Nick Nolte Comes Home to Omaha

Actor Nick Nolte returned to his hometown of Omaha this past weekend to attend his 50th reunion at Westside High School. Among the events he attended was the Friday night football game with Elkhorn (Westside won 21-14).

Nick Nolte became an actor after leaving his hometown. He became a model for print ads in Minneapolis. Later he would perform his first acting roles at the Pasadena Playhouse in California, and then in regional theater. His big break came when he was cast in Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) as Tommy Jordache. Among his many movies are 48 Hours (1982), Q&A (1990), Cape Fear (1991), and Tropic Thunder (2008). Nolte, a strong supporter of independent film, also appeared in The Beautiful Country (2004), Off the Black (2006), and Peaceful Warrior (2006). He turned down the role of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

“I never felt comfortable in real life very well,” says Nolte. “It's always been an awkward kind of thing for me and so when I hit the stage I just sensed freedom. I sensed here's a place that I can have all the experiences of life and not feel uncomfortable about it.”

Nolte is one of many accomplished actors who came of age in Omaha, including Fred Astaire, Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, Henry Fonda, Dorothy McGuire, and Swoosie Kurtz. Nolte lives in Malibu, California, and is currently at work on Warrior, in which he plays an alcoholic former boxer.