Nick Nolte entered several colleges as an athlete -- he played baseball, football and basketball for Eastern Arizona College -- but his studied ended because of poor grades. Later deciding to pursue acting, he traveled the country early in his career, and also spent some time modeling.
Nolte broke out in the 1976 miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, although the television pilots he took part in failed to take off. He saw bigger success in film, starting from 1977's The Deep, and earning widespread popularity in the 1982 buddy cop film 48 Hrs., alongside Eddie Murphy. He earned his first Oscar nomination for 1991's The Prince of Tides, narrowly losing to Anthony Hopkins.
Nolte's later films include Affliction -- which earned him his second Oscar nomination and several other awards -- as well as Hotel Rwanda, Tropic Thunder and Peaceful Warrior. He is slated to appear alongside Dustin Hoffman in the HBO drama Luck. Nolte has been married and divorced thrice; he has two children.
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, Best Actor, 1991 (for The Prince of Tides)
- Boston Society of Film Critics Award, Best Actor, 1991 (for The Prince of Tides)
- Golden Globe Award, Best Actor (Drama), 1992 (for The Prince of Tides)
- Valladolid International Film Festival, Best Actor, 1997 (for Affliction)
- Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Best Ensemble Cast, 1997 (for Afterglow)
- New York Film Critics Circle Award, Best Actor, 1998 (for Affliction)
- National Society of Film Critics Award, Best Actor, 1999 (for Affliction)
- Sant Jordi Award, Best Foreign Actor, 1999 (for Affliction)
FILM:
- Return to Macon County (1975)
- 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)
- Grace Quigley (1984)
- Teachers (1984)
- Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)
- Extreme Prejudice (1987)
- Weeds (1987)
- Three Fugitives (1989)
- Farewell to the King (1989)
- New York Stories (1989)
- Everybody Wins (1990)
- Q&A (1990)
- Another 48 Hrs. (1990)
- Cape Fear (1991)
- The Prince of Tides (1991)
- 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)
- Nightwatch (1997)
- Afterglow (1997)
- U Turn (1997)
- Affliction (1997)
- The Thin Red Line (1998)
- Breakfast of Champions (1999)
- Simpatico (1999)
- The Golden Bowl (2000)
- Trixie (2000)
- Intimate Affairs (2002)
- The Good Thief (2002)
- Northfork (2003)
- Hulk (2003)
- The Beautiful Country (2004)
- Clean (2004)
- Hotel Rwanda (2004)
- Neverwas (2005)
- Over the hedge (voice, 2006)
- Paris, Je T'Aime (2006)
- Peaceful Warrior (2006)
- A Few Days in September (2006)
- Off the Black (2006)
- The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (2008)
- The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
- Tropic Thunder (2008)
- My Horizon (2009)
- My Own Love Song (2010)
- Arcadia Lost (2010)
- Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010)
- Arthur (2011)
- Zookeeper (voice, 2011)
- Warrior (2011)
TELEVISION:
- Luck (regular, 2012-present)