The actor Nicky Katt, who made a career primarily playing tough villains in films and TV shows over the past three decades, has died at the age of 54.
The news was confirmed by his attorney, John Sloss, and reportedly happened on 8 April in Burbank, California. In a statement to Deadline his sister Elise Ravenscroft later said he had killed himself. “He died by suicide after battling with depression – one that he fought bravely but quietly.”
Katt began as a child actor with small roles in Gremlins and The ‘Burbs before becoming a regular in the films of Richard Linklater – appearing in Waking Life, SubUrbia, School of Rock and Dazed and Confused, in which he played Clint Bruno, who assaults Adam Goldberg’s character, Mike.
Linklater said after learning of Katt’s death: “Nicky had a deep love for the character actors of cinema history, and I think saw himself that way. When I was auditioning actors for Dazed and Confused, I’d ask them what character in the ensemble they most related to or were interested in, and the majority talked about the bigger parts, naturally. Nicky said he liked Clint. I almost didn’t know what he was talking about: ‘You mean the 17th largest part in the movie?’ ‘Yeah.’
“He made something unique out of it, bringing his wicked humour, unpredictability, and smouldering quality to it. We worked up an entirely new scene for him and Matthew talking about car engines. I think he probably over-filled all his roles, which makes him memorable. Maybe he over-filled his life too, which, while often exasperating to those closest to him, makes him someone you’ll never forget. That brilliant spark will be missed.”
For Steven Soderbergh, he appeared as Stacy the Hitman in The Limey, Hitler in Full Frontal and – in his last film appearance – in Behind the Candelabra.
He also had small roles in two Christopher Nolan movies: Insomnia and The Dark Knight, as well as in Joel Schumacher’s A Time to Kill and Batman & Robin. Other film credits included The Way of the Gun, Christopher McQuarrie’s 2000 debut, Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, as well as Sin City and Planet Terror for Robert Rodriguez, who became a friend.
Rodriguez said: “You could always count on Nicky Katt for many things. He’d come in incredibly prepared for a role with costumes and props. He’d come full of inventive and creative ideas that would make his characters pop off the screen and consistently have an audience howling. He’d deliver lines that would constantly sound as unexpected as an ad lib, yet it was the text. And if he did ad lib, it was always gold. Even his physical comedy and timing was truly on another level.
“Nicky was an absolute joy on and off the camera. A true artist. A friend. It’s very sad to lose Nicky Katt. But I can only be grateful I got to know him, work with him, and watch him create his own truly original brand of magic that will live for ever in his favourite medium.”
For the past decade, Katt mostly worked on TV, playing popular teacher Harry Senate on the series Boston Public.
Speaking in 2008 about his role in David Gordon Green’s Snow Angels, Katt said: “I kind of am notorious for bringing a lot of humour to stuff, and not in a scene-stealing way, [but] especially if something is really kind of heavy subject matter I’m kind of like oxygen for a drowning man.”
“I mean, everyone also says that the bad guys are the most fun, but I’ve definitely gone through streaks where that’s all that people wanted me to play, the bad guy, especially after Dazed and Confused. But I’ve been really lucky because I get to play all different types of guys.”
Other small screen appearances included Herbie: the Love Bug, Quincy, ME, Father Murphy and Law and Order. His last credit was in 2018, on the series Casual.
• In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
