Charles Nolte
Encyclopedia
Charles Nolte was an American
actor
and educator.
and moved to Wayzata, Minnesota
with his family in the early 1930s. He graduated from Wayzata High School
in 1941 and performed in an acting company that later became Old Log Theater
. He studied at the University of Minnesota
for two years, then served in the United States Navy
from 1943 until 1945. Upon his return, he enrolled at Yale University
and majored in English with a minor in history.
Nolte made his Broadway
debut in a production of Antony and Cleopatra
, starring Katharine Cornell
and featuring Charlton Heston
, Maureen Stapleton
and Tony Randall
. But it was his role in the 1951 production of Billy Budd playing the title role that garnered him critical attention and acclaim. Nolte appeared in such films as War Paint, The Steel Cage, Ten Seconds to Hell
, and Under Ten Flags.
Nolte returned to the University of Minnesota
and earned his doctorate degree in 1966. He taught at the University of Minnesota
from the mid-1960s through the late 1990s. He wrote the play "Do Not Pass Go", which was produced off-Broadway
, and wrote the libretti
for two opera
s by Dominick Argento
, "The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe" and "Valentino."
In 2009, Nolte donated his personal papers including his journals, manuscripts, personal photographs, lecture notes and films to the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies
at the University of Minnesota
.
's Norma
. He had suffered from prostate cancer
two years before. He was 86. He is survived by his partner of over fifty years, Terry Kilburn
.
In a statement made by David Goldstein, "Even as he was getting weak a few days ago, he was laughing and joking. Charles was such a multifaceted person who loved to tell stories, and he did it in the theater and film and opera. Above all, he was a good person."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and educator.
Career
Nolte was born in Duluth, MinnesotaDuluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
and moved to Wayzata, Minnesota
Wayzata, Minnesota
Wayzata is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, a western suburb of Minneapolis. Wayzata came into existence in the center of Chief Shakopee's Indian village.-Early settlement:...
with his family in the early 1930s. He graduated from Wayzata High School
Wayzata High School
Wayzata High School is located in Plymouth, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The high school, operated by the Wayzata School District, has approximately 3,060 students in grades 9 to 12 , making it the largest secondary school by enrollment in Minnesota. It is also the largest Minnesota...
in 1941 and performed in an acting company that later became Old Log Theater
Old Log Theater
The Old Log Theater is the oldest professional theater in the state of Minnesota. It is sometimes cited as the oldest continuously operating professional theater in the United States, although other much older theaters such as the 200-year-old Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia would seem to...
. He studied at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
for two years, then served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
from 1943 until 1945. Upon his return, he enrolled at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and majored in English with a minor in history.
Nolte made his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in a production of Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
, starring Katharine Cornell
Katharine Cornell
Katharine Cornell was an American stage actress, writer, theater owner and producer. She was born to American parents and raised in Buffalo, New York.Cornell is known as the greatest American stage actress of the 20th century...
and featuring Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
, Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton was an American actress in film, theater and television.-Early life:Stapleton was born Lois Maureen Stapleton in Troy, New York, the daughter of Irene and John P. Stapleton, and grew up in a strict Irish American Catholic family...
and Tony Randall
Tony Randall
Tony Randall was a U.S. actor, comic, producer and director.-Early years:Randall was born Arthur Leonard Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Julia and Mogscha Rosenberg, an art and antiques dealer...
. But it was his role in the 1951 production of Billy Budd playing the title role that garnered him critical attention and acclaim. Nolte appeared in such films as War Paint, The Steel Cage, Ten Seconds to Hell
Ten Seconds to Hell
Ten Seconds To Hell is a 1959 British, American and German film directed by Robert Aldrich and based upon Lawrence P. Bachmann's novel, The Phoenix...
, and Under Ten Flags.
Nolte returned to the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
and earned his doctorate degree in 1966. He taught at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
from the mid-1960s through the late 1990s. He wrote the play "Do Not Pass Go", which was produced off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
, and wrote the libretti
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
for two opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s by Dominick Argento
Dominick Argento
Dominick Argento is an American composer, best known as a leading composer of lyric opera and choral music...
, "The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe" and "Valentino."
In 2009, Nolte donated his personal papers including his journals, manuscripts, personal photographs, lecture notes and films to the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies
Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies
The Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies is a collection of GLBT historical materials housed in the Special Collections and Rare Books section of the University of Minnesota Libraries, located underground in the Elmer L. Andersen...
at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
.
Death
According to long-time friend David Goldstein, Nolte died in Minneapolis listening to one of his favorite operas – a recording of Vincenzo BelliniVincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
's Norma
Norma (opera)
Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after Norma, ossia L'infanticidio by Alexandre Soumet. First produced at La Scala on December 26, 1831, it is generally regarded as an example of the supreme height of the bel canto tradition...
. He had suffered from prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
two years before. He was 86. He is survived by his partner of over fifty years, Terry Kilburn
Terry Kilburn
Terry Kilburn is an English-American former child actor. He is sometimes credited as Terence Kilburn or Terrance Kilburn.Kilburn was born in London in 1926...
.
In a statement made by David Goldstein, "Even as he was getting weak a few days ago, he was laughing and joking. Charles was such a multifaceted person who loved to tell stories, and he did it in the theater and film and opera. Above all, he was a good person."