man in the later scenes, he weighed over 180 pounds.
Nick Nolte was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Helen (King) and Franklin Arthur Nolte, who worked in irrigation pump sales. He has German and British Isles ancestry. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Tak
Spouse
Rebecca Linger (19 February 1984 - 1994) (divorced) (1 child)
Sharyn Haddad (10 March 1978 - 1983) (divorced)
Sheila Page (1966 - 1970) (divorced)
Trade Mark
Frequently plays crazed and unstable characters
Cold unsettling stare
Deep husky voice
Trivia
He, along with Christopher Walken, were both considered for the role of Han Solo in La guerra de las galaxias (1977).
In 1962, Nolte was given five years probation for selling fake draft cards.
In 1978, Karen Ecklund, his girlfriend of five years, sued him for community property and support.
Nolte gained 50 pounds for his role in Distrito 34: Corrupción total (1990).
Born at 7:00pm-CST.
Parents are Franklin Arthur and Helen Nolte.
Nolte was a heavy drinker until 1990. When Katharine Hepburn accused him of falling down drunk in every gutter in town, he replied: "I've got a few to go yet.".
In 1992, he was chosen as People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive.
In September 2002, he checked himself into Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut for counseling after he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in Malibu, California, a few days earlier. Tests later showed that he was under the influence of GHB, the "date rape" drug.
On December 12, 2002, he pleaded no contest to charges of driving under the influence. He was given 3-years' probation with orders to undergo alcohol and drug counseling with random testing required.
Attended Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska.
Attended Kingsley Elementary School in Waterloo, Iowa
His ancestry includes English, German, Scottish, Scots-Irish and Swiss German. His paternal grandfather was a farmer, with a farm in Iowa.
His career started in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Eleanor Moore Agency as a model for print ads.
His father was an irrigation pump salesman. His father was also an All-American candidate at Iowa State in 1934. His mother was a department store buyer. He has an older sister, Nancy Nolte, who was an executive for Red Cross.
Turned down the role of Indiana Jones in En busca del arca perdida (1981), which went to Harrison Ford.
Was supposed to host Saturday Night Live (1975) back in 1982 as part of the promotional tour for Límite: 48 horas (1982), which was the film debut of then Saturday Night Live(1975) star Eddie Murphy, but fell ill at the last minute and had to drop out, so Murphy hosted in his place.
Was considered for the role of Superman/Clark Kent in Superman (1978), which went to Christopher Reeve.
There is a long-standing misconception that Dr. Charles Nolte, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, is Nick Nolte's father.
Visited Sarajevo Film Festival (Bosnia). [August 2006]
Ranked #1 of VH1's "40 Most Shocking Celebrity Mugshots" - had a Hawaiian shirt and a bed-head.
Director Keith Gordon took a one-day role in Me gustan los líos (1994) to personally ask Nick Nolte to read the script for Mothernight (1996), after being initially dismissed by Nolte's agent.
He eagerly pursued the role of Captain Benjamin L. Willard in Apocalypse Now (1979). When Harvey Keitel was fired, Nolte thought he had the role, but Coppola gave it to Martin Sheen.
Considered for the lead role in La cosa (El enigma del otro mundo) (1982), which went to Kurt Russell.
Considered for the role of John Rambo in Acorralado (1982), which went to Sylvester Stallone.
Was cast in Cuestión de honor (2008), but just before shooting began, an old knee injury flared up from his footballing days and he had to drop out.
Nolte's father, Franklin A. Nolte, was an All-American candidate at Iowa State in 1934. He served in the Pacific Theater in World War II, with the elite US Marine Raiders. When he was discharged, he went home to his family, but according to Nick Nolte, he was a different man and didn't speak often. Nolte consulted his father while preparing for Nieve que quema (1978) where he played a Vietnam veteran.
Was considered for the role of Rick Deckard in Blade Runner (1982), one of three roles that ultimately went to Harrison Ford.
Was considered for the role of Jeffrey Goines in Doce monos (1995), which went to Brad Pitt.
Was set to star in Conexión Tequila (1988), but dropped out. The role went to Kurt Russell.
One of Nolte's closest friends is writer-director Alan Rudolph. They have worked together on four films.
Played college football for Arizona State University.
Declined the role of Snake Plissken in 1997: Rescate en Nueva York (1981), which eventually went to Kurt Russell.
The longest he has gone without an Oscar nomination is 13 years, between Aflicción(1997) and Warrior (2011).
Became a father for the 1st time at age 45 when his 3rd wife Rebecca Linger gave birth to their son Brawley Nolte on June 20, 1986.
Became a father for the 2nd time at age 66 when his girlfriend Clytie Lane gave birth to their daughter Sophie Lane on October 3, 2007.
Currently lives in Malibu, California.
Personal Quotes
[at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, on the "obscene" amounts being paid to actors] It's sick. I want nothing to do with it.
Early on, I decided that I was going to lie to the press. The best approach to talking about my personal life was to lie.
I've made a lot of mistakes and I don't regret any of them. Sometimes, that's the only way you learn.
America is in a difficult position right now. It has so much wealth, it has become obese and gluttonous. It will change but it has to get through this time now. It's not that I wish I was not from America. It just goes through these peculiar times. I could live anywhere. But I wouldn't want to abandon a country just because it's being silly. I'll do what we did in 1968, and try and change it and get some sense into it.
There's nothing in the United States to do except the independents. Certainly not in the studios. It's a situation where films are made for $100m and they knock out all competition. Their audiences are eight to 20. It feels silly being a 60-plus year-old man in those films, which are basically cartoons and high technology.
You convince yourself you can fix the screenplay, because there's a lot of money involved. But you can never make it work. If the script has a hole in it, it will always have that hole.
I didn't stay in a popular vein. I never really got stamped like that. I worked very hard to keep changing my image.
There's an understanding about addiction. It's just learning about yourself. Either things are tough and you detach yourself or it becomes an experiment and a lifestyle. The thing about addiction is that you don't feel things. It's about cutting the pain off, whether it's physical or psychological.
There's always a bit of catharsis in filmmaking in general, in the arts. We're really all alone. We can't ever get inside another person's spirit, and see the world they do. So we are alone in that sense. The only way we have to communicate feelings is through words. I became obsessed about that.
If you feel you have a film that's valid, you stick your ass on the line.
I never felt comfortable in real life very well. It's always been an awkward kind of thing for me and so when I hit the stage I just sensed freedom. I sensed here's a place that I can have all the experiences of life and not feel uncomfortable about it.
[2011, on turning 70] When you start thinking about death more than sex, you know you're getting old. At 70, you crest that hill. In the sixties, you're still thinking you could do something about this slow disintegration of the body. As Katharine Hepburn used to say to me: "Aging, Nick, is boring." Now I know what she means.
[on receiving an Oscar nomination for his role in Warrior (2011)] I put up boundaries at the beginning with Gavin [Gavin O'Connor]. I said, "I don't think I should associate with the actors, with the boys. I should stay away from them." There's a kind of familiarity that happens if you're out drinking with the boys and that kind of thing. It makes the work a little more difficult.
[on Katharine Hepburn] She is a legend. But once you get past that, she's just a kind of cranky old broad who's a lot of fun.
Salary
48 Hrs. (1982) $2.000.000
The Prince of Tides (1991) $4.000.000
Blue Chips (1994) $7.000.000
I Love Trouble (1994) $7.000.000
The Thin Red Line (1998) $1.000.000
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