Nicky Katt obit

Nicky Katt, Actor in ‘Boston Public,’ ‘Dazed and Confused,’ Dies at 54

 He was not on the list.

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icky Katt, who played teacher Harry Senate on “Boston Public” after starting as a child actor and going on to play an assortment of tough guys in movies including “Dazed and Confused” and “Boiler Room,” has died. He was 54.

He was most known for his starring role in the television show Boston Public, and his prominent supporting roles in multiple films by Richard Linklater, Steven Soderbergh, Robert Rodriguez, and Christopher Nolan, including Dazed and Confused, The Limey, Sin City, and Insomnia. His other film credits included A Time to Kill, Boiler Room, The Way of the Gun, and Secondhand Lions. In 2004 he appeared in the Off-Broadway production of the Woody Allen play A Second Hand Memory.

His death was reported by his friends and by attorney John Sloss, and reportedly occurred on April 8 in Burbank.

Often playing heavies and villains, Katt worked with Richard Linklater, appearing in “Waking Life,” “SubUrbia” and “School of Rock.” For director Steven Soderbergh, he appeared in “The Limey” as Stacy the Hitman, as Hitler in “Full Frontal,” and had one of his final roles in “Behind the Candelabra.” Christopher Nolan cast him in “Insomnia” and “The Dark Knight,” in which he played a S.W.A.T. team member.

On “Boston Public,” Katt played the popular geology teacher Harry Senate, who taught troublemaker kinds in “the dungeon.” David E. Kelley arranged for him to be written out of the show after suffering a mental breakdown so Katt could pursue his movie career after three seasons.

In Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused,” Katt played the tough guy Clint Bruno, who threatens Mike (Adam Goldberg) and then beats him up. He went on to appear in Gregg Araki’s “Doom Generation,” Kathryn Bigelow’s “Strange Days,” in Neil Jordan’s “The Brave One” and in two Joel Schumacher movies, “A Time to Kill” and “Batman & Robin.”

Katt was memorable in Christopher McQuarrie’s directorial debut, the 2000 Western action film “The Way of the Gun,” as a bodyguard who gets injured in a shootout.

He also provided the voice of Atton Rand for the “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords” video game.

Katt, who lived part time in Austin, Texas, worked with Robert Rodriguez on “Sin City.” He also appeared in Tarantino’s “Death Proof.”

In a 2008 interview about his role in David Gordon Green’s “Snow Angels,” he told Todd Gilchrist, “I kind of am notorious for bringing a lot of humor 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,” he said.

Born in South Dakota, Katt started out as a child actor on TV and with small roles in “Gremlins” and “The ‘Burbs.”

On television, he appeared on shows including a recurring role on the “Herbie, the Love Bug” series, “V,” “Quincy M.E.,” “Father Murphy” and “Law and Order.” His last credited appearance was on the series “Casual” in 2018.

 

Filmography

Films

Year     Title            Role            Notes            Ref.

1981            Underground Aces            Son                 

1984            Gremlins            Schoolchild                

1989    The 'Burbs  Steve Kuntz, Ricky's Friend             

1990            Martians Go Home            Hippie             

1992    Sister Act       Waiter             

1993    Dazed and Confused            Clint Bruno              

American Yakuza Vic                  

1995    The Doom Generation            Carnoburger Cashier               

The Cure            "Pony"              [14]

Strange Days            Joey Corto              

The Babysitter            Mark               

1996    A Time to Kill   Billy Ray Cobb                   

subUrbia            Tim                 

Johns    "Mix"               

1997    Batman & Robin            "Spike"            

1998            Phantoms        Deputy Steve Shanning            

One True Thing            Jordan Belzer              

Delivered            Barry               

1999    The Limey   Stacy, The Hitman                  

2000    Boiler Room   Greg Weinstein                     [15]

Rules of Engagement            Hayes Lawrence Hodges III                   

The Way of the Gun      Obecks                       

2001    Waking Life      Himself            

2002            Insomnia            Detective Fred Duggar                       

Full Frontal            Hitler               

Speakeasy            Frank Marnikov                    

2003    I Love Your Work            Goateed Man             

Secondhand Lions    Stan                

School of Rock            "Razor"            

2004    Riding the Bullet            Ferris              

2005    Sin City            Stuka              

2006    World Trade Center            Volunteer Fireman                   

2007    Snow Angels  Nate Petite               

Planet Terror            Joe                  

Death Proof            Counter Guy               

The Brave One            Detective Vitale                      

2008    Harold            Police Officer #1                    

The Dark Knight            S.W.A.T. Member            Uncredited      

2011    The Sitter    NYPD Officer             

Television roles

Year     Title            Role            Notes            Ref.

1980    Fantasy Island   Bookie (Uncredited)            episode: The Devil and Mandy Breem/Instant Millionaire       

1981    CHiPs            Pat McGuire            episode: Diamond in the Rough        

Father Murphy            Chester            2 episodes          

1982    Code Red      Kenny            episode: Burnout         

Herbie, the Love Bug            Matthew MacLane            5 episode           

Voyagers!            Jack, The Artful Dodger            episode: The Day the Rebs Took Lincoln

Trapper John, M.D.    Scott Spencer            episode: The Good Life           

1983    Quincy, M.E.    Jeff Reano            episode: Suffer the Little Children  

1984    V            Sean Donovan            2 episodes          

The Get Along Gang    Leland Lizard (voice)            7 episodes          

CBS Schoolbreak Special Jeff Anastas            episode: Contract for Life: The S.A.D.D. Story           

1988    The Facts of Life            Mark            episode: Present Imperfect         

1989–1990            Dear John            Amorous Male Student 2 episodes          

1990            Lifestories        Paul Albertson            episode: The Hawkins Family 

1991    Uncle Buck    Tommy            episode: In Tia We Trust   

1992    Love & War     Clerk            episode: Bustiers and Body Points     

1994    Knight Rider 2010            Johnny            Television film 

1995    Double Rush     Nicky            episode: The Show We Wrote the Day We Found Out We Were Going on Opposite Roseanne        

1996    Friends            Arthur            episode: The One with the Bullies        

Kindred: The Embraced            Starkweather            episode: Nightstalker   

2000–2002            Boston Public   Harry Senate             

2003    The Guardian            Evan Piscarek            2 episodes          

2003–2004            King of the Hill  Various voices   3 episodes          

2006    Monk            Sergeant Ryan Sharkey            episode: Mr. Monk and the Captain's Marriage         

Love Monkey            Nathan Kitt            episode: Confidence    

2007    Law & Order   Isaac "Iced Out Ike" Krantz            episode: Bling  

2013    Behind the Candelabra            Mr. Y            Television film 

2018    Casual            Cyril            episode: Polytropos            Final Role

Video games

Year     Title            Voice role      Notes            Ref.

2004    Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords            Atton Rand