Nolte was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Frank Nolte, a farmer's son and an itinerant irrigation pump salesman of German descent, was an All-American candidate at Iowa State in 1934. His mother, Helen King, was a department store buyer; her father invented the hollow-tile silo and was prominent in early aviation. Nolte's maternal grandmother ran the student union at Iowa State University.

Nolte was educated at Omaha Benson High School and Westside High School, Omaha; Arizona State University (on a football scholarship); Eastern Arizona College, Thatcher, Arizona; and Phoenix College, Phoenix, Arizona. Poor grades eventually ended his studies, at which point his career in theatre began in earnest. After stints at the Pasadena Playhouse and Stella Adler's Academy in Los Angeles Nolte spent several years travelling the country and working in regional theaters. In 1962, Nolte was given five years probation for selling fake draft cards.

He has a lengthy screen career, including parts in B-movies and television films. Nolte has starred in over 40 films playing a wide variety of characters. Diversity of character is Nolte's signature of his film career. He is known for his trademark athleticism and gravel-voiced characters. According to a written note owned by Richard Donner, Nolte was the first choice to play Superman in the 1978 film starring Christopher Reeve.

Nolte has been a heavy drinker. Katharine Hepburn remarked about him falling down drunk in every gutter in town, to which Nolte replied, "I've got a few to go yet". He has been working on achieving sobriety since 1990.

Nolte had a drug problem, but a subsequent rehabilitation helped his career. He received help at the Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut after being arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in Malibu, California. Tests showed the influence of GHB which he had unknowingly ingested and his infamous mug shot was posted on The Smoking Gun web site. He still smokes cigarettes. Nick is staying youthful by a regimen of vitamins and eating organic food only.

He has been involved with Sheila Page, Karen Louise Eklund, Sharyn Haddad, Debra Winger, Vicki Lewis, and Rebecca Linger. He is currently divorced. Nolte has an older sister, Nancy, who was an executive for the Red Cross. Nolte had a son with Rebecca Linger, Brawley King Nolte. The son is also an actor, having prominently featured as Mel Gibson's kidnapped son in the 1996 film Ransom.

Nick Nolte currently resides in Malibu, California.

    "Early on in my film career, when I started getting interviewed, I decided I was going to lie to the press, since I didn't think I had anything to say that was really of value. Over the years, I've just lied about a lot of things...I've sometimes found it a little difficult to know who I am. And when the media insisted on finding out, I just flat-out told a lot of different stories. When I did North Dallas Forty, I invented this history that I'd played college football. One year, I told some reporter that my first wife, who I had recently divorced, had been a high-wire performer in the circus. It ended up in a national magazine. She called me up and said, "Nick, why would you say a thing like that?"
    - Nick Nolte

    "Oh, the Wild Man. Yeah. I might have cultivated that for awhile. It doesn't necessarily make good press, but it gives them something to go by."
    - Nick Nolte

    1991 - Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Actor, The Prince of Tides
    1991 - Golden Globe: Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), The Prince of Tides
    1992 - Chosen as People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive
    1998 - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Actor, Affliction
    1998 - National Society of Film Critics - Best Actor, Affliction