# Nick Sandow

Nick Sandow (born August 3, 1966) is an American character actor, writer, producer and director, best known for his role as Joe Caputo in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019).

## Early life

Of Italian descent, Sandow grew up in the Italian neighborhood of Van Nest in the Bronx. He moved to Manhattan around age 19 to study acting under William Esper Studio in the Two-Year Professional Actor Training Program and work in theater.

## Career

Sandow made his debut appearing in an episode of television series Law & Order in 1992 and worked as a bartender while taking small acting jobs in New York City. He appeared in a number of films, such as Grind (1997), A Brooklyn State of Mind (1998), Return to Paradise (1998) and On the Run (1999). Sandow performed in the 1999 off-Broadway production of Halfway Home. He played mobster Henry Hill in the 2001 made-for-television crime drama film, The Big Heist. Sandow guest-starred on New York Undercover, Third Watch, NYPD Blue, Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, How to Make It in America and Blue Bloods. He began his directing career in theater on Off-Off-Broadway directing Dark Yellow, Chicken and From Riverdale to Riverhead. In 2011 he directed the immigrant drama film, Ponies based on play with the same name.
In 2013, Sandow was cast in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black, as prison administrator Joe Caputo, was originally supposed to have been for a handful of episodes for the show's first season. Instead, his role was expanded during the second season, and Sandow was made a series regular with the start of the third season. He received three Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series with the cast. In 2015 he wrote, directed and acted in The Wannabe. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and later got a wider release. In 2017 he received News and Documentary Emmy Awards nomination for producing the documentary series, Time: The Kalief Browder Story. In 2021 he was regular cast member in the short-lived CBS crime drama series, Clarice.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | Hand Gun | Earl's Man Max | |
| 1996 | The Mouse | Shamster #1 | |
| 1996 | No Exit | Lenny Bentini | |
| 1997 | Arresting Gena | Paul | |
| 1997 | Grind | Lenny | |
| 1997 | One Night Stand | Mugger | |
| 1998 | A Brooklyn State of Mind | Vincent Stanco | |
| 1998 | No Looking Back | Goldie | |
| 1998 | Come To | Johnny | Short film |
| 1998 | Return to Paradise | Ravitch | |
| 1998 | Living Out Loud | Santi's Man | |
| 1999 | On the Run | Jack | |
| 1999 | Uninvited | Ed | |
| 2000 | The Day the Ponies Come Back | Joey | |
| 2001 | The Big Heist | Henry Hill | TV film |
| 2001 | Plan B | Tommy | |
| 2001 | Dust | White Trash | |
| 2001 | New Port South | Armstrong | |
| 2002 | Swimfan | Detective John Zabel | |
| 2004 | Connie and Carla | Al | |
| 2005 | The Collection | Several characters | |
| 2007 | Resurrecting the Champ | Marciano | |
| 2007 | The Lovebirds | Lenny | |
| 2007 | Mitch Albom's For One More Day | Sales Manager | TV film |
| 2008 | The Accidental Husband | Larry | |
| 2008 | Good Old Days | Dave | Short film |
| 2009 | The Hungry Ghosts | Gus | |
| 2009 | Frame of Mind | Jimmy | |
| 2011 | The Sitter | Officer Frank | |
| 2012 | The Fitzgerald Family Christmas | Corey | |
| 2012 | Two People He Never Saw | Eddie | Short film |
| 2013 | The Cold Lands | Foreman | |
| 2013 | Promised Land | Greg | Short film |
| 2013 | Dead Travis In | Travis | Short film |
| 2013 | All Roads Lead | Samuel Carter | |
| 2014 | Zarra's Law | Sal | |
| 2015 | Houses | | Also producer |
| 2015 | Meadowland | Garza | |
| 2015 | The Wannabe | Anthony | Also director and writer |
| 2016 | Full Stop to an Infernal Planet | Lt. McCauley | |
| 2017 | Patti Cake$ | Ray | |
| 2018 | Cabaret Maxime | Dominic | |
| 2018 | Stella's Last Weekend | Ron | |
| 2023 | The Unheard | Hank | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | Law & Order | Officer Nelson | Episode: "Blood Is Thicker..." |
| 1995–1996 | New York Undercover | Henry / White UNI | 2 episodes |
| 1996 | Law & Order | Pete Pogosian | Episode: "Deadbeat" |
| 1996 | Due South | Barry Pappas | Episode: "Body Language" |
| 1999 | Law & Order | Andy Grenada | Episode: "Hunters" |
| 2000–2002 | Third Watch | Joe Lombardo | 12 episodes |
| 2003 | NYPD Blue | Ray Wilentz | Episode: "Frickin' Fracker" |
| 2003 | The Jury | Mr. Krause | Episode: "Three Boys and a Gun" |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Det. Albert Kirkoff | Episode: "Unchained" |
| 2006 | Six Degrees | Louie | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2008 | New Amsterdam | Frank | Episode: "Keep the Change" |
| 2010 | Mercy | Scott's Dad | Episode: "I Did Kill You, Didn't I?" |
| 2010 | How to Make It in America | Father Dan | 3 episodes |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | ADA Roydell Getty | Episode: "The Mobster Will See You Now" |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Doug Kersten | Episode: "Class" |
| 2010–2011 | Blue Bloods | Lt. Alex Bello | 4 episodes |
| 2011 | Nurse Jackie | Anthony Donovan | Episode: "Have You Met Mrs Jones?" |
| 2011 | CSI: Miami | Larry Gramercy | Episode: "Crowned" |
| 2011–2012 | Boardwalk Empire | Waxey Gordon | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Unforgettable | William "Bud" Spence | Episode: "Butterfly Effect" |
| 2013–2019 | Orange Is The New Black | Joe Caputo | 80 episodes Directed 5 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2015–17) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
| 2015 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Det. Ted McCormack | Episode: "Perverted Justice" |
| 2021 | Clarice | Murray Clarke | Main role |

### Theatre

* Halfway Home, Theatre at St. Clements, New York, 1999
* Baptism By Fire, Studio Dante, New York City, 2004
* Henry Flamethrow, Studio Dante, New York City, 2005 (Director)