Actor Nolte becomes father at 66

The screen star and his long-term partner Clytie Lane, 38, have yet to name their first child, according to his spokesman Paul Bloch.

Nolte, whose screen credits include the Prince of Tides, has a 21-year-old son, Brawley, by a previous marriage.

The two-time Oscar nominee is to voice a role in The Spiderwick Chronicles, and is currently working on Tropic Thunder, directed by Ben Stiller.

Relief

Nolte, whose other Academy Award nomination was Affliction in 1999, completed a three-year probation order in January 2006 for driving under the influence of drugs in 2002.

Photos of the actor looking bedraggled after his arrest were circulated, while police said he appeared to be "completely out of it".

The actor pleaded no contest to the charge and underwent treatment at a rehabilitation centre after sentencing.

He later said that the arrest came as a relief, marking an end to his substance abuse.