Nick Offerman

Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', 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. Offerman is also known for his role in ''The Founder'', in which he portrays Richard McDonald, one of the brothers who developed the fast-food chain McDonald's. His first major television role following the end of ''Parks and Recreation'' was as Karl Weathers in the second season of the FX black comedy crime drama series ''Fargo'', for which he received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries. Since 2018, Offerman has co-hosted the NBC reality competition series, '' Making It'', with Amy Poehler; he and Poehler have received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program.

Offerman served as an executive producer for the film '' The House of Tomorrow'', in which he also starred. He has provided voice-work for ''The Lego Movie'' franchise, ''Hotel Transylvania 2'', '' Ice Age: Collision Course'', and the ''Sing'' film franchise and played Agent Powers on ''Gravity Falls''. In 2020, Offerman hosted '' Have A Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics'' on Netflix.

Early life

Offerman was born in Joliet, Illinois, and grew up in nearby Minooka. He is the son of Cathy (''née'' Roberts), a nurse, and Ric Offerman, who taught social studies at a junior high school in nearby Channahon. Offerman was raised Catholic. Offerman attended Minooka Community High School. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1993. That year, he and a group of fellow students co-founded the Defiant Theatre, a Chicago-based theatre company.

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. During this time, Offerman became acquainted with Amy Poehler, who was heavily involved with the Chicago improv comedy scene.

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. ''Slate'' magazine declared Offerman "''Parks and Recreation'' secret weapon", and said he regularly stole scenes and "has a gift for understated physical comedy." 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''.

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. 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.

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 Streets 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". 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.

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. 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. He has been featured in, and contributed articles to, the magazine '' Fine Woodworking''.

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. 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. In 2015, Offerman starred as Ignatius J. Reilly in a theatrical adaptation of ''A Confederacy of Dunces'' with the Huntington Theatre Company.

Personal life

Offerman married actress Megan Mullally on September 20, 2003. They met while acting in ''The Berlin Circle'', a play produced by the Evidence Room Theatre Company, and married after dating for 18 months. While they were still dating, Offerman appeared in a guest role on Mullally's sitcom, ''Will & Grace'', in a 2001 Thanksgiving episode. He later guest-starred in a different role in a 2018 episode. Mullally also had a recurring role on her husband's sitcom, ''Parks and Recreation'' as Ron Swanson's second former wife, Tammy 2. The couple have also appeared together in films such as ''The Kings of Summer'' and '' Smashed'', as well as performing voice work together in ''Hotel Transylvania 2'', ''Bob's Burgers'', and ''The Great North''.

Offerman and Mullally did a live comedy tour in 2016, the theme of which was their sex life.

Offerman and Mullally launched a podcast in 2019, ''In Bed with Nick and Megan'', discussing their personal lives and interviewing guests.

Politics

On whether he is a libertarian like his character Ron Swanson, Offerman has stated, "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." Offerman was critical of Donald Trump describing him as racist and sexist. However he also mocked Trump's democratic opponent Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server. Upon voting in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries in his home state of California, Offerman tweeted a photo of himself with an "I Voted" sticker, adding the caption "''#VoteWarren''", referring to the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts and then-presidential candidate, Elizabeth Warren. In June 2020, he tweeted his support for Charles Booker, a progressive Democratic candidate in the U.S. Senate Democratic primary in Kentucky.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Video games

Theme park attractions

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Offerman, Nick
1970 births
20th-century American comedians
21st-century American comedians
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Actors from Joliet, Illinois
American carpenters
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American podcasters
American woodworkers
Living people
Male actors from Chicago
People from Minooka, Illinois
Writers from Joliet, Illinois
University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts alumni
Catholics from Illinois
Comedians from Illinois