Nick Nolte names his favourite movie of all time
Some actors simply do not get the credit they deserve, especially when they haven’t been in the spotlight in recent years. Over the years, the likes of Donald Pleasence, Omar Sharif, Ian Holm, William H. Macy, Terence Stamp and Nick Nolte have lit up the silver screen, yet have never truly seen their names showcased in lights, having to settle for supporting roles and mere acting nominations.
Whilst Nolte is certainly appreciated and revered in the industry, he arguably never got the plaudits he was worthy of, being nominated for three Academy Awards throughout his ongoing career. Starring in several TV series throughout the 1970s to kick off his career, Nolte’s first big break came in 1978 with the release of the Karel Reisz Vietnam War movie Dog Soldiers.
In the coming decades, it was Martin Scorsese who would help to elevate Nolte as a performer, with the pair collaborating for the 1989 film New York Stories and the 1991 adaptation of John D. MacDonald’s Cape Fear. Then, just one year later, he would enjoy working with Robert Altman on the film The Player as well as Barbra Streisand in The Prince of Tides, earning his first Oscar nomination for his performance in the latter.
Further Oscar nods came in 1999 for his role in the Paul Schrader film Affliction, and in 2012, when he picked up an unlikely ‘Best Supporting Actor’ nomination for the sports drama Warrior.
It was during the release of his 2012 film, where he played the father of two warring brothers, played by Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy that Nolte sat down with MTV to discuss his favourite movie of all time.
“Probably Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” Nolte stated, with little hesitation, “Because my first wife thought it was such a horrible film. She was 10 years older than I was and she thought it was an almost religious insult to allow the atomic bomb to go off and ride it down…She didn’t think it was funny. She was horrified by it”.
Released in 1964, Dr. Strangelove is Kubrick’s greatest comedy, telling the story of a group of army generals and politicians who are hopelessly trying to prevent a nuclear war. Starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden and James Earl Jones, Kubrick’s movie is a favourite of many filmmakers and actors from across the globe, including the Coen brothers, who have long been influenced by the film.
Nolte clashed with actor Julia Roberts in the 1994 movie I Love Trouble, with the female actor stating that her co-star was “disgusting”. “From the moment I met him, we sort of gave each other a hard time, and naturally, we get on each other’s nerves,” she stated in an old interview, “[While he can be] completely charming and very nice, he’s also completely disgusting. He’s going to hate me for saying this, but he seems to go out of his way to repel people. He’s a kick”.
Take a look at the trailer for Nolte’s favourite movie, Dr. Strangelove, below.
