Nick Offerman
Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He became widely known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015), for which he received the Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy and was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Nick Offerman | |
|---|---|
Offerman in May 2018 | |
| Born | Nicholas David Offerman June 26, 1970 Joliet, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (BFA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse | |
| Website | nickofferman |
Following the end of Parks and Recreation, Offerman appeared in the second season of the FX dark comedy-drama series Fargo (2015), for which he received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries. He also portrayed McDonald's co-founder Richard McDonald in The Founder (2016) and began co-hosting the NBC reality competition series Making It (2018–present) with Amy Poehler; the duo received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program.
Offerman's other work includes executive producing and starring in the film The House of Tomorrow (2017). He voiced Agent Powers on Gravity Falls (2012–2016) and has provided voice acting work for The Lego Movie franchise (2014–present), Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), Ice Age: Collision Course (2016), and the Sing film franchise (2016–present). He also hosted Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics (2020). He starred as Bill in the acclaimed third episode of the HBO series The Last of Us (2023), with some critics naming it potentially the best performance of his career.
Early life
Nicholas David Offerman was born in Joliet, Illinois, on June 26, 1970, the son of nurse Cathy (née Roberts) and social studies teacher Ric Offerman.[1] His father taught at a high school in Channahon.[2] Offerman was raised Catholic[3][4] in nearby Minooka,[5] where he attended Minooka Community High School.[6] He received a BFA from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign in 1993.[5] That year, he and a group of fellow students co-founded the Chicago theatre company Defiant Theatre.[5]
Career
Acting
Offerman lived in Chicago in the mid-1990s, where he participated with theater companies such as Steppenwolf, Goodman, and Wisdom Bridge. At Steppenwolf, he also worked as a fight choreographer and master carpenter.[7] During this time, Offerman became acquainted with Amy Poehler, who was heavily involved with the Chicago improv comedy scene.[5]
In 2003, he married Will & Grace actress Megan Mullally. Offerman has also appeared on her talk show, The Megan Mullally Show. At the same time, he began appearing on television as a plumber on Will & Grace on its fourth season's Thanksgiving episode, on The King of Queens, in three episodes of 24, and in an episode of The West Wing. Prior to Parks and Recreation, his most prominent role was as a factory worker and Benny Lopez's love interest Randy McGee on George Lopez. He appeared twice on Gilmore Girls, in 2003's "The Festival of Living Art" and 2005's "Always a Godmother, Never a God" and in the third-season episode of Monk, "Mr. Monk and the Election" as a helper for the campaign of Natalie Teeger. In 2007, Offerman co-starred in the Comedy Central series American Body Shop.
In 2009, The Office producers Michael Schur and Greg Daniels offered Offerman a regular supporting role in their NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation: that of Ron Swanson, the deadpan, government-hating, libertarian head of a city parks department and boss of Amy Poehler's character Leslie Knope.[5] Slate magazine declared Offerman "Parks and Recreation's secret weapon", and said he regularly stole scenes and "has a gift for understated physical comedy."[8] The role weaves antagonism and political philosophy with humanity, while the intense libertarian philosophy the character lives out is often played off against the equally intense social liberalism and "do-gooder" mentality of Poehler's character. Offerman said that supporting parts such as that of Parks and Recreation are his ideal roles, and that he draws particular inspiration from Reverend Jim Ignatowski, the character played by Christopher Lloyd in the sitcom Taxi.[5]
Offerman has also been featured in the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital with Rob Corddry and Rob Huebel. He is the voice of Axe Cop in the animated series of the same name that premiered on July 27, 2013.[9] In the same year, Offerman portrayed Johnny Cool in the "Boston" episode of Derek Waters' Drunk History on Comedy Central. In 2014, he portrayed a lovesick German talk show host in The Decemberists' video, Make You Better . The same year, he also appeared in a short film The Gunfighter directed by Eric Kissack. Nick played the role of the narrator of the film where the actors of the film break the fourth wall and are able to hear the narrator.[10]
Offerman can be seen on the big screen briefly as a construction worker in City of Angels (1998) and later in other films such as November (2004), Cursed (2005), Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005), Sin City (2005), The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) and The Kings of Summer (2013). He also appeared in the 2006 film Wristcutters: A Love Story as a cop who attempts to arrest Shannyn Sossamon's character, Mikal. 2012 saw him in two film roles, as 21 Jump Street's Deputy Chief Hardy and in Casa de Mi Padre as DEA Agent Parker. He reprised his role as Deputy Chief Hardy in 22 Jump Street two years later. Additionally, he starred in and produced an independent film, Somebody Up There Likes Me (2012), shot in Austin, Texas. He appeared in the 2013 comedy We're the Millers, which starred Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston, and voiced MetalBeard in The Lego Movie. Offerman conceived of and starred in punk band FIDLAR's 2013 video for their song "Cocaine".[11] Offerman also played an alcoholic college guidance counselor in Believe Me. Offerman played the recurring role Karl Weathers in the second season of Fargo (2015). Offerman voiced Grandpa Mike alongside wife Megan Mullally who voiced Grandma Linda in Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015). He portrayed the first establisher of McDonald's, Dick McDonald, in The Founder (2016). Offerman also starred in alternative rock band They Might Be Giants' 2018 video for their song "The Greatest".[12]
In 2023, Offerman appeared in the third episode of the HBO series The Last of Us as Bill. His performance, along with that of his co-star Murray Bartlett, was critically acclaimed, with some critics naming it a career-best performance, and Dais Johnston of Inverse labelled them as "Emmy-worthy".[13][14][15]
Woodworking
In addition to acting, Offerman is also a professional boat builder and has a side business as a wood craftsman. Offerman makes furniture and other wooden structures such as canoes and boats at his woodshop.[16] He also released an instructional DVD in 2008 titled Fine Woodstrip Canoe Building with Nick Offerman, shot by Jimmy DiResta. DiResta's pay for shooting the DVD was a canoe, the second Offerman has built.[17] He has been featured in, and contributed articles to, the magazine Fine Woodworking.[18]
Writing
Offerman has released four semi-autobiographical publications: the first, Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living was released in 2013; his second, Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers, was released May 26, 2015; the third, Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop, was released October 18, 2016. His fourth book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside, was released October 12, 2021. He has also narrated all four as audiobooks.
Comedy tours
In 2017, Offerman launched his Full Bush Tour which consisted of 28 shows across the U.S. and Canada.[19] His All Rise Tour kicked off on July 20, 2019, in Thackerville and continued through the rest of 2019, hitting major cities: Chicago, San Francisco, Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, and Atlanta.
Theatre
In 2014, Offerman and Mullally starred alongside each other in the off-Broadway one-act play, Annapurna. The two play an estranged couple that reunites one last time.[20] In 2015, Offerman starred as Ignatius J. Reilly in a theatrical adaptation of A Confederacy of Dunces with the Huntington Theatre Company.[21]
Personal life
Offerman married actress Megan Mullally on September 20, 2003.[22] They met while co-starring in the play The Berlin Circle with the Evidence Room Theatre Company, and married after dating for 18 months.[23] They have worked together on series and films such as Will & Grace, Parks and Recreation, The Kings of Summer, Smashed, Hotel Transylvania 2, Bob's Burgers, and The Great North. They began a live comedy tour in 2016, the theme of which was their sex life.[24] In 2019, they started In Bed with Nick and Megan, a podcast discussing their personal lives while interviewing guests.[25][26]
When asked whether he is a libertarian like his character Ron Swanson, Offerman said in 2017, "While I admire the philosophy of the libertarian mindset, I think it's proven to be ineffectual in actual governance. So no, I'm not. I'm a free-thinking American."[27] He described Donald Trump as racist and sexist during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, but also mocked Trump's opponent Hillary Clinton for her private email controversy.[28] Upon voting in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, he tweeted a photo of himself with an "I Voted" sticker, adding the caption "#VoteWarren" in reference to Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren.[29] That year, he also tweeted his support for Democratic candidate Charles Booker in the U.S. Senate Democratic primary in Kentucky.[30]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Going All the Way | Wilks | |
| 1998 | City of Angels | Construction Worker | |
| 1999 | Treasure Island | Samuel | |
| 2000 | Groove | Sergeant Channahon | |
| 2002 | Murder by Numbers | Officer at Richard's House | |
| 2004 | November | Officer Roberts | |
| 2005 | Cursed | Officer | |
| Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous | Karl Steele | ||
| Sin City | Shlubb | ||
| 2006 | Wristcutters: A Love Story | Cop | |
| 2007 | The Go-Getter | Nick the Potter | |
| 2008 | Harmony & Me | Meter Maid Man | |
| 2009 | The Men Who Stare at Goats | Scotty Mercer | |
| Taking Chances | Sheriff Hoke Hollander | ||
| 2010 | Audrey the Trainwreck | David George | |
| All Good Things | Jim McCarthy | ||
| 2012 | Somebody Up There Likes Me | Sal | Also producer |
| Smashed | Dave Davies | ||
| 21 Jump Street | Deputy Chief Hardy | ||
| Casa de Mi Padre | DEA Agent Parker | ||
| 2013 | The Kings of Summer | Frank Toy | |
| In a World... | Heners | ||
| We're the Millers | Don Fitzgerald | ||
| Paradise | Mr. Mannerhelm | ||
| 2014 | Nick Offerman: American Ham | Himself | Stand-up film Also writer and executive producer |
| The Lego Movie | MetalBeard | Voice role | |
| Ernest & Celestine | George | Voice role; English dub | |
| Date and Switch | Terry | ||
| The Gunfighter | Narrator | Voice role; short film | |
| 22 Jump Street | Deputy Chief Hardy | ||
| Believe Me | Sean | ||
| 2015 | A Walk in the Woods | REI Dave | |
| Me and Earl and the Dying Girl | Victor Gaines | ||
| Knight of Cups | Scott | ||
| Danny Collins | Guy DeLoach | ||
| Welcome to Happiness | Moses | ||
| Hotel Transylvania 2 | Mike Loughran | Voice role | |
| 2016 | Ice Age: Collision Course | Gavin | |
| Sing | Norman | ||
| The Founder | Richard McDonald | ||
| 2017 | Gunter Babysits | Norman | Voice role; short film |
| The House of Tomorrow | Alan Whitcomb | Also executive producer | |
| The Little Hours | Lord Bruno | ||
| The Hero | Jeremy | ||
| My Life as a Courgette | Raymond | Voice role; English dub | |
| Infinity Baby | Neo | ||
| 2018 | Nostalgia | Henry Greer | |
| Hearts Beat Loud | Francis James "Frank" Fisher | ||
| Bad Times at the El Royale | Felix O'Kelly | ||
| White Fang | Marshal Weeden Scott | Voice role | |
| 2019 | The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part | MetalBeard | |
| Frances Ferguson | Narrator | ||
| Lucy in the Sky | Will Plimpton | ||
| 2020 | Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics | Himself | |
| Sacred Cow | Narrator | Voice role | |
| 2021 | Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans | Varvatos Vex | |
| Sing 2 | Norman | ||
| 2023 | Dumb Money | TBA | Post-production |
| 2024 | Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two | Sydney | Post-production |
| TBA | Candy Cane Lane | TBA | Filming |
| Caste | TBA | Filming | |
| The War On The Cane Toads[citation needed] | Henry Woodington |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | ER | Rog | Episode: "Ambush" |
| 1998 | Arliss | Packers Fan | Episode: "Fans First" |
| 1998 | Profiler | Bobby | Episode: "Double Vision" |
| 1998 | KaBlam! | Colonel Kudzu | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | The West Wing | Jerry | Episode: "The Crackpots and These Women" |
| 2001 | Will & Grace | Nick the Plumber | Episode: "Moveable Feast" |
| 2002 | The Practice | Charles Rossi | Episode: "Manifest Necessity" |
| 2003 | Good Morning Miami | Police Officer | Episode: "About a Ploy" |
| 2003 | 24 | Marcus | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | The King of Queens | The Man | Episode: "Thanks, Man" |
| 2001, 2003 | NYPD Blue | Steven Debrees / Billy | 2 episodes |
| 2003–2004 | George Lopez | Randy | 8 episodes |
| 2004 | Deadwood | Tom Mason | Episode: "Deep Water" |
| 2005 | Life on a Stick | Greg | Episode: "The Gods of TV" |
| 2005 | Monk | Jack Whitman | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Election" |
| 2003–2005 | Gilmore Girls | Beau Belleville | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | CSI: NY | Joe Green | Episodes: "Cool Hunter" |
| 2006 | 3 lbs | Dr. Coffey | Episodes: "Lost for Words" |
| 2007 | American Body Shop | Rob | 10 episodes |
| 2008–2015 | Childrens Hospital | Chance Briggs | 14 episodes |
| 2009–2015, 2020 | Parks and Recreation | Ron Swanson | 125 episodes TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy (2011) Nominated—TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy (2010) Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2011–2012) Writer (1 episode) Director (2 episodes) |
| 2012–2019 | Bob's Burgers | Cooper / Pete / Clem Clements (voices) | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | The Cleveland Show | Harris Grundle (voice) | Episode: "Tis the Cleveland to Be Sorry" |
| 2013 | Conan | Ron Burgundy | Episode: "Occupy Conan: When Outsourcing Goes Too Far" |
| 2013 | Out There | Doug (voice) | Episode: "Viking Days" |
| 2013 | Drunk History | Johnny Cool | Episode: "Boston" |
| 2013–2015 | Axe Cop | Axe Cop (voice) | 22 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2014 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Himself | Episode: "Nick Offerman Wears a Green Flannel Shirt & Brown Boots" |
| 2014 | Kroll Show | Vanya | Episode: "Krolling Around with Nick Klown" |
| 2014–2015 | Gravity Falls | Agent Powers (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2014, 2021 | The Simpsons | Captain Joseph Bowditch (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Sofia the First | Whiskers (voice) | Episode: "Winter's Gift" |
| 2014–2023 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | Guest actor and voice | 4 episodes[31][32][33] |
| 2015 | Fargo | Karl Weathers | 5 episodes Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries |
| 2015 | The Muppets | Himself | Episode: "Bear Left Then Bear Write" |
| 2015 | You, Me and the Apocalypse | Buddy | Episode: "Still Stuff Worth Fighting For" |
| 2015 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Frederick | Episode: "Ava" Offerman's voice appears in all 153 episodes in the production credits. He speaks the word "Fremulon", one of the 3 production companies |
| 2016 | Life in Pieces | Spencer | Episode: "Annulled Roommate Pill Shower" |
| 2016 | Son of Zorn | Dr. Klorpnis (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Comrade Detective | Captain Covaci (voice) | 5 episodes |
| 2017 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Cody Goodger | Episode: "Fatwa!" |
| 2018 | Will & Grace | Jackson Boudreaux | Episode: "Friends and Lover" |
| 2018–2021 | Making It | Himself (host) | 22 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program (2019–2020) |
| 2018–2019 | 3Below: Tales of Arcadia | Commander Varvatos Vex (voice) | 26 episodes |
| 2019 | Good Omens | Thaddeus Dowling | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | The Good Place | Nick Offerman | Episode: "Whenever You're Ready" |
| 2020 | Devs | Forest | Miniseries; 8 episodes |
| 2021–present | The Great North | Beef Tobin (voice) | Series regular |
| 2021 | History of Swear Words | Himself | 5 episodes |
| 2021 | Duncanville | Zeb (voice) | Episode: "Das Banana Boot" |
| 2021 | Colin in Black & White | Rick Kaepernick | 6 episodes |
| 2022 | Pam & Tommy | Uncle Miltie | Miniseries |
| 2022 | 37th Independent Spirit Awards | Himself (co-host) | Television special |
| 2022 | The Resort | Murray Thompson | Main role |
| 2022 | A League of Their Own | Dove Porter | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | The Last of Us | Bill | Episode: "Long, Long Time" |
| 2023 | Party Down | Dermott | Episode: "First Annual PI2A Symposium" |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | A Confederacy of Dunces | Ignatius Reilly | Huntington Theatre Company, Boston |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Club Dead[34] | Lewis Scudder |
| 2015 | Lego Dimensions | MetalBeard |
Theme park attractions
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Lego Movie: 4D - A New Adventure | MetalBeard (voice) |
References
- ^ "Local News", The Herald-News (Joliet), November 30, 2003.
- ^ Ken O'Brien (October 19, 1997). "Cast party: When NBC's "ER" drew a large national audience..." Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- ^ Rock 'n Roll Ghost. . Rocknrollghost.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Nick Offerman, deadpan man – Viewer Discretion". Boston.com. February 24, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f Ryan, Maureen (September 23, 2009). . Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ "Actor Nick Offerman calls for change to "Minooka Indians" Minooka High School mascot". Country Herald. June 16, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ Adams, Erik (June 21, 2012). . The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ Weiner, Jonah (December 2, 2009). "You Really Should Be Watching Parks and Recreation". Slate. from the original on February 2, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (January 8, 2013). "FOX RELEASES 'AXE COP' VOICE CAST, SETS SATURDAY ANIMATION DOMINATION HD PREMIERE". ScreenCrush. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ^ . Film Independent. 2014. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ "How Punk Band FIDLAR Recruited 'Parks and Rec' Star Nick Offerman for NSFW Video (Q&A)". hollywoodreporter.com. July 25, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
- ^ "The Greatest". tmbw.net. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- ^ Johnston, Dais (January 29, 2023). "'The Last of Us' Episode 3 Director Reveals the Secret Meaning Behind the Last Shot". Inverse. Bustle Digital Group. from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ^ Goodman, William (January 10, 2023). "HBO's 'The Last of Us' Season 1 Is a Triumph". Complex. Complex Networks. from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (January 10, 2023). "'The Last of Us': A Finer Version of 'The Walking Dead' and HBO's Next Big Hit". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "Offerman Woodshop". offermanwoodshop.com. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ . adamcarolla.com. January 14, 2011. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ "Nick Offerman". Fine Woodworking. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
- ^ ConcertFix. "Nick Offerman Tour Dates & Concert Tickets 2019". ConcertFix. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (April 22, 2014). "Watch Out: The Ex-Wife Has Arrived, and She's Got Lots of Baggage". The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- ^ Clay, Carolyn (November 20, 2015). "A 'Confederacy' Of Laughter At The Huntington". www.wbur.org. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ Fox, Jesse David. "The History of Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally's Awesome Marriage". Vulture. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
- ^ "Nick Offerman Talks Costarring With Wife Megan Mullally". HuffPost. May 29, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
- ^ Eakin, Marah (August 22, 2016). "Nick Offerman on middle-aged sex and what people get wrong about Ron Swanson". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ "The Naked Truth About Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally's Enviable Love Story". E! Online. June 26, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ . www.earwolf.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
- ^ Nick Offerman Replies to Fans on the Internet | Actually Me | GQ. GQ. June 28, 2017. from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ McDermott, Maeve. "Nick Offerman turned the Webbys into a Donald Trump roast". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
- ^ Seipel, Brooke (March 3, 2020). "Nick Offerman says he voted for Warren, posts photo outside 'Pawnee' city hall". The Hill. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Offerman, Nick [@Nick_Offerman] (June 12, 2020). "Well, @Booker4KY seems like the right call - the KY farmers I know also prefer his policy t.co/BaZ4eeb4iB" (Tweet). from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: State Legislatures and ALEC (HBO). YouTube. November 2, 2014. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
- ^ Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Sex Education (HBO). YouTube. August 9, 2015. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
- ^ "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver episode (season 9, episode 28) - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ Club Dead, retrieved July 13, 2020
External links
- Official website
- Nick Offerman at IMDb
- Nick Offerman at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Nick Offerman on Twitter