Nicolas Kent Stahl (born ) is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face, in which he was directed by and starred alongside Mel Gibson.
Stahl later transitioned into adult roles in the films Disturbing Behavior, The Thin Red Line, In the Bedroom, Bully, Sin City, and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines in the role of John Connor, as well as on the HBO series Carnivàle in the role of Ben Hawkins. He also starred as Jason Riley on the AMC television series Fear the Walking Dead. In April 2023, he starred as Lucas on the Hulu television series Tiny Beautiful Things.
Early life Stahl was born in Harlingen, Texas, the son of Donna Lynn (née Reed), a brokerage assistant, and William Kent Stahl, a businessman who abandoned his family before Nick was born. Stahl stated in a 2021 interview, "I don’t know my dad. I never met him." He was raised in Dallas along with his two sisters by his divorced mother, who struggled to make ends meet.
Career
Stahl's first professional castings were small roles in Stranger at My Door (1991) and Woman With a Past (1992), although he had been acting in children's plays since he was four years old. The 1993 film The Man Without a Face, directed by and co-starring Mel Gibson, helped boost Stahl's career at the age of 13. The following year, he had a supporting role in the ensemble film Safe Passage. In 1996, he played the role of Puck in Benjamin Britten's opera A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 1998, he played a doomed young soldier during the World War II Pacific War in The Thin Red Line. He scored critical and box office success again with his role in the 2001 movie In the Bedroom, which starred Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson as his parents. Stahl achieved box office success again in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) as John Connor (replacing Edward Furlong from Terminator 2: Judgment Day), co-starring with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Claire Danes. In 2003, he starred in the HBO series Carnivàle, which drew a loyal audience as well as rave reviews. The show lasted two seasons, ending in 2005.
Stahl has played two villains to good reviews: Bobby Kent in the film Bully (2001) and Roark Jr./Yellow Bastard in Sin City (2005). Stahl did not reprise his role as John Connor in Terminator Salvation, with Christian Bale taking over instead. Stahl noted the film's concept as "a jump to the future, so [John Connor] will be quite a bit older." Other roles included How to Rob a Bank (2007), Sleepwalking (2008), and Quid Pro Quo (2008).
In 2010, Stahl starred as Max Matheson in Mirrors 2, the sequel to Mirrors, directed by Victor Garcia and penned by Matt Venne. Among his more recent films are On the Inside (2010) and Afghan Luke (2011), and Away from Here (2014).
In 2019, Stahl portrayed serial killer Glen Edward Rogers in The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson. Filming commenced over the summer in 2018 and the film was released in the UK on December 9, 2019.
Also in 2019, Stahl appeared in The Lumineers’ short film, III, which is based on their album of the same name. Stahl played the character Jimmy Sparks, who is a father and gambling addict.
In November 2021, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Stahl would star alongside Sean Bean and Famke Janssen in the film Knights of the Zodiac, a live-action adaptation of the Saint Seiya manga series. The film was released on May 12, 2023.
In April 2023, he appeared in a recurring role as Lucas on the Hulu television series Tiny Beautiful Things, opposite Kathryn Hahn.
In May 2024, Stahl starred in the suspense horror film What You Wish For, written and directed by Nicholas Tomnay and distributed by Magnolia Pictures.
Personal life Stahl married actress and singer Rose Murphy in June 2009. They have a daughter, Marlo, born in 2010. The couple separated in 2012 and finalized their divorce in 2019.
Stahl struggled with alcoholism for decades. He spent time in rehabilitation facilities in 2007 and 2009. In May 2012, Stahl's wife reported him missing. It was later reported that Stahl had checked into a rehabilitation facility. On December 27, 2012, Stahl was arrested at an adult film store in Hollywood, California, on suspicion of committing a lewd act. No charges were filed due to insufficient evidence. On June 28, 2013, Stahl was arrested in Hollywood for alleged possession of methamphetamine.
In a 2017 interview at the Dallas Comic Show, Stahl stated he had moved to Texas and was taking a leave of absence from acting to concentrate on family and sobriety. Stahl returned to acting in 2019 with the filming of The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson. In 2021, Stahl said in an interview that he had been sober for four years.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1993 Chuck Norstadt Nominated – Young Artist Award for Best Youth Actor Co-Starring in a Motion Picture Drama 1994 Safe Passage Simon Singer 1995 Tall Tale Daniel Hackett 1997 Eye of God Tom Spencer 1998 Disturbing Behavior Gavin Strick 1998 Soundman Tommy Pepin 1998 Pfc. Edward Bead Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture 2000 Lover's Prayer Vladimir 2000 Sunset Strip Zach 2001 In the Bedroom Frank Fowler Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture 2001 Morgan 2001 Bully Bobby Kent 2002 Taboo Christian Turner 2002 Wasted Chris 2003 Bookies Toby Winter 2003 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines John Connor 2003 Twist Artful Dodger Nominated – Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 2005 Sin City Roark Junior / Yellow Bastard Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast 2006 Horace "Raff" Rafferty 2007 How to Rob a Bank Jason Taylor / Jinx 2008 Quid Pro Quo Isaac Knott 2008 Sleepwalking James Reedy 2009 My One and Only Bud 2010 Brendan Kerrigan 2010 Burning Palms Robert Kane 2010 Meskada Noah Cordin 2010 Dead Awake Dylan 2010 Kalamity Billy Klepack 2010 Mirrors 2 Max Matheson 2010 Everything Will Happen Before You Die Hunter Robinson 2011 The Speed of Thought Joshua Lazarus 2011 On the Inside Allen Meneric 2011 Afghan Luke Luke Benning 2011 388 Arletta Avenue James Deakin2012On the InsideAllen Meneric 2014 Away from Here James 2019 III Jimmy Sparks Short film 2019 The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson Glen Edward Rogers 2020 Hunter Hunter Lou 2021 What Josiah Saw Eli Graham 2021 American Dream Yuri 2021 Grace and Grit Bob Doty 2021 Night Blooms Wayne2023Knights of the ZodiacCassiosConfidential Informant Mike ThortonWhat You Wish ForRyan 2024Keep Quiet Darius Humphrey 2025 Violent Ends Tuck Whitehead Devoted Post-production
Television Year Title Role Notes 1991 Stranger at My Door Robert Fortier Television film 1992 Woman with a Past Brian Television film 1994 Incident in a Small Town John Bell Trenton Television film 1995 Blue River Young Edward Sellars Television film 1996 My Son Is Innocent Eric Sutter Television film 1996 Out of Order Unknown Episode: "Hey Joey" 1997 Promised Land Billy Sullivan Episode: "Cowboy Blues" 1999 Seasons of Love Grover Linthorne Television film 2002 Wasted Chris Television filmNominated – Prism Award for Performance in TV Movie or Miniseries 2003–2005 Carnivàle Ben Hawkins 24 episodesNominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series DramaNominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television 2009 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Peter Harrison Episode: "Zebras" 2011 Locke & Key Duncan Locke Pilot (unaired) 2012 House of Lies Kurt Episode: "Mini Mogul" 2012 Body of Proof Marcel Trevino 2 episodes 2021 Fear the Walking Dead Jason Riley 5 episodes 2021 Animal Kingdom Mike 5 episodes 2022 Dead in the Water: A Fear the Walking Dead Story Jason Riley Web series; Main role Let the Right One In Matthew Main role 2023 Tiny Beautiful Things Lucas Main role2027Heated Rivalry Curtis BarrettSeason 2
Music videos Year Artist Role Notes 2019 The Lumineers Jimmy Sparks 4 videos
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Results1994 Young Artist Awards Best Youth Actor Co-Starring in a Motion Picture Drama The Man Without a Face 1999 Satellite Awards Outstanding Motion Picture Ensemble The Thin Red Line 2001 Awards Circuit Community Awards Best Cast Ensemble In the Bedroom 2002 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture In the Bedroom 2003 Prism Award Performance in TV Movie or Miniseries Wasted 2004 Satellite Awards Best Actor in a Series, Drama Carnivàle 2004 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series Carnivàle 2005 Genie Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Twist 2006 Gold Derby Awards Ensemble Cast Sin City 2006 Critics Choice Awards Best Acting Ensemble Sin City 2021 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Best Actor What Josiah Saw 2021 Mammoth Lakes Film Festival Best Cast
References
External links