# Nick Stahl

Nicolas Kent Stahl (born (1979-12-05)December 5, 1979) is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face, in which he was directed by and starred alongside Mel Gibson.
Stahl later transitioned into adult roles in the films Disturbing Behavior, The Thin Red Line, In the Bedroom, Bully, Sin City, and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines in the role of John Connor, as well as on the HBO series Carnivàle in the role of Ben Hawkins. He also starred as Jason Riley on the AMC television series Fear the Walking Dead. In April 2023, he starred as Lucas on the Hulu television series Tiny Beautiful Things.

## Early life

Stahl was born in Harlingen, Texas, the son of Donna Lynn (née Reed), a brokerage assistant, and William Kent Stahl, a businessman who abandoned his family before Nick was born. Stahl stated in a 2021 interview, "I don’t know my dad. I never met him." He was raised in Dallas along with his two sisters by his divorced mother, who struggled to make ends meet.

## Career

Stahl's first professional castings were small roles in Stranger at My Door (1991) and Woman With a Past (1992), although he had been acting in children's plays since he was four years old. The 1993 film The Man Without a Face, directed by and co-starring Mel Gibson, helped boost Stahl's career at the age of 13. The following year, he had a supporting role in the ensemble film Safe Passage. In 1996, he played the role of Puck in Benjamin Britten's opera A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 1998, he played a doomed young soldier during the World War II Pacific War in The Thin Red Line. He scored critical and box office success again with his role in the 2001 movie In the Bedroom, which starred Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson as his parents. Stahl achieved box office success again in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) as John Connor (replacing Edward Furlong from Terminator 2: Judgment Day), co-starring with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Claire Danes. In 2003, he starred in the HBO series Carnivàle, which drew a loyal audience as well as rave reviews. The show lasted two seasons, ending in 2005.
Stahl has played two villains to good reviews: Bobby Kent in the film Bully (2001) and Roark Jr./Yellow Bastard in Sin City (2005). Stahl did not reprise his role as John Connor in Terminator Salvation, with Christian Bale taking over instead. Stahl noted the film's concept as "a jump to the future, so [John Connor] will be quite a bit older." Other roles included How to Rob a Bank (2007), Sleepwalking (2008), and Quid Pro Quo (2008).
In 2010, Stahl starred as Max Matheson in Mirrors 2, the sequel to Mirrors, directed by Victor Garcia and penned by Matt Venne. Among his more recent films are On the Inside (2010) and Afghan Luke (2011), and Away from Here (2014).
In 2019, Stahl portrayed serial killer Glen Edward Rogers in The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson. Filming commenced over the summer in 2018 and the film was released in the UK on December 9, 2019.
Also in 2019, Stahl appeared in The Lumineers’ short film, III, which is based on their album of the same name. Stahl played the character Jimmy Sparks, who is a father and gambling addict.
In November 2021, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Stahl would star alongside Sean Bean and Famke Janssen in the film Knights of the Zodiac, a live-action adaptation of the Saint Seiya manga series. The film was released on May 12, 2023.
In April 2023, he appeared in a recurring role as Lucas on the Hulu television series Tiny Beautiful Things, opposite Kathryn Hahn.
In May 2024, Stahl starred in the suspense horror film What You Wish For, written and directed by Nicholas Tomnay and distributed by Magnolia Pictures.

## Personal life

Stahl married actress Rose Murphy in June 2009. They have a daughter, Marlo, born in 2010. The couple separated in 2012 and finalized their divorce in 2019.
Stahl struggled with alcoholism for decades. He spent time in rehabilitation facilities in 2007 and 2009. In May 2012, Stahl's wife reported him missing. It was later reported that Stahl had checked into a rehabilitation facility. On December 27, 2012, Stahl was arrested at an adult film store in Hollywood, California, on suspicion of committing a lewd act. No charges were filed due to insufficient evidence. On June 28, 2013, Stahl was arrested in Hollywood for alleged possession of methamphetamine.
In a 2017 interview at the Dallas Comic Show, Stahl stated he had moved to Texas and was taking a leave of absence from acting to concentrate on family and sobriety. Stahl returned to acting in 2019 when filming of The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson began. In 2021, Stahl said in an interview that he had been sober for four years.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | The Man Without a Face | Chuck Norstadt | Nominated – Young Artist Award for Best Youth Actor Co-Starring in a Motion Picture Drama |
| 1994 | Safe Passage | Simon Singer | |
| 1995 | Tall Tale | Daniel Hackett | |
| 1997 | Eye of God | Tom Spencer | |
| 1998 | Disturbing Behavior | Gavin Strick | |
| 1998 | Soundman | Tommy Pepin | |
| 1998 | The Thin Red Line | Pfc. Edward Bead | Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture |
| 2000 | Lover's Prayer | Vladimir | |
| 2000 | Sunset Strip | Zach | |
| 2001 | In the Bedroom | Frank Fowler | Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| 2001 | The Sleepy Time Gal | Morgan | |
| 2001 | Bully | Bobby Kent | |
| 2002 | Taboo | Christian Turner | |
| 2002 | Wasted | Chris | |
| 2003 | Bookies | Toby | |
| 2003 | Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines | John Connor | |
| 2003 | Twist | Artful Dodger | Nominated – Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role |
| 2005 | Sin City | Roark Junior / Yellow Bastard | Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast |
| 2006 | The Night of the White Pants | Horace "Raff" Rafferty | |
| 2007 | How to Rob a Bank | Jason Taylor / Jinx | |
| 2008 | Quid Pro Quo | Isaac Knott | |
| 2008 | Sleepwalking | James Reedy | |
| 2009 | My One and Only | Bud | |
| 2010 | The Chameleon | Brendan Kerrigan | |
| 2010 | Burning Palms | Robert Kane | |
| 2010 | Meskada | Noah Cordin | |
| 2010 | Dead Awake | Dylan | |
| 2010 | Kalamity | Billy Klepack | |
| 2010 | Mirrors 2 | Max Matheson | |
| 2010 | Everything Will Happen Before You Die | Hunter Robinson | |
| 2011 | The Speed of Thought | Joshua Lazarus | |
| 2011 | On the Inside | Allen Meneric | |
| 2011 | Afghan Luke | Luke Benning | |
| 2011 | 388 Arletta Avenue | James Deakin | |
| 2012 | On the Inside | Allen Meneric | |
| 2014 | Away from Here | James | |
| 2019 | III | Jimmy Sparks | Short film |
| 2019 | The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson | Glen Edward Rogers | |
| 2020 | Hunter Hunter | Lou | |
| 2021 | What Josiah Saw | Eli Graham | |
| 2021 | American Dream | Yuri | |
| 2021 | Grace and Grit | Bob Doty | |
| 2021 | Night Blooms | Wayne | |
| 2023 | Knights of the Zodiac | Cassios | |
| 2023 | Confidential Informant | Mike Thorton | |
| 2023 | What You Wish For | Ryan | |
| 2024 | Keep Quiet | Darius Humphrey | |
| TBA | Devoted | TBA | Post-production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1991 | Stranger at My Door | Robert Fortier | Television film |
| 1992 | Woman with a Past | Brian | Television film |
| 1994 | Incident in a Small Town | John Bell Trenton | Television film |
| 1995 | Blue River | Young Edward Sellars | Television film |
| 1996 | My Son Is Innocent | Eric Sutter | Television film |
| 1996 | Out of Order | Unknown | Episode: "Hey Joey" |
| 1997 | Promised Land | Billy Sullivan | Episode: "Cowboy Blues" |
| 1998 | Hercules | Castor (voice) | Episode: "Hercules and the Trojan War" |
| 1999 | Seasons of Love | Grover Linthorne | Television film |
| 2002 | Wasted | Chris | Television film Nominated – Prism Award for Performance in TV Movie or Miniseries |
| 2003–2005 | Carnivàle | Ben Hawkins | 24 episodes Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Peter Harrison | Episode: "Zebras" |
| 2011 | Locke & Key | Duncan Locke | Pilot (unaired) |
| 2012 | House of Lies | Kurt | Episode: "Mini Mogul" |
| 2012 | Body of Proof | Marcel Trevino | 2 episodes |
| 2021 | Fear the Walking Dead | Jason Riley | 5 episodes |
| 2021 | Animal Kingdom | Mike | 5 episodes |
| 2022 | Dead in the Water: A Fear the Walking Dead Story | Jason Riley | Web series; Main role |
| 2022 | Let the Right One In | Matthew | Main role |
| 2023 | Tiny Beautiful Things | Lucas | Main role |

### Music videos

| Year | Artist | Role | Notes |
| 2019 | The Lumineers | Jimmy Sparks | 4 videos |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Results |
| 1994 | Young Artist Awards | Best Youth Actor Co-Starring in a Motion Picture Drama | The Man Without a Face | Nominated |
| 1999 | Satellite Awards | Outstanding Motion Picture Ensemble | The Thin Red Line | Won |
| 2001 | Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Cast Ensemble | In the Bedroom | Nominated |
| 2002 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture | In the Bedroom | Nominated |
| 2003 | Prism Award | Performance in TV Movie or Miniseries | Wasted | Nominated |
| 2004 | Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Series, Drama | Carnivàle | Nominated |
| 2004 | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series | Carnivàle | Nominated |
| 2005 | Genie Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | Twist | Nominated |
| 2006 | Gold Derby Awards | Ensemble Cast | Sin City | Nominated |
| 2006 | Critics Choice Awards | Best Acting Ensemble | Sin City | Nominated |
| 2021 | Brooklyn Horror Film Festival | Best Actor | What Josiah Saw | Won |
| 2021 | Mammoth Lakes Film Festival | Best Cast | What Josiah Saw | Won |