Actor. Been called a "hulking Woody Allen". Noted for being a rebelious, strong character, an alcoholic at some point and I read somewhere than one of the leading ladies in one of his films claimed that he smelled really bad.

His bio from moviething.com:

Nick Nolte should be in jail right now, if not for a suspended sentence. At the age of 21, he was caught selling phony draft cards. Nolte has come a long way from those days, but in many respects he is still a rebel, bucking trends but managing to still hold leading man status in Hollywood. He has a penchant for playing tough talking alpha males, but is also able to exhibit an emotional depth that catches you by surprise no matter how many times you may see it.

Nolte got his start in theater, working on small local productions before being cast in a string of television movies. He hit an early high when he was nominated for an Emmy for the 1976 miniseries, Rich Man, Poor Man.

He put his television success behind him and moved onto the big screen, where he continues to work steadily to his day. Nolte struggled somewhat in the 1980s; it seemed that for every good film he made, he made two bad ones. He drank a lot and became a barely functioning alcoholic.

By the early 1990s, Nolte finally seemed to have his life in order - and that was demonstrated in the newfound quality of his work, as well as in the steady stream of hits. It all started with The Prince of Tides, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of a man who lets his psychiatrist (played by Barbra Streisand), into his secretive heart. Nolte followed up with a remake of Cape Fear, taking on the Gregory Peck role, to be terrorized by Robert De Niro.

Since then, Nolte has continued to work steadily, with nary a misstep. The caliber of his acting has only gotten better with age, and it was only fitting that in 1998 he was again nominated for an Academy Award, this time for the film Affliction. Many people thought he was the favorite going into the race, but it would be Roberto Benigni who would come out on top. He will soon be seen in Breakfast of Champions, based on the book by Kurt Vonnegut.