London-born character actor and stage director, paternal uncle of renowned filmmakers Christopher and Jonathan Nolan, boasts a rich theatrical background. He began his career in 1968, playing Clitus in Julius Caesar with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, followed by a two-year residency. Throughout his illustrious stage career, Nolan has appeared in most of William Shakespeare's plays, including The Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, The Merchant of Venice, and Measure for Measure.
Nolan has also led productions, such as the Dostoyevsky Trilogy for the Bristol Old Vic (1980-81) and Tennessee Williams' Small Craft Warnings at the Arcola Theatre in the East End of London, where he portrayed the character of Doc.
His screen debut was in 1967, and his first pivotal role was as the eponymous hero in a famous BBC adaptation of George Eliot's Daniel Deronda (1970). This led to more regular television work, including appearances in Doomwatch (1970) and Shabby Tiger (1973),a miniseries set in 1930s Manchester. He has also made numerous television guest appearances and has narrated documentaries.
Nolan's most notable screen roles include Douglas Fredericks in Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012),as well as his portrayal of Wayne Enterprise board member Douglas Fredericks. As a voice actor, he has appeared in advertisements on television and radio.
In 2011, Nolan landed the role of ex-MI-6 agent John Greer, the primary antagonist in the sci-fi drama Person of Interest. Greer was the operational head of Decima Technologies, a sinister covert organization serving Samaritan, an artificially intelligent mass surveillance computer system. The show was created by his nephew Jonathan Nolan, who praised his uncle's performance, stating that "the best bad guys are always English. That's just kind of a rule."
Since 1975, John Nolan has been married to Kim Hartman, best known for her role as Helga Geerhart in the popular BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo! (1982).
