Nolte, Charles M.

Charles Miller Nolte was born on November 3, 1923 in Duluth, Minnesota. Nolte was the youngest of four siblings born to Julius Nolte and Mildred Miller. Mildred Miller was a creative amateur musician, and Julius Nolte was an acclaimed adult educator and Director of the Center for Continuing Education (1937-1943) and Director and Dean of the General Extension Division (1943-1963) at the University of Minnesota. Charles Nolte graduated from Wayzata High School in 1941 and performed summer stock at what later became Old Log Theatre. He enrolled at the University of Minnesota for two years, then enlisted in the United States Navy, serving as a pilot from 1943 until 1945. After leaving the Navy, Nolte enrolled at Yale University, graduating in 1947.

Nolte made his Broadway debut in a 1947 production of Antony and Cleopatra starring Katharine Cornell. Later roles included the title role in the 1951 Broadway production of Billy Budd, which garnered him critical attention and acclaim, followed by a co-starring role opposite Henry Fonda in the original 1954 production of The Caine Muntiny Court Martial .

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