Nick Nolte

His father, Franklin Arthur Nolte (1904–1978), 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 (1929–1931).

His mother, Helen (King; 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.

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.

Nicholas King Nolte (born February 8, 1941) is an American actor.

Known for his leading man roles in both dramas and romances, he has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Nolte was born in Omaha, Nebraska on February 8, 1941.

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.

Nolte was a model in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

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 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 Chris O'Connor; and they appeared on the packaging.

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 first came to prominence for his role in the ABC miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie nomination.

His other notable films include, Who'll Stop the Rain (1978), North Dallas Forty (1979), 48 Hrs. (1982), , , , Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Another 48 Hrs. (1990), , Lorenzo's Oil (1992), Jefferson in Paris (1995), , , , Hotel Rwanda (2004), , , Tropic Thunder (2008), , , A Walk in the Woods (2015), , and Angel Has Fallen (2019).

Nolte starred in, Who'll Stop the Rain (1978), and North Dallas Forty (1979) which is based on Peter Gent's novel.

During the 1980s, he also starred in, , Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), and New York Stories (1989).

In 1982, he starred in 48 Hrs. with Eddie Murphy and Cannery Row with Debra Winger.

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..

He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for The Prince of Tides (1991).

He received three Academy Award nominations for The Prince of Tides (1991), (1998) and.

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 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 (1994) with Julia Roberts.

His television credits include the HBO series Luck (2011–2012), the Fox miniseries Gracepoint (2014), the Disney+ series The Mandalorian (2019) and Peacock crime drama Poker Face (2023).

From 2016 to 2017, Nolte played President Richard Graves in the Epix series Graves for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy.