Although Nick Nolte is most known for playing tough-talking characters, he was once a major sex symbol.
The great actor turned 82 today, and he’s unrecognizable from his 1970s heartthrob days.
Nick Nolte on The Deep set in Hamilton, Bermuda, November 5, 1976. Photo by Santi Visalli/Getty Images)
Nick Nolte is one of the best actors in American cinema, and I admire him.
His facial characteristics, solid, square jaw structure, angulus orbital bones and forehead, and wild hair floating and growing out of control make him look like a powerful, even savage Shakespeare character.
Acting variety, intensity, and pain behind his eyes make his art captivating. Nick offers direct, honest performances, and his credentials show that many of us love his acting.
The 1991 Golden Globe for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama went to Nolte. The 1991 picture The Prince of Tides earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination.
Nick Nolte, 1978. Photo by Getty Images)
Affliction and Warrior earned Nolte Academy Award nods for his outstanding performances. Since his Golden Globe win, the Hollywood actor has changed a lot.
His 2002 disheveled mug shot ruined his reputation. His legal issues and personal problems didn’t help.
Nolte may not seem like the 1970s’ quintessential all-American hero to younger audiences. People magazine named him Sexiest Man Alive.
How did Nick Nolte become a national celebrity?
His Omaha football coach said Nolte wasn’t a good actor in high school. He was a brilliant football player and a “skinny, awkward kid with a crew cut” as a student.
Nolte remembered being timid as a child and never feeling comfortable in groups. He was diagnosed with dyslexia later in life after struggling in school.
The attractive Nolte, born February 8, 1941, in Omaha, Nebraska, made his breakthrough in Rich Man, Poor Man (1976). He became an American heartthrob and household name soon after.
However, he began modeling in the 1960s. He cut a striking figure with Sigourney Weaver for Clairol’s 1972 “Summer Blonde” hair coloring campaign in one of his most iconic photos. According to Eighties Kids, the commercial is the only occasion a man has appeared on a women’s hair dye package.
Nolte was unknown when cast in Rich Man, Poor Man, but he stole the show as Rudy’s brother Tom. He portrayed Jordache like an all-American hero.
The series transformed Nolte’s life—he wooed women as Tom, the bad boy. Nolte worked hard on his body too. He was 150 pounds when he played a young man in the project’s early stages.
I remember my Rich Man, Poor Man stages. That was the biggest age gap. From 16 to 45. Physically, I thought of my 150-pound high school sophomore weight. I lost weight and got my male physique back. Nolte told Insider in 2022, “I ran around that Hollywood reservoir day and night.”
After Poor Man, Nebraska-born Nolte continued to showcase his acting skills with consistently solid performances. After appearing in the breakthrough action-comedy 48 Hrs in 1982, he became a Hollywood superstar.
The Eddie Murphy-Nolte film changed many things.
“The thing about 48 Hrs. that really isn’t thought about much is that’s the first film where black and white criticize each other,” Nolte stated in 2011.
Whites and blacks felt uneasy after Civil Rights. We had trouble communicating.”
Nolte flourished throughout the 1990s. He made millions and was one of the most respected actors as an A-lister.
His film and TV career is well-known, but in the 2000s, Nolte became known for other things.
He lived up to his Hollywood bad boy reputation. The volatile actor was arrested, divorced three times, and had personal issues.
An memorable police snapshot made the three-time Academy Award contender Hollywood’s ‘sexiest man alive’ famous worldwide.
Nick has been sober since 2002.
“I was at a low point and I got slack,” Nolte added.
I used alcohol as a tonic against loneliness and the ironic isolation that notoriety often brings to deal with relationships, failed enterprises, and anything else painful.
On October 22, 2021, Dharon E. Jones and Nick Nolte film “Rittenhouse” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images
In recent years, Nolte has had lesser supporting roles and looks very different from his Hollywood days.
The legendary actor lives in a Malibu treehouse. Nolte and Clytie Lane live in the house he built.
Prince of Tides actress loves reading, spending time with kids, and being outdoors. Nolte has a son, Brawley (born 1986), and a daughter, Sophia Lane (born 2001).
A. Zirah/Wikimedia Commons
Both of his kids have tried acting, and it looked like Brawley and Sophia would follow in their father’s footsteps.
Sophia featured with her father as Nolte’s granddaughter in Honey in the Head.
“She’s like a little adult. Sometimes she calls me Grandpa instead of Daddy because her classmates’ fathers are young. Nearing 80. Brawley is my 30-year-old son. The acting wasn’t what he desired. Nolte told Saturday Evening Post He’s studying to be a doctor.
On October 25, 2021, Nick Nolte films “Rittenhouse” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images
After many years, Nolte still has that cheeky smile, stunning eyes, and engaging demeanor. He looks amazing at 82 and still acts, which he enjoys.
In addition, he seems to view his aging well.
I have no regrets about growing old. I handle age well. Knowing I have one more huge journey makes me feel comfortable. Scary, but I accept it. You battle hard to the end. Just keep moving and doing it, he advises.
Nick Nolte attends Lionsgate’s “Angel Has Fallen” LA Premiere at Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, California, on August 20, 2019. Photo by Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic
I think Nick Nolte is forgotten when talking about best male performers.
Nick, thanks for the memories! You are a talented actor and cultured gentleman!
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