Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Nick Nolte played college football before developing an interest in the theater. After traveling around the country with various regional theater companies, he landed his breakthrough role in California in the legendary television miniseries "Rich Man, Poor Man" in 1976. After his success in television, Nolte made his feature film debut in "The Deep," opposite Jacqueline Bisset.

Nolte's early film work included roles as a drug-smuggling Vietnam veteran in "Who'll Stop the Rain;" a disillusioned football star in "North Dallas Forty," which he developed with author Peter Gent; free-spirited beat-era writer Neal Cassady in "Heart Beat" and a reclusive marine biologist in "Cannery Row." Nolte continued to challenge himself with character roles such as an American photojournalist in "Under Fire," a determined lawman in "Extreme Prejudice" and an ex-con turned playwright in "Weeds."

Best known for his roles in comedies and action films like "48 Hours" and "Down and Out in Beverly Hills," Nolte has also garnered acclaim as a dramatic star. He received critical accolades playing a tormented father trying to save his ailing son in "Lorenzo's Oil" and as a man trying to face his family's tragic past in Barbara Streisand's "The Prince of Tides," for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Golden Globe for Best Actor. Recently, Nolte has starred in films such as Merchant Ivory's period drama "Jefferson in Paris" as Thomas Jefferson; Martin Scorsese's "Cape Fear," with Robert De Niro and Jessica Lange; "I Love Trouble" opposite Julia Roberts; James L. Brooks' "I'll Do Anything;" Lee Tamahori's "Mulholland Falls;" Keith Gordon's "Mother Night," based on the Kurt Vonnegut novel; and Oliver Stone's "U-Turn." Nolte recently completed "Nightwatch," co-starring Patricia Arquette and Ewan McGregor, and Paul Schrader's "Affliction" with James Coburn, Willem Dafoe and Sissy Spacek.