Nicholas Alan Searcy (born March 7, 1959) is an American
character actor
A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...
best known for portraying Chief Deputy
United States Marshal
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the United States federal judi ...
Art Mullen on
FX's ''
Justified''. He also had a major role in the
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
–produced
miniseries
In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
''
From the Earth to the Moon
''From the Earth to the Moon: A Direct Route in 97 Hours, 20 Minutes'' () is an 1865 novel by Jules Verne. It tells the story of the Baltimore Gun Club, a post-American Civil War society of weapons enthusiasts, and their attempts to build an en ...
'' as
Deke Slayton
Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton (March 1, 1924 – June 13, 1993) was an American Air Force pilot, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts. He went on to become NASA's first Chief of the Astronaut O ...
, and directed ''
Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer'', a film released on October 12, 2018.
[Riley, Jason L.,]
'Gosnell,' Like Its Namesake, Faces a Media Blackout
, ''The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'', October 16, 2018; Heldt, Brianna,
Media Ignores Big Opening and Critical Acclaim for 'Gosnell' Movie
, '' Townhall'', October 16, 2018
Early life
Nicholas Alan Searcy was born in
Cullowhee, North Carolina
Cullowhee (
, from the North Carolina Collection website at the University of North Carolina at Chap ...
.
He is a graduate of Cullowhee High School. He then briefly attended the
North Carolina School of the Arts and graduated from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
with a degree in English in the summer of 1982.
Career
From 1982 to 1989, Searcy lived in New York where he did
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
plays. Some of these included ''Guys and Dolls'', ''Cabaret'' and ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. When he moved back to
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, he began to act in features that were shooting locally. Small parts in ''
Days of Thunder
''Days of Thunder'' is a 1990 American sports action drama film produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott. The film stars Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Caroline Williams, a ...
'' (1990), and ''
The Prince of Tides'' (1991) led to the role of the malicious husband Frank in ''
Fried Green Tomatoes
''Fried Green Tomatoes'' is a 1991 American comedy-drama film directed by Jon Avnet and based on Fannie Flagg's 1987 novel '' Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe''. Written by Flagg and Carol Sobieski, and starring Kathy Bates, J ...
'' (1991) and the helpful deputy sheriff in
Nell (1994).
Searcy has appeared in several television series. He had a recurring role as Brett on ''
Thunder Alley'', was a series regular on ''
American Gothic'' and guest starred on ''
Murder One'' and ''
Nash Bridges'' with
Don Johnson
Don Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series '' Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Emm ...
. He was a regular character on the
UPN series ''
Seven Days'' from 1998 to 2001, and played Barry Martin on the
ABC series ''
Rodney'', which starred
Rodney Carrington, from 2004 to 2006. He has also starred in several TV movies, including ''
In the Best of Families: Marriage, Pride & Madness'' (1994), ''Stolen Innocence'' (1995). In 2014 he appeared in the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
drama ''
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as t ...
''.
In the summer of 1996, Searcy produced, directed and acted in his independent feature, ''Paradise Falls'' (1997), written by
Sean Bridgers, and they won the Southeastern Media Award at the
Atlanta Film Festival, the Hollywood Discovery Award at the
Hollywood Film Festival for Best Feature Film (Under $1 Million) and Best Dramatic Feature at the Charleston, S.C., 1997 WorldFest. Since then, he has appeared in films such as ''
Cast Away
''Cast Away'' is a 2000 American survival drama film directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, and Nick Searcy. Hanks plays a FedEx troubleshooter who is stranded on a desert island after his plane cras ...
'' (2000), ''
One Hour Photo'' (2002), ''
Runaway Jury'' (2003), ''
The Assassination of Richard Nixon'' (2005), ''
The Ugly Truth'' (2009), ''
Greater'' (2016), ''
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
''Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'' is a 2017 crime drama film written, directed, and produced by Martin McDonagh. It stars Frances McDormand as Mildred Hayes, a Missouri woman who rents three roadside billboards to draw attention to ...
'' (2017) and ''
The Shape of Water
''The Shape of Water'' is a 2017 period romantic dark fantasy film directed and produced by Guillermo del Toro, who co-wrote the screenplay with Vanessa Taylor. It stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Micha ...
'' (2017).
In 2011, Searcy appeared in the
Herman Cain
Herman Cain (December 13, 1945July 30, 2020) was an American businessman and Tea Party movement activist in the Republican Party. Cain graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He then earned a master's degree ...
campaign ad "Yellow Flowers" on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
.
In 2015, Searcy was named the director of the movie ''
Gosnell: America's Biggest Serial Killer'', a true crime drama based on convicted infant murderer and abortionist
Kermit Gosnell.
On December 27, 2017, Searcy was guest host of ''
The Rush Limbaugh Show''.
Personal life
Searcy resides in Southern
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
with his wife, actress Leslie Riley, and their two children, Chloe and Omar.
Activity on social media
Searcy is an outspoken conservative; his political and interpersonal behavior on social media, such as Twitter, has been highlighted in several news outlets. Searcy has stated, "I know people have feelings. That's why I try to hurt them."
In 2013, Searcy mocked
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...
's political views upon the death of Venezuelan president
Hugo Chavez
Hugo or HUGO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Hugo (film), ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese
* Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback
* Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise ...
, for whom Penn had expressed admiration.
Later that year, he responded to professional wrestler
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor, podcaster and retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is also known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Ac ...
's remarks on the
Affordable Healthcare Act by calling him an "ass-kissing
statist
In political science, statism or etatism (from French, ''état'' 'state') is the doctrine that the political authority of the state is legitimate to some degree. This may include economic and social policy, especially in regard to taxation an ...
".
In 2014, Searcy responded to several individuals in a discussion of same-sex marriage and incest, during which he mocked individuals and journalists on the basis of their weight, after they had called him and other Republicans "racist."
Searcy also routinely ridiculed people because of their weight in 2015, again in response to their charges that those who opposed Democratic policies were "racist".
Searcy was also noted for his criticism of
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
in 2016, and reported that friends were angry at him for jokes he made about the presidential candidate at the time. Searcy reported, "I have trouble finding this election anything other than ridiculous."
In 2017, he expressed uncertainty over whether he has lost work due to his political views.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Searcy, Nick
1959 births
Living people
American male film actors
American male television actors
Male actors from North Carolina
People from Jackson County, North Carolina
Film directors from North Carolina
21st-century American male actors
20th-century American male actors
American male stage actors
University of North Carolina School of the Arts alumni
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni