Q:

Has there ever been a plane not controlled from the nose?

Has there ever been an airplane where the pilot, or cockpit were not located near the nose of the airplane? 

A:

The de Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth put the passenger cabin and engine in front of the pilot

Author: RuthAS, source: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported licence.

A:

NASA added a second cockpit to their Boeing 737-100, located in the forward cabin. 
History is a bit patchy, but I believe this was initially to see if it was possible to fly the plane by camera. This might be required by a supersonic design where windows would be impossible (also known as a 'virtual cockpit'). I understand it has been used for all sort of experiments since then.

NASA 515 is the first B-737 built. First used by Boeing to qualify the 737 for airline service, the prototype 737 has since been heavily modified by NASA. It has two separate cockpits - a conventional B-737 forward cockpit providing operational support and safety backup, and an operational research flight deck positioned behind in what was the aircraft's first-class cabin section.

The full list of projects involving this aircraft are listed on their website.

Credits: NASA

Credits: Museum of Flight

A:

Some of the Gee Bee racing planes are obvious candidates. In fact, in one of them the pilot was right next to the tail:
Gee Bee Model R

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
It needs no guessing that the Gee Bee planes were explicitly attempts at shoving the most powerful engine into the smallest and lightest possible air-frame, with the pilot tucked in somewhere. This philosophy, their handling characteristics, and several serious injuries and deadly accidents meant that the models acquired a reputation for being death traps.

