Born Nicholas King Nolte in Omaha, NE; educated at Arizona State College (sports), Eastern Arizona Junior College, Pasadena City College and Phoenix City College. Tall, imposing lead who first received attention for his role as rebellious younger brother Tom Jordache in the TV miniseries RICH MAN, POOR MAN (1976). Since that time Nolte has used his natural acting abilities combined with a brewing sexuality to provide a growly and charismatic center to a wide variety of films. By 1991 he was the subject of a New York magazine article that called him the "dysfunctional version of the Hollywood leading man. Nolte is himself a recovering alcoholic and former drug abuser, who has been through divorce three times and a palimony suit once, and the misery shows in his work." A regular in repertory theater and stock companies from the mid 1960s, Nolte established himself on the big screen in the late 1970s, primarily as louts or hellraisers in action-oriented roles (THE DEEP, 1977, WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN?, 1978, NORTH DALLAS FORTY, 1979.) Subsequent performances include playing the gruff, straight man opposite Eddie Murphy in 48HRS. (1982); an eccentric bum in DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS (1986); a boorish, racist cop in Sidney Lumet's Q & A (1990); a Southern lawyer whose past (in the shape of Robert De Niro) comes back to haunt him in CAPE FEAR (1991). His performance as Tom Wingo, a troubled man who talks to his suicidal sister's psychiatrist about their family history and falls in love with her in the process in Barbra Streisand's PRINCE OF TIDES (1991), brought him critical praise and his first Oscar® nomination. In 1992 he played a parent struggling to find a cure for his young son's allegedly fatal disease in LORENZO'S OIL (1992) opposite Susan Sarandon. Nolte starred in three features released in 1994. In I'LL DO ANYTHING, originally a musical but re-edited into a tuneless comedy, he played the only earnest New York actor left in Hollywood. In the basketball pic BLUE CHIPS he portrayed a college coach ala Bobby Knight and in I LOVE TROUBLE, a newspaperman-of-action who romances Julia Roberts. In I'LL DO ANYTHING, he lent a virile, rock-like sincerity even as he was besieged by the film's intentional and unintended carny-like quality. The driven but decent coach of BLUE CHIPS drew upon his salty dog persona and former athlete's physique. I LOVE TROUBLE was perhaps more of a stretch, with Nolte conjuring a Bogie-like persona, carrying on a romance with rival reporter Roberts while the two authored a political expose. All three projects were critical and commercial disappointments. Nolte did not fare any better in a rare excursion into period fare for Merchant-Ivory's meticulously produced historical drama JEFFERSON IN PARIS (1995). Many found him somewhat miscast as revolutionary thinker and future president Thomas Jefferson but the real culprits were a meandering screenplay and unfocused direction. In any event, the film was a resounding critical and commercial dud. Subsequent notable credits include MULHOLLAND FALLS (1996), AFTERGLOW and U TURN (both 1997), NIGHTWATCH, AFFLICTION and THE THIN RED LINE (all 1998), BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS, SIMPATICO and THE BEST OF ENEMIES (all 1999), THE GOLDEN BOWL / LA COUPE D'OR and TRIXIE (both 2000), INVESTIGATING SEX (2001), THE GOOD THIEF (2002), NORTHFORK and HULK (both 2003), BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY, CLEAN and HOTEL RWANDA (all 2004), NEVERWAS (2005), PARIS, JE T'AIME, PEACEFUL WARRIOR, QUELQUES JOUR EN SEPTEMBRE / A FEW DAYS IN SEPTEMBER and OFF THE BLACK (all 2006), THE MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH, THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES (voice), TROPIC THUNDER, NINE MILES DOWN, DEATH WARRIOR and THE DEATH OF HARRY TOBIN (all scheduled for 2008), and KING SHOT (announced for 2009).  Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 1991: THE PRINCE OF TIDES  Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role 1998: AFFLICTION 2 nominations