He has earned three Academy Award nominations and has four decades’ worth of box-office hits and critical darlings under his belt, but Nick Nolte’s intense preparation and commitment to his craft have largely gone unheralded over the years. Nolte already had real-life football experience when it came to his breakout role in North Dallas Forty (1979), having played the game at the high school and college level, but he also spent extensive time with NFL players. For his role as the vagrant Jerr...