Nick Nolte is one of the distinctly unique actors to work in Hollywood over the past five decades. The gruff-spoken everyman has played leading and supporting roles in equal measure, dating back to his screen debut on television in 1969. After a half-dozen years honing his craft on the small screen, Nolte made his big-screen debut in 1975 via The Return of Macon County.
Since then, Nolte has amassed more than 100 acting credits, earning three Oscar nominations for his work in The Prince of Tides, Affliction, and Warrior. In addition to The Mandalorian, Nolte can currently be seen on the TV series Paradise Lost. As for the big screen, here are Nick Nolte's 10 best movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
North Dallas Forty (1979) 83%
Based on the Peter Gent novel, North Dallas Forty stars Nolte as an aging football player named Phillip Elliot who finds his life outside the playing field more difficult than the game he grew up loving.
Directed by Ted Kotcheff, the film revolves around the fictional pro football team called the North Dallas Bulls. Once prominent wide-receiver Phil Elliot struggles with age and attrition, leading to a destructive addiction to painkillers. While trying to maintain his star status on the field, a wild atmosphere of sex, drugs, and alcohol threatens to undermine his success.
Warrior (2011) 83%
Nolte earned his third and most-recent Oscar nod for his performance as Paddy Conlon in Warrior, a drunk Irish father whose two diametrically opposed sons are on a brutal collision course of mixed martial arts.
Upon returning home from a tour of duty as a U.S. Marine, Tommy Conlon (Tom Hardy) takes out his PTSD-ridden frustrations by training to become an MMA fighter with his father, Paddy. Tommy's older brother Brendan (Joel Edgerton) is a former MMA fighter who returns to the ring following a failed teaching position. The two brothers enter an MMA tournament and defeat everyone in their path before facing each other for the championship belt.
Q & A (1990) 87%
In Sidney Lumet's crime-thriller Q & A, Nolte plays a corrupt police officer named Mike Brennan. When Mike murders a man with a bullet and plants a gun on his dead body, a rookie assistant D.A. named Al Reilly (Timothy Hutton) is assigned to the case.
Upon a series of questions and answers, Mike's story doesn't quite hold up in the eyes of Reilly. As the young assistant D.A. continues to interrogate Mike, more bodies involved in the case begin to pile up.
Paris Je T'aime (2006) 87%
In the 20-part international anthology film celebrating the city of Paris, Nolte appears in the segment directed by Alfonso Cuaron called Parc Monceau. The segment was filmed in one long continuous shot.
Set in the 17th Arrondissement of the city, the vignette follows an older man (Nolte) and a younger woman (Ludivine Sagnier) who meet for a secret rendezvous. When it becomes clear the meeting upsets another young lady, it is slowly revealed that the second young lady is the man's daughter.
Affliction (1997) 88%
Nolte scored the second Academy Award nomination for his performance in Paul Schrader's Affliction. Nolte's co-star James Coburn did win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in the film.
Set against the backdrop fo a mysterious hunting accident, small-town cop Wade Whitehouse (Nolte) investigates the tragedy for wrongdoing. With a splitting toothache and his father's deep-rooted oppression, Wade slowly loses his grip on his sanity as he suffers a major midlife meltdown.
Under Fire (1983) 90%
In Under Fire, Nolte plays photographer Russell Price, who is assigned to cover the Nicaraguan Revolution of 1979. While witnessing unspeakable atrocities in South America, Price becomes entangled in a love triangle with his journalist accomplices Alex (Gene Hackman) and Claire (Joanna Cassidy).
Also starring Ed Harris and Richard Masur, the film earned composer Jerry Goldsmith an Oscar and Golden Globe nod for Best Original Score.
This So-Called Disaster (2004) 90%
Directed by Michael Almereyda, This So-Called Disaster is a documentary account of Sam Shepard's self-produced stage play The Late Henry Moss.
The behind-the-scenes documentary features Nolte, Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson, Cheech Marin, Sheila Tousey, James Gammon, and T Bone Burnett as they prepare, rehearse, and collaborate on The Late Henry Moss with Shepard prior to opening night. Nolte and Penn play the leads in the play about two brothers who reunite upon the discovery of their father's corpse.
Hotel Rwanda (2004) 91%
Terry George's Hotel Rwanda traces the real-life humanitarian tragedy that befell the African region in 1994. The film is centered on Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), a hotelier who gave refuge to thousands of Tutsis fleeing the violent and oppressive Hutu regime.
In addition to its high Rotten Tomatoes score, the film currently ranks #224 on IMDB's Top 250, with an 8.1/10 rating. The film earned three Oscar nominations, including Best Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress (Sophie Okonedo), and Lead Actor (Cheadle).
Lorenzo's Oil (1992) 92%
In George Miller's medical drama Lorenzo's Oil, Nolte plays the loving father of a young boy diagnosed with an incurable rare disease. Along with his wife Michaela (Susan Sarandon), Augusto Odone (Nolte) sets out to find a cure on their own when doctors prove ineffective.
The film earned Oscar nods for Susan Sarandon as Best Leading Actress and Best Original Screenplay for George Miller and co-writer Nick Enright. Peter Ustinov, Margo Martindale, and James Rebhorn co-star.
48 HRS. (1982) 93%
The highest-rated film of Nick Nolte's career thus far, per Rotten Tomatoes, belongs to Walter Hill's classic 80s buddy-cop action-comedy 48 Hours.
Alongside Eddie Murphy, Nolte stars as a gruff take no-nonsense San Francisco cop who reluctantly partners with smart-alec conman Reggie Hammond (Murphy) to bring down a drug dealer. As the two men bicker over racial disparities, they must overcome their personal issues and work together for the greater good. Murphy scored a Golden Globe nod for New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture.