Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#1871
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Nick Nolte represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 49 years in, and Nick is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Nick Nolte appears in 38 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Nick. Warrior is the clearest case: a film rated 7.8 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for crime, thriller, drama. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Bart Layton, Sam Macaroni, Ric Roman Waugh and others, Nick Nolte helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Warrior (2011) as Paddy Conlon · Hotel Rwanda (2004) as Colonel Oliver · The Thin Red Line (1998) as Lt. Col. Gordon Tall
Career snapshot
Ranked #1871 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
38
1977–2026
Career length
49 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
7.8
Warrior
Average Nutevio score
6.3
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
7.8
Warrior
Most frequent director
Walter Hill
3 films together
Longest collaboration
3×
With Walter Hill
Most common genre
Drama
22 titles
Average runtime
1h 53m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
7.0
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.8
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2000s
6.7 average MV
The 2000s are where the work and the material meet. Tropic Thunder, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Over the Hedge — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2000s
6.7
Across 6 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2000s
6.7
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1970s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. The Deep.
Most productive era
2010s
15 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | — | 6.43 films | 6.86 films | 7.03 films | 6.38 films | 6.02 films |
| Action | — | 6.52 films | 6.01 film | 6.22 films | 6.27 films | 5.01 film |
| Thriller | 6.21 film | 6.31 film | 6.65 films | — | 6.35 films | 6.02 films |
| Comedy | — | 6.52 films | 6.62 films | 6.72 films | 5.55 films | — |
| Crime | — | 6.52 films | 6.65 films | — | 6.33 films | 7.01 film |
| Romance | — | 6.21 film | 6.61 film | 6.81 film | 5.52 films | — |
| Horror | — | — | 6.11 film | — | — | — |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
1977The Deep
Where our catalogue meets this career, as David Sanders.
Highest rated performance · Career peak
2011Warrior
7.8 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2026Crime 101
The current state of the argument, as Money.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
38 of 38 films
as Paddy Conlon
Directed by Gavin O'Connor
as Colonel Oliver
Directed by Terry George
as Lt. Col. Gordon Tall
Directed by Terrence Malick
as Sam Bowden
Directed by Martin Scorsese
as Russell Price
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Paddy Conlon
Warrior (2011)
Performance score8.1
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Paddy Conlon gives Nick Nolte a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Colonel Oliver
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Performance score7.9
Hotel Rwanda asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Colonel Oliver is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Lt. Col. Gordon Tall
The Thin Red Line (1998)
Performance score7.7
The Thin Red Line asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Lt. Col. Gordon Tall is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Sam Bowden
Cape Fear (1991)
Performance score7.6
Cape Fear asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Sam Bowden is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Paddy Conlon
Start here. Warrior is the clearest statement of what Nick Nolte does — accessible, 140 minutes, and rated 7.8 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Nick at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Under Fire (1983)
Keeps the drama register of Warrior but asks for a colder reading of it.
Cape Fear (1991)
Keeps the drama register of Under Fire but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Thin Red Line (1998)
Keeps the drama register of Cape Fear but asks for a colder reading of it.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Keeps the war register of The Thin Red Line but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Walter Hill
Director
3 films together
Notably 48 Hrs.
Frank Coraci
Director
2 films together
Notably Zookeeper
Peter Yates
Director
1 film together
Notably The Deep
Roger Spottiswoode
Director
1 film together
Notably Under Fire
Francis Ford Coppola
Director
1 film together
Notably New York Stories
Martin Scorsese
Director
1 film together
Notably Cape Fear
Robert Altman
Director
1 film together
Notably The Player
Lee Tamahori
Director
1 film together
Notably Mulholland Falls
Oliver Stone
Director
1 film together
Notably U Turn
Ole Bornedal
Director
1 film together
Notably Nightwatch
Terrence Malick
Director
1 film together
Notably The Thin Red Line
Ang Lee
Director
1 film together
Notably Hulk
Terry George
Director
1 film together
Notably Hotel Rwanda
Joel Coen
Director
1 film together
Notably Paris Je T'aime
Karey Kirkpatrick
Director
1 film together
Notably Over the Hedge
Mark Waters
Director
1 film together
Notably The Spiderwick Chronicles
Ben Stiller
Director
1 film together
Notably Tropic Thunder
Brad Peyton
Director
1 film together
Notably Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Jason Winer
Director
1 film together
Notably Arthur
Gavin O'Connor
Director
1 film together
Notably Warrior
Robert Redford
Director
1 film together
Notably The Company You Keep
Ruben Fleischer
Director
1 film together
Notably Gangster Squad
Taylor Hackford
Director
1 film together
Notably Parker
Karen Moncrieff
Director
1 film together
Notably The Trials of Cate McCall
Liza Johnson
Director
1 film together
Notably Hateship Loveship
Darren Aronofsky
Director
1 film together
Notably Noah
Ken Kwapis
Director
1 film together
Notably A Walk in the Woods
Jaume Collet-Serra
Director
1 film together
Notably Run All Night
Ric Roman Waugh
Director
1 film together
Notably Angel Has Fallen
Sam Macaroni
Director
1 film together
Notably Blackout
Bart Layton
Director
1 film together
Notably Crime 101
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Walter Hill
Director
3 films together · 6.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
48 Hrs.Frank Coraci
Director
2 films together · 5.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
ZookeeperGavin O'Connor
Director
1 film together · 7.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
WarriorTerry George
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Hotel RwandaTerrence Malick
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Thin Red LineMartin Scorsese
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Cape FearRobert Altman
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The PlayerBart Layton
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Crime 101Joel Coen
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Paris Je T'aimeBen Stiller
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Tropic ThunderMark Waters
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Spiderwick ChroniclesKarey Kirkpatrick
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Over the HedgeRoger Spottiswoode
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Under FireRic Roman Waugh
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Angel Has FallenOliver Stone
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
U TurnJaume Collet-Serra
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Run All NightKaren Moncrieff
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Trials of Cate McCallRuben Fleischer
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Gangster SquadRobert Redford
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Company You KeepFrancis Ford Coppola
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
New York StoriesPeter Yates
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The DeepKen Kwapis
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
A Walk in the WoodsTaylor Hackford
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ParkerOle Bornedal
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
NightwatchLee Tamahori
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Mulholland FallsLiza Johnson
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Hateship LoveshipDarren Aronofsky
Director
1 film together · 5.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
NoahJason Winer
Director
1 film together · 5.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ArthurAng Lee
Director
1 film together · 5.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
HulkBrad Peyton
Director
1 film together · 5.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty GaloreSam Macaroni
Director
1 film together · 5.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
BlackoutSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Warrior
as Paddy Conlon
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Paris Je T'aime
as Vincent (Parc Monceau)
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Warrior
as Paddy Conlon
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
The Player
as Nick Nolte
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Warrior
as Paddy Conlon
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Nick Nolte has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
49 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Drama Legend
Awarded
22 catalogue titles in drama, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
The Player
as Nick Nolte
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
The Player
as Nick Nolte
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
The Spiderwick Chronicles
as Mulgarath
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Nightwatch
as Inspector Cray
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Warrior
as Paddy Conlon
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Blackout
as Ethan McCoy
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
The Spiderwick Chronicles
as Mulgarath
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
The Deep
as David Sanders
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
Matt Damon
Works with the same directors — Martin Scorsese
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Leonardo DiCaprio
Works with the same directors — Martin Scorsese
Robert De Niro
Works with the same directors — Martin Scorsese
Have your say
Community
Which Nick Nolte performance holds up best?
Our readers argue about this one. Make your case, or read the ranked debate already in progress.
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Reference
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