After receiving poor grades at college and being kicked out, Nick Nolte turned his head to the movie industry. He soon moved to Los Angeles and began studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse and the Stella Adler Institute. Before he knew it, he was working as guest star roles on TV and a new career was developing nicely.

His career was kickstarted when he received a breakthrough role, being cast as a lead in the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. When the series gained a very impressive 23 well-deserved Emmy nominations, Nolte was among some of his co-stars to also receive nominations for their performance, and the world fell in love with his talent.

His first movie was The Deep, which everyone already expected to be a hit, seeing as it was based on a novel by Peter Benchley, the writer of the iconic blockbuster, Jaws. Throughout his incredible career, Nolte has received three Oscar nominations, one Emmy nomination, and an outstanding five Golden Globe nominations. He soon stepped it up a mark when he won a Golden Globe for his performance in The Prince of Tides. In celebration of his talents, let's take a look at some of his best movies.

6 Under Fire

Under Fire with Nick Nolte
Orion Pictures

Set during the final days of the Nicaraguan Revolution that ended the Somoza regime in 1979, the 1983 political thriller Under Fire (starring Nolte alongside Gene Hackman and Joanna Cassidy) follows a pair of news correspondents who find themselves under fire from every angle.

Related: Best Movies About Journalism, Ranked

When a news reporter is killed, two other journalists take it upon themselves to join the revolution. However, they face various dilemmas, not only in their profession but also their relationship to each other. The film received positive reviews and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Editing.

5 Cape Fear

Cape Fear with Nick Nolte
Universal Pictures

The psychological thriller Cape Fear is a remake of the original 1962 film of the same name, which was based on John D. MacDonald's 1957 novel, The Executioners. When evidence that could free the accused sex offender and statutory rapist Max Cady (a terrifying Robert De Niro), is withheld by attorney Sam Bowden (Nolte), Max ends up spending an unnecessary 14 years in prison.

Upon his release, he dedicates his time to stalking and destroying not only Bowden but his entire family. Using his new knowledge of the law, he discovers loopholes and seeks vengeance against him. However, as Sam attempts to protect his family, he is forced to once again turn a blind eye to the law, as there is simply no other way. Unlike most remakes, Martin Scorsese's excellent film was a big success and received various awards for being a tense and spine-chilling, captivating storyline.

4 48 Hrs.

48 Hrs with Nick Nolte
Paramount Pictures

48 Hrs. is a 1982 buddy cop, action-comedy film directed by Walter Hill. Nolte stars alongside Eddie Murphy in an unusual pairing, a cop and a convict. When cop Jack Cates (Nolte) releases robber Reggie Hammond (Murphy) from prison on a 48-hour leave, he requires his help to catch his old partner, Albert Ganz, who has gone on a mass killing spree as he searches for half a million dollars that has mysteriously gone missing after a robbery.

Hammond might be enjoying his freedom, but for Cates, 48-hours isn't a long time to catch a criminal. The film has since been credited as being one of the first in the buddy cop subgenre and was one of the most commercially successful films of 1982.

3 Affliction

Affliction with Nick Nolte
Summit Entertainment

Based on Russell Banks' 1989 novel of the same name, the 1997 neo-noir crime drama Affliction premiered at the 54th Venice International Film Festival. Police officer Wade Whitehouse (Nolte) struggles with his difficult past, abusive father (Robert Duvall), and an ex-wife, but he has a chance to turn his life around when a hunting guide, Jack Hewitt, reports the death of a businessman, claiming it was accidental on a hunting trip.

However, Wade believes that he can prove it was murder, but when his investigation turns to obsession, he quickly loses sight of the end goal, and may very well lose his mind. Nolte's performance in this haunting Paul Schrader film was greatly praised, and at the Academy Awards, he was nominated for Best Actor.

2 The Thin Red Line

The Thin Red Line with Nick Nolte
20th Century Fox

The Thin Red Line is a 1998 epic war film written and directed by Terrence Malick. As the second screen adaptation of James Jones' 1962 novel of the same name, following the 1964 film, it tells a fictionalized version of the Battle of Mount Austen, which was part of the Guadalcanal Campaign in the Pacific Theater of World War II. The title of the novel (and film) came from a line in Rudyard Kipling's poem Tommy, where he calls British foot soldiers "the thin red line of heroes."

Related: Best World War II Movies of the 1990s, Ranked

The Thin Red Line tells the story of Private Witt, a U.S. Army absconder, who lives peacefully on a small South Pacific island. However, when he is discovered by his commanding officer, he is forced to resume his duty for the Battle of Guadalcanal. There, the American troops mount an assault on the Japanese.

Nolte, with his iconic line readings ("There's no god*amn way we're getting up that hill"), is just one of the myriad Hollywood stars here (George Clooney, John Cusack, Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, Woody Harrelson, Jared Leto, John Travolta, Jim Caviezel, and many more). With Malick's visually stunning cinematic poetry, the story explores our reactions and attitudes to life and death as humans and the horrifying consequences of war.

1 The Good Thief

The Good Thief with Nick Nolte
Momentum Pictures

The British-French crime comedy film The Good Thief, written and directed by Neil Jordan, is a remake of the original 1955 French film Bob le flambeur by Jean-Pierre Melville. When Bob (Nolte), a thief who has definitely seen better days, is struggling with a heroin addiction, on top of an ever-growing gambling addiction, he still believes that he has it in him to pull off one more theft.

So, as he plans an incredibly huge and risky heist of a Monte Carlo casino, he recruits a team of accomplices to help him outsmart the local police chief and get away with it. Despite his efforts, the chief is definitely onto Bob, but he doesn't quite know what to expect — does he figure it out or does Bob succeed on his final mission and get away with millions? The Good Thief is an infinitely charming film that shows how to do a remake the right way.