Veteran actor Nick Nolte has just turned 80 years old, and fans are celebrating the occasion with a barrage of tribute posts online. For over five decades, Nolte has been appearing in a large variety of movies and TV shows with dozens and dozens of roles to his name. The Hollywood star has built himself up a nice fan base along the way, and in honor of his milestone birthday, fans are looking back at Nolte's incredible career.

"Happy 80th birthday to legendary American actor Nick Nolte," says one fan, posting a collage of some of Nolte's most memorable roles.

"Happy 80th Birthday to noted Hollywood Hunk Nick Nolte!" another fan tweets, including a couple magazine covers from Nolte's past - including a 1992 edition of People magazine naming him as the Sexiest Man Alive.

Posting the movie posters for Mulholland Drive and Q&A, another tweet reads, "Happy 80th birthday to Nick Nolte. Here are two of my favourite movies of his."

"Happy 80th Birthday to Nick Nolte who was so moving in the magnificent Prince of Tides," says another, added a video of a scene featuring Nolte from Barbra Streisand's 1991 movie The Prince of Tides.

Another tweet from a fan states, "I like the bit in JAMES ELLROY'S FEAST OF DEATH when Ellroy is sitting in that back room with a bunch of LAPD homicide detectives, and suddenly Nick Nolte walks in and sits in the corner to wait because he and Ellroy are going out later. Happy birthday, Nick Nolte!"

And movie critic Matt Zoller Seitz might have tweeted one of the best birthday posts of them all with a video of himself delivering a rather amusing impression of Nolte while acknowledging his 80th birthday. Using his best Nick Nolte voice, Seitz encourages viewers to watch one of the actor's movies today to celebrate the occasion.

With so many good roles in his body of work, there's any number of places where fans might remember Nolte best. Alongside Eddie Murphy, he vastly entertained in the action-comedy movie 48 Hours and its sequel Another 48 Hours. Martin Scorsese fans may also appreciate Nolte for his starring role opposite Robert De Niro in the hit 1991 movie Cape Fear. Some of his other many big roles include Blue Chips, The Thin Red Line, Hotel Rwanda, Tropic Thunder, and Angel Has Fallen.

During his long and amazing career, Nolte has also garnered immense critical acclaim throughout the decades. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama for The Prince of Tides, the same role that also put him up for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. He was also nominated for Oscars for his roles in Affliction and Warrior. More recently, he was again nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Series Musical or Comedy for the TV series Graves.

Whatever Nick is doing to celebrate his big day, we're wishing him all the best as he turns 80 years old. With no shortage of titles to choose from, today also makes a great day to pop in a Nick Nolte movie or two in honor of the Oscar-winning actor. Happy birthday, Nick!