Nathan Fillion
Encyclopedia
Nathan Fillion (ˈfɪljən, as in million; born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian actor
, currently starring as Richard Castle
on the ABC series Castle
. He is also known for his portrayal of the lead role of Captain Malcolm Reynolds
in the television series Firefly
and its feature film continuation, Serenity
.
He has acted in traditionally distributed films like Slither and Trucker
, Internet-distributed films like Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
, voice-over work like the video games Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach
, television soap operas and sitcoms, and in the theatre.
, Alberta
, the younger son of Cookie and Bob Fillion, both of whom are retired English teachers. He has an older brother, Jeff, and attended Holy Trinity Catholic High School
, Concordia University College of Alberta
, and the University of Alberta
, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Society
. According to Fillion, he is descended from Confederate
Lieutenant General
Jubal Anderson Early
.
with Rapid Fire Theatre
and the improvised soap opera
Die-Nasty
, Fillion moved to New York City in 1994 where he acted in the soap opera One Life to Live
as Joey Buchanan
, for which he was nominated in 1996 for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series
. In 1997, he left the series to pursue other projects (but would return for a brief guest appearance in 2007).
After moving to Los Angeles
, he played a supporting role in the sitcom
Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place
, and was cast as James Frederick "The Minnesota" Ryan in Steven Spielberg
's Saving Private Ryan
. Fillion had a recurring role as Caleb in the final season of Joss Whedon
's series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and auditioned for the role of Angel in early 1996.
In 2002, Fillion starred as Captain Malcolm Reynolds
in the Joss Whedon
science fiction television series Firefly
, for which he won the 'Cinescape Genre Face of the Future — Male' award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA. Fillion also won the Syfy Genre Awards in 2006 for 'Best Actor/Television' and was runner-up for 'Best Actor/Movie'. Fillion has claimed his time on Firefly to be the best acting job he ever had. Although the show was cancelled, it was adapted to the big screen; he reprised his role as Mal in Whedon's movie Serenity
(2005).
Fillion lent his voice to the animated series King of the Hill in 2001, the video game Jade Empire
(as the voice of Gao the Lesser), and the animated series Justice League Unlimited
(as Vigilante
in the episodes "Hunter's Moon" and "Patriot Act") in 2005 and 2006. Fillion starred in James Gunn's 2006 horror film
Slither. For his starring role as Bill Pardy, he garnered a 2006 Fangoria
Chainsaw Awards nomination in the category of Dude You Don't Wanna Mess With.
Fillion starred in the romantic comedy film Waitress
, written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelly
, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
January 21, 2007 and opened in theaters on May 2, 2007. According to Box Office Mojo
, Waitress grossed $22,125,001 in worldwide sales as of May 13, 2008, and $29.22 million in rentals as of January 28, 2008. Fillion starred in White Noise 2: The Light. He made one appearance in the 2006–2007 season of the television show Lost
, as Kevin, Kate's ex-husband.
In October 2006, Fillion signed a talent holding contract with the Fox Broadcasting Company
, and in December 2006, The Hollywood Reporter
confirmed that Fillion was cast as Alex Tully in the series Drive
, which debuted on Fox in the spring of 2007. Drive was created by Fillion's longtime friend and former Angel
and Firefly
writer Tim Minear
. Ivan Sergei
played Alex Tully in the original pilot episode of Drive. The first two Drive episodes premiered on April 13, 2007 in Canada (April 15, 2007 in the United States). However, the show did not deliver the ratings Fox desired, and on April 25, 2007, the network announced that the series was cancelled.
The final two produced episodes were supposed to air back-to-back on Fox in July 2007, but did not actually become available until July 15 when they were posted on the Drive MySpace
page.
He reprised his 1990s role as One Life to Live Joey for the series' 9,999th and 10,000th episodes, aired August 16, 2007 and August 17, 2007.
Fillion joined the cast of ABC
's Desperate Housewives
at the beginning of the Fall 2007 season as Dr. Adam Mayfair. His first appearance was in the episode "Now You Know
", which aired on September 30, 2007.
He voiced the role of a Marine Sergeant in the Xbox 360
game Halo 3
, alongside fellow Firefly stars Alan Tudyk
and Adam Baldwin
. At one point early in the first mission, he identifies himself as "[Sergeant] Reynolds" over the radio, referring to his character's name from the TV series Firefly. All three actors are given personalities in the game that match those of their characters from Firefly. He provides the voice and portrayed likeness for Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck in the Halo 3 expansion, Halo 3: ODST, a role he briefly reprised in Halo: Reach
.
aired, in which Fillion stars as the title character Richard Castle
, a mystery novelist who helps the NYPD
solve crimes. In May 2009, ABC green-lit the production of the series for a second season. In 2009, Fillion was nominated for Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama for his performance in Castle. On March 30, 2010, ABC announced that Castle had been renewed for its third season with a 22-episode full-season order. ABC is promoting the series by releasing the Richard Castle novels Heat Wave (Hard Back ISBN 978-1-4013-2382-0, Paperback ISBN 9781401310400) and Naked Heat (Hard Back ISBN 978-1-4013-2402-5; Paperback ISBN 9780786891368) online and worldwide in hardback and in paperback. Castle was renewed for a fourth season on January 10, 2011.
Fillion was featured in a spoof porn web video on Spike called "Nailing Your Wife", part of the PG Porn series.
In late September 2011, Fillion guest starred as the Action Sports 1 anchor in the comedy web series
Husbands
. He will be playing Dogberry
in the upcoming independent film
Much Ado About Nothing
, based on the Shakespeare play of the same name
, written and produced by Joss Whedon
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, currently starring as Richard Castle
Richard Castle
Richard Edgar "Rick" Castle is a fictional character portrayed by Nathan Fillion in the ABC crime series Castle.-Family life:...
on the ABC series Castle
Castle (TV series)
Castle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season...
. He is also known for his portrayal of the lead role of Captain Malcolm Reynolds
Malcolm Reynolds
Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds is a fictional character and main protagonist in the Firefly franchise. Reynolds is played by actor Nathan Fillion in the 2002 TV series Firefly and the 2005 film Serenity. In the series, Reynolds is the captain of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity...
in the television series Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
and its feature film continuation, Serenity
Serenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
.
He has acted in traditionally distributed films like Slither and Trucker
Trucker (film)
Trucker a 2008 dramatic independent film by Plum Pictures. It was written and directed by James Mottern, and produced by Scott Hanson, Galt Niederhoffer, Celine Rattray and Daniela Taplin Lundberg.-Plot:...
, Internet-distributed films like Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 2008 musical tragicomedy miniseries in three acts, produced exclusively for Internet distribution. Filmed and set in Los Angeles, the show tells the story of Dr...
, voice-over work like the video games Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach
Halo: Reach
Halo: Reach is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 console. Reach was released in North America, Australia, and Europe on September 14, 2010. The game takes place in the year 2552, where humanity is locked in a war with the...
, television soap operas and sitcoms, and in the theatre.
Early life
Fillion was born in EdmontonEdmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, the younger son of Cookie and Bob Fillion, both of whom are retired English teachers. He has an older brother, Jeff, and attended Holy Trinity Catholic High School
Holy Trinity Catholic High School (Edmonton)
Holy Trinity Catholic High School is a high school located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in the southern neighborhood of Mill Woods. It borders the Public High School of J...
, Concordia University College of Alberta
Concordia University College of Alberta
Concordia University College of Alberta is an Canadian independent university in Edmonton, Alberta. The enabling legislation is the Post-secondary Learning Act.-History:...
, and the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Society
Kappa Alpha Society
The Kappa Alpha Society , founded in 1825, was the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It was the first of the fraternities which would eventually become known as the Union Triad...
. According to Fillion, he is descended from Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Jubal Anderson Early
Jubal Anderson Early
Jubal Anderson Early was a lawyer and Confederate general in the American Civil War. He served under Stonewall Jackson and then Robert E. Lee for almost the entire war, rising from regimental command to lieutenant general and the command of an infantry corps in the Army of Northern Virginia...
.
1994-2009
After working in several theatre, television and film productions, including TheatresportsTheatresports
Theatresports is a form of improvisational theatre, which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect. Opposing teams can perform scenes based on audience suggestions, with ratings by the audience or by a panel of judges...
with Rapid Fire Theatre
Rapid Fire Theatre
Rapid Fire Theatre is an improvisational theatre company based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The company’s goal is to provide affordable, high-energy improvisation and alternative theatre to audiences in Edmonton and beyond, while providing exciting opportunities for its participants.-History:The...
and the improvised soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Die-Nasty
Die-Nasty
Die-Nasty is a live improvised soap opera, running weekly in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada since 1991. Die-Nastys improv comedy format features a continuing storyline and recurring characters, live music, and a director who sets up scenes for the audience in voiceover.The cast of Die-Nasty...
, Fillion moved to New York City in 1994 where he acted in the soap opera One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
as Joey Buchanan
Joey Buchanan
Joseph "Joey" Riley Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC daytime serial One Life to Live. The character is the son of original characters Victoria Lord and Joe Riley, Sr.-Casting:...
, for which he was nominated in 1996 for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys since the 12th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony in 1985. The award category was originally called the Outstanding Young Man in a Drama Series...
. In 1997, he left the series to pursue other projects (but would return for a brief guest appearance in 2007).
After moving to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, he played a supporting role in the sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place
Two Guys and a Girl
Two Guys and a Girl is an American sitcom created by Kenny Schwartz and Danny Jacobson. It ran on ABC from March 10, 1998 to May 16, 2001. 81 episodes were transmitted over four seasons....
, and was cast as James Frederick "The Minnesota" Ryan in Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Robert Rodat. The film is notable for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depicts the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944....
. Fillion had a recurring role as Caleb in the final season of Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
's series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and auditioned for the role of Angel in early 1996.
In 2002, Fillion starred as Captain Malcolm Reynolds
Malcolm Reynolds
Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds is a fictional character and main protagonist in the Firefly franchise. Reynolds is played by actor Nathan Fillion in the 2002 TV series Firefly and the 2005 film Serenity. In the series, Reynolds is the captain of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity...
in the Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
science fiction television series Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
, for which he won the 'Cinescape Genre Face of the Future — Male' award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA. Fillion also won the Syfy Genre Awards in 2006 for 'Best Actor/Television' and was runner-up for 'Best Actor/Movie'. Fillion has claimed his time on Firefly to be the best acting job he ever had. Although the show was cancelled, it was adapted to the big screen; he reprised his role as Mal in Whedon's movie Serenity
Serenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
(2005).
Fillion lent his voice to the animated series King of the Hill in 2001, the video game Jade Empire
Jade Empire
Jade Empire is an action role-playing game developed by Canadian developer BioWare and first published in 2005 by Microsoft Game Studios as a worldwide release for the Xbox. The later, two-disc Limited Edition contained extra content...
(as the voice of Gao the Lesser), and the animated series Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
(as Vigilante
Vigilante (comics)
Vigilante is the name used by several fictional characters appearing in DC Comics. The original character was one of the first DC Comics characters adapted for live-action film, beating Superman by one year.-Greg Saunders:...
in the episodes "Hunter's Moon" and "Patriot Act") in 2005 and 2006. Fillion starred in James Gunn's 2006 horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
Slither. For his starring role as Bill Pardy, he garnered a 2006 Fangoria
Fangoria (magazine)
Fangoria is an internationally-distributed US film fan magazine specializing in the genres of horror, slasher, splatter and exploitation films, in regular publication since 1979.-Planning:...
Chainsaw Awards nomination in the category of Dude You Don't Wanna Mess With.
Fillion starred in the romantic comedy film Waitress
Waitress (film)
Waitress is a 2007 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, who also appears in a supporting role. The film debuted at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and went into limited theatrical release in the US on May 2, 2007.-Plot:...
, written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelly
Adrienne Shelly
Adrienne Shelly , was an American actress, director and screenwriter. Making her name in independent films such as 1989's The Unbelievable Truth and 1990's Trust, Shelly transitioned to a writing and directing career in subsequent years...
, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
January 21, 2007 and opened in theaters on May 2, 2007. According to Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. Brandon Gray started the site in 1999. In 2002, Gray partnered with Sean Saulsbury and they grew the site to nearly two million readers when, in July 2008, the company was purchased by Amazon.com through...
, Waitress grossed $22,125,001 in worldwide sales as of May 13, 2008, and $29.22 million in rentals as of January 28, 2008. Fillion starred in White Noise 2: The Light. He made one appearance in the 2006–2007 season of the television show Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, as Kevin, Kate's ex-husband.
In October 2006, Fillion signed a talent holding contract with the Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, and in December 2006, The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
confirmed that Fillion was cast as Alex Tully in the series Drive
Drive (TV series)
Drive is a short-lived American action drama television series created by Tim Minear and Ben Queen, produced by Minear, Queen, and Greg Yaitanes, and starring Nathan Fillion, four episodes of which aired on the Fox network in April 2007...
, which debuted on Fox in the spring of 2007. Drive was created by Fillion's longtime friend and former Angel
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
and Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
writer Tim Minear
Tim Minear
Tim Minear is an American screenwriter and director. He was born in New York, grew up in Whittier, California, and studied film at California State University, Long Beach....
. Ivan Sergei
Ivan Sergei
Ivan Sergei is an American actor known for his work in television.-Personal life:Sergei was born Ivan Sergei Gaudio in Hawthorne, New Jersey, and is of Dutch and Italian descent. Ivan attended Hawthorne High School, where he was a member of the graduating class of 1989, and was a quarterback on...
played Alex Tully in the original pilot episode of Drive. The first two Drive episodes premiered on April 13, 2007 in Canada (April 15, 2007 in the United States). However, the show did not deliver the ratings Fox desired, and on April 25, 2007, the network announced that the series was cancelled.
The final two produced episodes were supposed to air back-to-back on Fox in July 2007, but did not actually become available until July 15 when they were posted on the Drive MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page.
He reprised his 1990s role as One Life to Live Joey for the series' 9,999th and 10,000th episodes, aired August 16, 2007 and August 17, 2007.
Fillion joined the cast of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
at the beginning of the Fall 2007 season as Dr. Adam Mayfair. His first appearance was in the episode "Now You Know
Now You Know (Desperate Housewives)
"Now You Know" is the fourth season premiere episode of the American comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and the 71st episode overall. The episode premiered on ABC on September 30, 2007...
", which aired on September 30, 2007.
He voiced the role of a Marine Sergeant in the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
game Halo 3
Halo 3
Halo 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2...
, alongside fellow Firefly stars Alan Tudyk
Alan Tudyk
Alan Wray Tudyk is an American actor known for his roles as Simon in the British comedy Death at a Funeral, as Steve the Pirate in DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, as Sonny in the science fiction drama I, Robot, as Doc Potter in 3:10 to Yuma, as Tucker in the Tucker & Dale vs Evil and as Hoban...
and Adam Baldwin
Adam Baldwin
Adam Baldwin is an American actor, known for his roles as Animal Mother in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, Ricky Linderman in My Bodyguard, Knowle Rohrer in The X-Files, and Marcus Hamilton in Joss Whedon's Angel...
. At one point early in the first mission, he identifies himself as "[Sergeant] Reynolds" over the radio, referring to his character's name from the TV series Firefly. All three actors are given personalities in the game that match those of their characters from Firefly. He provides the voice and portrayed likeness for Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck in the Halo 3 expansion, Halo 3: ODST, a role he briefly reprised in Halo: Reach
Halo: Reach
Halo: Reach is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 console. Reach was released in North America, Australia, and Europe on September 14, 2010. The game takes place in the year 2552, where humanity is locked in a war with the...
.
2009-present
In March 2009, the first episode of the ABC television series CastleCastle (TV series)
Castle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season...
aired, in which Fillion stars as the title character Richard Castle
Richard Castle
Richard Edgar "Rick" Castle is a fictional character portrayed by Nathan Fillion in the ABC crime series Castle.-Family life:...
, a mystery novelist who helps the NYPD
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
solve crimes. In May 2009, ABC green-lit the production of the series for a second season. In 2009, Fillion was nominated for Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama for his performance in Castle. On March 30, 2010, ABC announced that Castle had been renewed for its third season with a 22-episode full-season order. ABC is promoting the series by releasing the Richard Castle novels Heat Wave (Hard Back ISBN 978-1-4013-2382-0, Paperback ISBN 9781401310400) and Naked Heat (Hard Back ISBN 978-1-4013-2402-5; Paperback ISBN 9780786891368) online and worldwide in hardback and in paperback. Castle was renewed for a fourth season on January 10, 2011.
Fillion was featured in a spoof porn web video on Spike called "Nailing Your Wife", part of the PG Porn series.
In late September 2011, Fillion guest starred as the Action Sports 1 anchor in the comedy web series
Web series
A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...
Husbands
Husbands (web series)
Husbands is an American comedy web series starring Brad Bell, aka "Cheeks", Sean Hemeon and Alessandra Torresani. It is written by Jane Espenson, co-written by Brad Bell and directed by Jeff Greenstein. It is an 11-part web series, based on the classic premise of newlywed comedy.-Plot:The series...
. He will be playing Dogberry
Dogberry
Dogberry is a self-satisfied night constable in Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing.In the play, Dogberry is the chief of the citizen-police in Messina. As is usual in Shakespearean comedy, and Renaissance comedy generally, he is a figure of comic incompetence...
in the upcoming independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing (2012 film)
Much Ado About Nothing is an independent film made by Joss Whedon and based on the Shakespeare play of the same name. The film is due to be released in 2012.-Production:...
, based on the Shakespeare play of the same name
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
, written and produced by Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
.
Charity work
Fillion co-founded the non-profit organization Kids Need to Read with author PJ Haarsma in 2007 to help inspire kids' imaginations by getting more books into underfunded libraries. While speaking at schools around the country, Haarsma discovered that many libraries cannot afford to purchase new books and children pleaded with him to get a copy of his book.Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Ordeal in the Arctic Ordeal In The Arctic Ordeal in the Arctic is a made-for-television movie, written by Paul F. Edwards and directed by Mark Sobel.The film is an adaptation of Robert Mason Lee's non-fiction book Death and Deliverance which is based on the 1991 plane crash of a Canadian Forces CC-130 Hercules en route to CFS Alert on... |
Tom Jardine | TV movie |
| 1994 | Strange and Rich | Walter Hoade | |
| 1994–1997, 2007 | One Life to Live One Life to Live One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social... |
Joey Buchanan Joey Buchanan Joseph "Joey" Riley Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC daytime serial One Life to Live. The character is the son of original characters Victoria Lord and Joe Riley, Sr.-Casting:... |
|
| 1996 | Spin City Spin City Spin City is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 until April 30, 2002 on the ABC network. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show was based on a fictional local government running New York City, and originally starred Michael J. Fox as Mike... |
Guy (uncredited) | Episode: "A Star Is Born" |
| 1997 | Total Security | Troy Larson | Episode: "Das Bootie" |
| 1998 | Saving Private Ryan Saving Private Ryan Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Robert Rodat. The film is notable for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depicts the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944.... |
Pvt. James Frederick 'Minnesota' Ryan | |
| 1998 | Maggie Winters Maggie Winters Maggie Winters was a short-lived CBS sitcom that ran from 1998 to early 1999. The title character was played by Faith Ford.-Plot:Recently divorced from her dentist husband, Maggie Winters moved in with her mother Estelle in her home town of Shelbyville, Indiana and got a job at Hanley's, a local... |
Ronald | Episode: "Mama's Got a Brand New Bag" |
| 1998–2001 | Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place | Johnny Donnelly | 60 episodes |
| 1999 | Blast from the Past Blast From the Past (film) Blast from the Past is a 1999 romantic comedy film based on a story and directed by Hugh Wilson and starring Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken, Sissy Spacek, and Dave Foley.-Plot:... |
Cliff | |
| 1999 | Michael Ryan | Episode: "Star Crossed Star Crossed (The Outer Limits) "Star Crossed" is an episode of The Outer Limits television show. It first aired on 13 August 1999, during the fifth season.-Introduction:-Plot:... " |
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| 2000 | Dracula 2000 Dracula 2000 Dracula 2000, also known internationally as Dracula 2001, is a 2000 horror film written and directed by Patrick Lussier. The film stars Gerard Butler, Christopher Plummer, Jonny Lee Miller, Justine Waddell, Omar Epps, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Jeri Ryan, and Jennifer Esposito.Dracula 2000, the... |
Father David | |
| 2001 | King of the Hill King of the Hill King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas... |
Frisbee Guy (voice) | Episode: "Luanne Virgin 2.0 Luanne Virgin 2.0 "Luanne Virgin 2.0" is the 99th episode of King of the Hill. This was the 15th episode from the fifth season. This episode is rated TV-PG DLS.- Plot :... " |
| 2002 | Pasadena Pasadena (TV series) Pasadena is an American primetime soap opera originally broadcast in the U.S. from September to November 2001 on Fox.-Summary:The series starred Alison Lohman as Lily McAllister, an initially naïve young woman who witnesses a stranger's suicide and begins to investigate the secrets being hidden by... |
Rev. Glenn Collins | 3 episodes |
| 2002–2003 | Firefly Firefly (TV series) Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear.... |
Captain Malcolm Reynolds Malcolm Reynolds Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds is a fictional character and main protagonist in the Firefly franchise. Reynolds is played by actor Nathan Fillion in the 2002 TV series Firefly and the 2005 film Serenity. In the series, Reynolds is the captain of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity... |
14 episodes |
| 2003 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Caleb | 5 episodes |
| 2003 | Water's Edge | Robert | |
| 2003 | Miss Match Miss Match Miss Match is a 2003 American television series created by Jeff Rake and Darren Star and produced by Twentieth Century Fox, Darren Star Productions and Imagine Entertainment. It aired in the U.S. on NBC, Australia on Network Seven, Arena and FOX8, and in the UK on Living, Channel 4 and is currently... |
Adam Logan | 6 episodes |
| 2003 | Alligator Point | Bill | TV movie |
| 2004 | Hollywood Division | Det. Tommy Garrett | TV movie |
| 2004 | Outing Riley Outing Riley Outing Riley is a 2004 comedy film written, directed, and starring Pete Jones, about a gay man coming out to his three brothers. It was screened at the 2004 Chicago International Film Festival and released on video in 2007.-Plot:... |
Luke Riley | |
| 2005 | Jade Empire Jade Empire Jade Empire is an action role-playing game developed by Canadian developer BioWare and first published in 2005 by Microsoft Game Studios as a worldwide release for the Xbox. The later, two-disc Limited Edition contained extra content... |
Gao the Lesser (voice) | Game |
| 2005 | Serenity Serenity (film) Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship... |
Captain Malcolm Reynolds | |
| 2005 | Justice League Unlimited Justice League Unlimited Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the... |
Vigilante | Episode: "Hunter's Moon" |
| 2006 | Justice League Unlimited Justice League Unlimited Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the... |
Vigilante | Episode: "Patriot Act" |
| 2006 | Lost Lost (TV series) Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island... |
Kevin Callis | Episode: "I Do I Do (Lost) "I Do" is the sixth episode of the third season of Lost, and the 55th episode overall. It aired on November 8, 2006 on ABC. The episode was written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and directed by Tucker Gates... " |
| 2006 | Slither | Bill Pardy | |
| 2007 | Robot Chicken Robot Chicken Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show... |
Various | Episode: "Losin' the Wobble" |
| 2007 | White Noise 2: The Light | Abe Dale | |
| 2007 | Waitress Waitress (film) Waitress is a 2007 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, who also appears in a supporting role. The film debuted at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and went into limited theatrical release in the US on May 2, 2007.-Plot:... |
Dr. Jim Pomatter | |
| 2007 | Halo 3 Halo 3 Halo 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2... |
Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds (voice) | Game |
| 2007 | Drive Drive (TV series) Drive is a short-lived American action drama television series created by Tim Minear and Ben Queen, produced by Minear, Queen, and Greg Yaitanes, and starring Nathan Fillion, four episodes of which aired on the Fox network in April 2007... |
Alex Tully | 6 episodes |
| 2007–2008 | Desperate Housewives Desperate Housewives Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W... |
Dr. Adam Mayfair | 11 episodes |
| 2008 | Trucker Trucker (film) Trucker a 2008 dramatic independent film by Plum Pictures. It was written and directed by James Mottern, and produced by Scott Hanson, Galt Niederhoffer, Celine Rattray and Daniela Taplin Lundberg.-Plot:... |
Runner | |
| 2008 | Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 2008 musical tragicomedy miniseries in three acts, produced exclusively for Internet distribution. Filmed and set in Los Angeles, the show tells the story of Dr... |
Captain Hammer | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | PG Porn | Chris | Episode: "Nailing Your Wife" |
| 2009 | Robot Chicken Robot Chicken Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show... |
Various | Episode: "We Are a Humble Factory" |
| 2009 | Wonder Woman Wonder Woman (film) Wonder Woman is a 2009 direct-to-video animated film focusing on the superheroine Wonder Woman. The plot of the film is loosely based on George Pérez' reboot of the character, specifically the "Gods and Mortals" arc that started the character's second volume in 1987. It is the fourth in the line of... |
Steve Trevor (voice) | Video |
| 2009 | Halo 3: ODST | Gunnery Sergeant Buck (voice) | Game |
| 2009–present | Castle Castle (TV series) Castle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season... |
Richard Castle Richard Castle Richard Edgar "Rick" Castle is a fictional character portrayed by Nathan Fillion in the ABC crime series Castle.-Family life:... |
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| 2010 | Halo: Reach Halo: Reach Halo: Reach is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 console. Reach was released in North America, Australia, and Europe on September 14, 2010. The game takes place in the year 2552, where humanity is locked in a war with the... |
Gunnery Sergeant Buck (voice) | Game |
| 2010 | The Venture Bros. The Venture Bros. The Venture Bros. is an American animated television series that premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on February 16, 2003. The series mixes action and comedy together while it chronicles the adventures of the Venture family: well-meaning but incompetent teenagers Hank and Dean Venture; their... |
Brown Widow (voice) | Episode: "Bright Lights, Dean City" |
| 2011 | Green Lantern: Emerald Knights Green Lantern: Emerald Knights Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, is an animated film that tells various stories featuring members of Green Lantern Corps, including Abin Sur, Laira, Kilowog, and Mogo It was released on June 7, 2011... |
Hal Jordan Hal Jordan Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker... (voice) |
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| 2011 | Super | The Holy Avenger | |
| 2011 | The Guild The Guild The Guild is an American comedy web series created and written by Felicia Day, who also stars as Cyd Sherman . It premiered on YouTube on July 27, 2007. Subsequent webisodes premiered on Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace, Zune Marketplace, and MSN Video. The webisodes were later made available on... |
Himself | Episode: "Revolving Doors" |
| 2011 | Husbands Husbands (web series) Husbands is an American comedy web series starring Brad Bell, aka "Cheeks", Sean Hemeon and Alessandra Torresani. It is written by Jane Espenson, co-written by Brad Bell and directed by Jeff Greenstein. It is an 11-part web series, based on the classic premise of newlywed comedy.-Plot:The series... |
Anchor | Episode: "Being Britney!" |
| 2012 | Much Ado About Nothing Much Ado About Nothing (2012 film) Much Ado About Nothing is an independent film made by Joss Whedon and based on the Shakespeare play of the same name. The film is due to be released in 2012.-Production:... |
Dogberry Dogberry Dogberry is a self-satisfied night constable in Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing.In the play, Dogberry is the chief of the citizen-police in Messina. As is usual in Shakespearean comedy, and Renaissance comedy generally, he is a figure of comic incompetence... |
Post-production |