Nick Castle
Encyclopedia
Nick Castle is an American
actor
, screenwriter
and film director
, best known for his role as Michael Myers
in Halloween
. He also co-wrote Escape from New York
with his friend, John Carpenter
.
, California
, the son of Millie and Nicholas Charles Castle, Sr. who was an actor and top choreographer for motion pictures, television
, and the stage, and was nominated for an Emmy
. As a child, Nick Castle often appeared as an extra
or in bit roles in his father's films. He studied film at USC, where he served as cinematographer for the Academy Award-winning live action short film The Resurrection of Broncho Billy
.
, Dennis the Menace
, The Last Starfighter
, and Connors' War as a director, Escape from New York
and Hook
as a screenwriter, and Tap
as both.
He played Michael Myers
in the 1978 horror classic Halloween
, directed by former USC classmate John Carpenter
, being paid $25
a day.
Castle's most recent project is the screenplay for August Rush
, a musical-drama directed by Kirsten Sheridan
and starring Freddie Highmore
, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
, Robin Williams
, and Keri Russell
, released in 2007. He also stars as himself in the 2010 documentary Halloween: The Inside Story by Filipino filmmaker Nick Noble.
Castle won an Saturn Award
for Best Writing for The Boy Who Could Fly
, a Silver Raven (for Delivering Milo
), a Grand Prize (for The Last Starfighter
), a Bronze Gryphon, and a Gold Medal of the Regional Council.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, best known for his role as Michael Myers
Michael Myers (Halloween)
Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, then fifteen years later returns home to murder more teenagers...
in Halloween
Halloween (1978 film)
Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
. He also co-wrote Escape from New York
Escape from New York
Escape from New York is a 1981 American science fiction action film directed and scored by John Carpenter. He co-wrote the screenplay with Nick Castle. The film is set in the near future in a crime-ridden United States that has converted Manhattan Island in New York City into a maximum security...
with his friend, John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
.
Early life
Castle was born Nicholas Charles Castle, Jr. in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the son of Millie and Nicholas Charles Castle, Sr. who was an actor and top choreographer for motion pictures, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and the stage, and was nominated for an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. As a child, Nick Castle often appeared as an extra
Extra (actor)
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
or in bit roles in his father's films. He studied film at USC, where he served as cinematographer for the Academy Award-winning live action short film The Resurrection of Broncho Billy
The Resurrection of Broncho Billy
The Resurrection of Broncho Billy is a 1970 live action short Western film, starring Johnny Crawford. It won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject.-Plot:...
.
Career
Castle's film credits include Major PayneMajor Payne
Major Payne is a 1995 comedy film, starring Damon Wayans. The film is a loose remake of the 1955 film The Private War of Major Benson, starring Charlton Heston....
, Dennis the Menace
Dennis the Menace (film)
Dennis the Menace is a 1993 live-action American family film based on the Hank Ketcham comic strip of the same name....
, The Last Starfighter
The Last Starfighter
The Last Starfighter is a 1984 science fiction adventure film directed by Nick Castle. The film tells the story of Alex Rogan , an average teenage boy recruited by an alien defense force to fight in an interstellar war. It also featured Dan O'Herlihy, Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Preston, Norman...
, and Connors' War as a director, Escape from New York
Escape from New York
Escape from New York is a 1981 American science fiction action film directed and scored by John Carpenter. He co-wrote the screenplay with Nick Castle. The film is set in the near future in a crime-ridden United States that has converted Manhattan Island in New York City into a maximum security...
and Hook
Hook (film)
Hook is a 1991 American fantasy film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, and features Maggie Smith, Caroline Goodall, Charlie Korsmo, Amber Scott, and Dante Basco. Hook acts as a sequel to Peter Pan's original adventures, focusing...
as a screenwriter, and Tap
Tap (film)
Tap is a 1989 film drama written and directed by Nick Castle. It stars Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr.-Plot:Max Washington, just released from prison after serving time for burglary, is a talented tap dancer...
as both.
He played Michael Myers
Michael Myers (Halloween)
Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, then fifteen years later returns home to murder more teenagers...
in the 1978 horror classic Halloween
Halloween (1978 film)
Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
, directed by former USC classmate John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
, being paid $25
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
a day.
Castle's most recent project is the screenplay for August Rush
August Rush
August Rush is a 2007 drama film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and written by Paul Castro, Nick Castle, and James V. Hart, and produced by Richard Barton Lewis.-Plot:...
, a musical-drama directed by Kirsten Sheridan
Kirsten Sheridan
Kirsten Sheridan is an Irish film director and screenwriter. The director of August Rush and Disco Pigs , Sheridan was nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing the semi-autobiographical film In America with her father, director Jim Sheridan, and her sister, Naomi Sheridan.-Biography:Born in...
and starring Freddie Highmore
Freddie Highmore
Alfred Thomas "Freddie" Highmore is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Finding Neverland, Five Children and It, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Arthur and the Invisibles, August Rush, The Golden Compass, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and Toast.-Early life:Highmore was...
, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is an Irish actor and model.He is best known for his roles in the films Velvet Goldmine, Mission Impossible III, Bend It Like Beckham, Match Point and his television roles as Elvis Presley in the biographical miniseries Elvis, which earned him a Golden Globe for Best Actor,...
, Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
, and Keri Russell
Keri Russell
Keri Lynn Russell is an American actress and dancer. After appearing in a number of made-for-television films and series during the mid-1990s, she came to fame for portraying the title role of Felicity Porter on the series Felicity, which ran from 1998 to 2002, and for which she won a Golden Globe...
, released in 2007. He also stars as himself in the 2010 documentary Halloween: The Inside Story by Filipino filmmaker Nick Noble.
Castle won an Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
for Best Writing for The Boy Who Could Fly
The Boy Who Could Fly
The Boy Who Could Fly is a 1986 film written and directed by Nick Castle. It was produced by Lorimar Productions for 20th Century Fox and released to movie theatres on August 14, 1986....
, a Silver Raven (for Delivering Milo
Delivering Milo
Delivering Milo is a 2001 film written by David Hubbard and directed by Nick Castle. Anton Yelchin stars as Milo, with Bridget Fonda and Campbell Scott in the roles of his parents. Albert Finney stars as Elmore Dahl, a guardian angel sent to convince a soul that life on Earth is worth living. Sean...
), a Grand Prize (for The Last Starfighter
The Last Starfighter
The Last Starfighter is a 1984 science fiction adventure film directed by Nick Castle. The film tells the story of Alex Rogan , an average teenage boy recruited by an alien defense force to fight in an interstellar war. It also featured Dan O'Herlihy, Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Preston, Norman...
), a Bronze Gryphon, and a Gold Medal of the Regional Council.
Director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Connor's War | Television |
| 2004 | The Seat Filler The Seat Filler The Seat Filler is an American romantic comedy musical film produced by the Company Production of Magnolia Home Entertainment, Seat Filler Productions, Shake Martin Films and Strange Fruit Films which released in 2004. It stars Kelly Rowland, Duane Martin, Melanie Brown, Kyla Pratt and Shemar Moore... |
|
| 2001 | 'Twas the Night 'Twas the Night 'Twas the Night is a 2001 Disney Channel Original Movie released in December for the Christmas holiday. Disney Channel has aired the film every year sometime in December... |
Television |
| Delivering Milo Delivering Milo Delivering Milo is a 2001 film written by David Hubbard and directed by Nick Castle. Anton Yelchin stars as Milo, with Bridget Fonda and Campbell Scott in the roles of his parents. Albert Finney stars as Elmore Dahl, a guardian angel sent to convince a soul that life on Earth is worth living. Sean... |
Television | |
| 1996 | Mr. Wrong | |
| 1995 | Major Payne Major Payne Major Payne is a 1995 comedy film, starring Damon Wayans. The film is a loose remake of the 1955 film The Private War of Major Benson, starring Charlton Heston.... |
|
| 1993 | Dennis the Menace Dennis the Menace (film) Dennis the Menace is a 1993 live-action American family film based on the Hank Ketcham comic strip of the same name.... |
|
| 1990 | Shangri-La Plaza | Television |
| 1989 | Tap Tap (film) Tap is a 1989 film drama written and directed by Nick Castle. It stars Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr.-Plot:Max Washington, just released from prison after serving time for burglary, is a talented tap dancer... |
|
| 1987 | Amazing Stories Amazing Stories (TV series) Amazing Stories is a fantasy, horror, and science fiction television anthology series created by Steven Spielberg. It ran on NBC from 1985 to 1987, and was somewhat erratically screened in Britain by BBC1 and BBC2 - billed in the Radio Times as "Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories" - with episodes... |
Television |
| 1986 | The Boy Who Could Fly The Boy Who Could Fly The Boy Who Could Fly is a 1986 film written and directed by Nick Castle. It was produced by Lorimar Productions for 20th Century Fox and released to movie theatres on August 14, 1986.... |
|
| 1984 | The Last Starfighter The Last Starfighter The Last Starfighter is a 1984 science fiction adventure film directed by Nick Castle. The film tells the story of Alex Rogan , an average teenage boy recruited by an alien defense force to fight in an interstellar war. It also featured Dan O'Herlihy, Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Preston, Norman... |
|
| 1982 | Tag: The Assassination Game Tag: The Assassination Game TAG: The Assassination Game is a 1982 film directed by Nick Castle and starring Linda Hamilton in one of her first roles. It is based on the game Assassin... |
Actor
| Title | Film | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Boy Who Could Fly The Boy Who Could Fly The Boy Who Could Fly is a 1986 film written and directed by Nick Castle. It was produced by Lorimar Productions for 20th Century Fox and released to movie theatres on August 14, 1986.... |
The Coupe De Villes | |
| 1978 | Halloween Halloween (1978 film) Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern... |
The Shape (Michael Myers) Michael Myers (Halloween) Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, then fifteen years later returns home to murder more teenagers... |
|
| 1974 | Dark Star Dark Star (film) Dark Star is a 1974 American comedic science fiction motion picture directed by John Carpenter and co-written with Dan O'Bannon.-Backstory and plot:... |
Alien Extraterrestrial life in popular culture In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:... |
Uncredited |