Charles Nolte

Charles Nolte (November 3, 1923 – January 14, 2010) was an American stage and film actor, director, playwright, and educator.

Charles Nolte
Nolte as the title character in the 1951 Broadway production of Billy Budd
Born(1923-11-03)November 3, 1923
Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedJanuary 14, 2010(2010-01-14) (aged 86)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1951–1961
Partner(s)Terry Kilburn
(195?–2010, his death)

Career

Nolte was born in Duluth, Minnesota 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.[1]

He 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 Broadway production of Billy Budd playing the title role that garnered him critical attention and acclaim.[2] He appeared in such films as War Paint (1953), The Steel Cage (1954), Ten Seconds to Hell (1959), and Under Ten Flags (1960).

He 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 librettos for two operas by Dominick Argento, The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe and Valentino.[1]

Personal life

Nolte's partner of over 50 years was British-American actor and director Terry Kilburn, who is best known internationally for his film work as a child actor in the late 1930s and early 1940s.[1] From 1970 to 1994 Kilburn was artistic director of Oakland University's Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester, Michigan,[3][4] which is Michigan's only LORT theatre, and presents classic plays, comedies and musicals. It is known for its annual production of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, which was adapted by Nolte.[5]

In 2009, Nolte donated his personal papers, including his journals, manuscripts, personal photographs, lecture notes, playbills, and films (DVDs and videos), to the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies at the University of Minnesota.

Nolte died in January 2010.[1]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1953War PaintCpl. Hamilton
1954The Steel CageFrank - Convict(segment "The Hostages")
1959Ten Seconds to HellDoctorUncredited
1960Under Ten FlagsUncredited
1961Armored CommandCapt. Swain(final film role)

References
  1. Preston, Rohan (January 15, 2010). "Actor, director, mentor Charles Nolte dies". Star-Tribune. Archived from the original on January 19, 2010.
  2. "Broadway Actor Charles Nolte Dies". EInsiders. January 2010.
  3. Jones, Kenneth (June 5, 2003). "After 36 years, Michigan's LORT Meadow Brook Theatre Closes; New Group Emerges". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21.
  4. Jones, Kenneth (March 25, 1999). "MI's Meadow Brook Theatre Will Lose Artistic Director Sherman in June". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2011-05-04.
  5. Calamia, Donald V. (December 7, 2006). "Happy holidays: A classic returns to Meadow Brook Theatre". Between the Lines (1449). Retrieved November 26, 2017.
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