Stephen Nichols (1951)

Nichols Stephen Nichols

Leaving his hometown of Dayton, Ohio, Stephen Nichols traveled West, not in search of "fame and fortune," but to become a monk. He landed in Hollywood at the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple, where he studied yoga, cooked vegetarian meals for the residents and lived the monk's life preparing to enter the ashram. After three years of deep meditation, celibacy, and a steady diet of the films of Truffaut, Bergman and Cassavetes, Nichols realized being a monk was not his path. On a dare, Nichols auditioned for the Theater Academy of Los Angeles City College where he realized that acting and directing was his true calling. Nichols began his acting career in Los Angeles theater during its renaissance in the early 80s and has been honored with Drama-logue and L.A. Weekly Awards for his performances in such notable productions as Pieces of Time, for his portrayal of real-life killer, Donald Bashor, for the suicidal drug-dealer Hart in the long-running, smash hit, Delirious, and as Jim Morrison during the last thirty-six hours of his life in The Lizard King. He also appeared at LATC in Rick Clutchey's The Cage, in the award-winning production of Michael Cristofer's The Shadow Box, and Love Letters, at the Canon Theater. Nichols also starred in He Hunts at the Geffen Playhouse, starred in the U.S. premiere of Joe Pintaro's electrifying The Dead Boy. Nichols also portrayed Ricky Roma in Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross at Pacific Resident Theatre. Nichols has starred in several feature films including the WWII drama Heaven's Tears, the horror classic Witchboard, Choices, with Demi Moore, and as the unsuspecting cyborg in the sci-fi thriller Phoenix with Brad Dourif. He has appeared in many other films including, Merchants of Venus with Michael York and Beverly D'Angelo, Cover Me, with Paul Sorvino and Eliot Gould, The Glass Cage, with Eric Roberts, Checkmate, and A Hard Rain with John Mahoney. As one of the most enduring stars of daytime television, Nichols portrayed the infamous Steven "Patch" Johnson on NBC's Days of Our Lives, which earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role and five Soap Opera Digest Best Actor Awards. He is also known for his portrayals of Stefan Cassadine on ABC's General Hospital and Tucker McCall on CBS's Young and the Restless. Nichols co-starred as Tommy Simmons in the series Second Chances with Jennifer Lopez and as Brad Dimitri on 2000 Malibu Road. Among his numerous TV appearances, two favorites are as Jesse James opposite Pierce Brosnan and Eric Idle in the NBC mini-series Around the World in 80 Days and playing opposite Dennis Hopper in Crash. Nichols has directed for both stage and screen. He wrote and directed his first short film, Get the Dime, starring Daniel Bess Emily Bergl and Robert Picardo. The wrenching drama tells the story of a callous young actor's life-changing wake-up call while researching a role as a transgender woman. It was an official selection at the prestigious Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films and several others. Following that he directed the short, I See, starring Ptolemy Slocum and Julie Pinson about an NSA-obsessed paranoiac and the effect it has on his marriage, as well as a satire of our surveillance state. Upcoming, Nichols will direct the feature-length, supernatural thriller inspired by true events, Medulla.