In this weekend's Warrior, Nick Nolte assumes his most personal role to date: that of a recovering alcoholic who can't seem to redeem himself in the eyes of his sons, or at the end of the day, himself. How did Nolte transform himself from a strapping TV miniseries rebel to a gravelly-voiced vet actor mirroring his own notorious demons onscreen?
You can always trace a direct line through a few important roles to illustrate what led to an actor's current success. As such, let's look at nine pivotal performances that track the evolution of Nick Nolte.
Rich Man, Poor Man (1976)
After studying acting with Stella Adler and honing his craft at the Pasadena Playhouse, the Nebraska native landed a number of bit television roles (Gunsmoke, Barnaby Jones, etc.) in the late '60s and early '70s before scoring his breakthrough role in the ABC miniseries adaptation of Irvin Shaw's best-selling novel. Here, Nolte played Tom Jordache, the rough, rebellious Jordache (in contrast to his "rich man" entrepreneur brother) who supported himself through boxing after World War II. For his part in this popular miniseries, Nolte earned his first Emmy nomination.
The Deep (1977)
Nolte's career gained momentum with his first major role in a feature film, The Deep, opposite Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Shaw. As one half of a beautiful, vacationing couple who discover buried treasure off the coast of Bermuda, Nolte proved he was capable of a solid lead performance -- even if this averagely-reviewed Peter Yates drama would be remembered mostly for Bisset's wet t-shirt scenes.
48 Hrs (1982)
After portraying real-life Beat Generation figure Neal Cassady in Heart Beat, an aging NFL player in North Dallas Forty and a marine-turned-heroin smuggler in Who'll Stop the Rain, Nolte took his first comedic role with 48 Hrs. As the hard-nosed badge to Eddie Murphy's wise-cracking convict, Nolte has said that he and his co-star (in Murphy's feature debut) improvised most of their scenes together. This Walter Hill film would be the most successful box office performer for Nolte and would go on to be considered the first "buddy cop" movie.
Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)
But it was in Down and Out in Beverly Hills -- which holds the distinction of being the first R-rated film released by Disney -- that critics, including Roger Ebert noted a transformation in Nolte. As Jerry Baskins, a Shakespeare-spouting bum sleeping in the 90210 zip code, his character is taken in by a kind family (Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midler) after he tries to drown himself in their pool. It is in this role, as a bearded street walker-turned-confidante to the wealthy that Nolte was able to distance himself from his "rugged good looks" and as Ebert said, "emerge as a weathered, older, attractive actor [who had] the materials to become a big-league star like Cooper or Gable." In related trivia, Nolte allegedly spent five weeks as a homeless person to prepare for this role.
The Prince of Tides (1991)
Five years later, Nolte would find himself in his most critically celebrated character (and title) yet in the Barbra Streisand-directed romantic drama The Prince of Tides. He stars as an unemployed, unhappy football coach who falls in love with the one person who can bring him joy in his time of despair -- his sister's therapist (Streisand). For this role (which he almost lost to Kevin Costner), Nolte won a Golden Globe for Best Actor and earned his first Oscar nomination, only to lose to Anthony Hopkins for The Silence of the Lambs.
Affliction (1997)
After a string of critical misses including Blue Chips, I Love Trouble (the Julia Roberts rom-com that he called the "worst film of his career;" Julia Roberts in turn called Nolte the worst actor she had ever worked with) and U Turn, Nick Nolte found success (and the only executive producer credit of his career) in Paul Schrader's devastating drama Affliction. Playing another blustery, personal crisis-stricken character -- this time around as small-town policeman Wade Whitehouse -- Nolte unravels mentally while investigating a hunting death in his economically depressed town and his anguished psyche. This would also mark the onscreen reunion between Nolte and his Heart Beat co-star Sissy Spacek. For what critics called "the performance of his career," Nolte earned his second Oscar nomination.
For that amazing (and sadly, unembeddable) toothache scene, click here.
That Infamous Mugshot (2002)
Was it so surprising that a man who could beautifully portray such broken characters onscreen had his own fractured personal life? Not really, but the harried mug shot that was made public in 2002 after the actor had been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving was shocking and became the butt of many late night jokes. Later, tests would show that Nolte was under the influence of GHB at the time of his arrest. The actor checked himself into a Connecticut hospital for counseling but would have to prove that he had recovered from abuse and addiction to reclaim his career.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
With the help of powerful supporting roles in Clean, Peaceful Warrior and especially Hotel Rwanda, Nolte was able to regain his career footing post-scandal. In Terry George's 2004 drama, Nolte co-starred as a Canadian colonel whose requests for intervention are ignored by the United Nations. The preciseness of this performance earned the actor, once again, critical praise.
Warrior (2011)
In his latest role, Nick Nolte again battles his demons onscreen, this time in Gavin O'Connor's tale of a father who desperately seeks forgiveness from his dueling MMA fighter sons. It is the kind of heartbreaking, multilayered performance we've grown to expect from Nolte after three decades of subtle, emotionally complex roles.