Nicholas Saputra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nicholas Saputra
Born	Nicholas Schubring Saputra (1984-02-24) 24 February 1984 (age 41) Jakarta, Indonesia
Alma mater	University of Indonesia, (Architecture)
Occupation	Actor Producer Businessman Activist
Years active	2002–present

Nicholas Schubring Saputra (born on February 24, 1984) is a famous Indonesian actor and film producer. He became well-known as Rangga in the popular 2002 movie Ada Apa dengan Cinta?. He played this role again in Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? 2 in 2016. Nicholas is now one of Indonesia's most respected actors. He has won two major awards called Citra Awards. He won for Best Actor in the movie Gie (2005) and for Best Supporting Actor in Aruna & Her Palate (2018).

Nicholas Saputra is also an activist. He cares a lot about the environment and protecting nature. He also supports children's rights. He has produced several environmental films through his company, Tanakhir Films. In 2019, Nicholas became a UNICEF Indonesia Goodwill Ambassador. This means he helps UNICEF with their important work.

Early Life and Education

Nicholas Saputra was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, on February 24, 1984. His father is German, and his mother is Indonesian-Javanese from Yogyakarta.

After finishing high school at SMA Negeri 8 Jakarta, Nicholas went to the University of Indonesia. He was a very good student in high school. He earned a degree in architecture from the University of Indonesia.

Nicholas's Acting Career

Becoming a Star: Early Career

Nicholas Saputra started his career in fashion. He was a runway model and appeared on magazine covers when he was in high school. A teen magazine discovered him when he was fifteen years old. He was playing baseball at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

Even though he had no acting experience, Nicholas got a main role at his very first audition. He was 17 years old. This was for the popular romance movie Ada Apa dengan Cinta?, released in 2002. He starred alongside actress Dian Sastrowardoyo. In the film, he played Rangga, a quiet student who falls in love with the most popular girl. His performance earned him a nomination for Best Leading Actor at the Indonesian Film Festival. This movie made him a huge star in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Nicholas once said about starting his career:

Being an actor is never my dream, actually. The offer came when I was in high school, and I was simply testing the water, thinking that I got nothing to lose.

In 2003, Nicholas played a violinist in Biola Tak Berdawai. This movie was shown at the Cairo International Film Festival. It also became Indonesia's entry for the 76th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Nicholas won Best Actor at the 2003 Bali International Film Festival for his role.

Nicholas got another main role in Joko Anwar's 2005 romantic comedy Janji Joni. He played a roll film delivery man. He won Most Favorite Actor at the 2005 MTV Indonesia Movie Awards for this role. The movie was also shown at film festivals in Sydney and Pusan. In the same year, he starred as the activist Soe Hok Gie in the movie Gie. His acting as Soe Hok Gie was highly praised. He won Best Leading Actor at the 2005 Indonesian Film Festival. This movie was also Indonesia's entry for the 79th Academy Awards.

In 2007, Nicholas hosted shows like The Ticket and Screentime on Channel V Asia. He also helped present the 1st Asian Film Awards. He acted in Riri Riza's 3 Hari Untuk Selamanya that same year.

More Movies and Success

In 2008, Nicholas starred in the movie Cinta Setaman. He also worked again with Dian Sastrowardoyo in two films: Drupadi and 3 Doa 3 Cinta. He was a judge for a film competition at the 2008 Singapore International Film Festival. He also became a French Film Ambassador in 2009.

In 2011, Nicholas was a sportscaster for a Malaysian TV station. That same year, he starred in the environmental documentary The Magic Kakaban. He then acted in two indie movies. These were Edwin's Postcards from the Zoo (2012) and Mouly Surya's What They Don't Talk About When They Talk About Love (2013). In the latter, he played a deaf man who falls in love with a blind girl. This movie was the first Indonesian film nominated at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

Nicholas became an executive producer for the first time in 2013. He worked on Sokola Rimba with director Riri Riza. This movie tells the story of activist Butet Manurung. She teaches the Orang Rimba people. The film won Best Film at the 2013 Maya Awards. In the same year, Nicholas helped start Tanakhir Films. This company makes documentaries and environmental films. He also starred in his company's first film, Cinta Dari Wamena. This movie is about raising awareness for HIV/AIDS in Wamena.

Nicholas reunited with Mariana Renata in 2013 for a South Korean-Indonesian film. It was called Someone's Wife in the Boat of Someone's Husband.

In 2014, Nicholas acted in his first action film, The Golden Cane Warrior. He played a mysterious warrior named Elang. This role involved many fight scenes. He then played Rangga again in a short drama called Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? 2014. This was a spin-off of the original movie. In 2015, Nicholas and Mariana Renata starred in a web series called Nic and Mar.

Following the success of the short drama, Nicholas played Rangga again in Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? 2. This movie came out in 2016. It was very popular and became one of the highest-grossing films in Indonesia. He also starred in the Malaysian fantasy thriller Interchange.

Nicholas also helped produce and narrate Save Our Forest Giants. This short documentary film raises awareness about elephant conservation. He worked with the European Union for this film in 2016.

Awards, Activism, and New Roles

In early 2018, Nicholas was a judge for a film competition. Later that year, he acted in Aruna & Lidahnya as a chef. This movie won him the Citra Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 2018 Indonesian Film Festival. The film was also shown at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival. Nicholas also starred in three parts of Asian Three-Fold Mirror 2018: The Journey.

In 2019, Nicholas co-starred in the Filipino-Malaysian horror film Motel Acacia. A film critic said Nicholas made a big impression in the movie.

In November 2019, Nicholas became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He said he felt honored and that activism has always been his passion. He believes in ensuring children's rights are met for a better world. In December 2019, he joined UNICEF campaigns to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene. He also joined a campaign to protect the Leuser Ecosystem.

With his company Tanakhir Films, Nicholas produced their first full-length documentary film Semesta (Islands of Faith). This film tells the stories of seven Indonesian environmental activists. It was released in 2020 and is available on Netflix.

Nicholas is set to play Aquanus, a superhero character, in the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe. He was also cast in Riri Riza's film Paranoia in 2020. In 2024, Nicholas starred in the romantic miniseries Secret Ingredient.

Personal Life

Nicholas Saputra is the only child in his family. He is best friends with his frequent co-star Dian Sastrowardoyo. They both went to the University of Indonesia.

Nicholas loves to travel. He has explored many parts of the world and Indonesia. He once lived in a remote village in Flores. He became an environmentalist after volunteering for the Aceh tsunami relief efforts in 2005. He got his diving license in 2006.

Nicholas is also a talented photographer. Many of his Instagram posts show his photography.

He has been part of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) since 2008. Through this, he helped bring classrooms and a traveling library to Raja Ampat, Papua. He continues to work on forest and orangutan protection in Indonesia.

Nicholas co-founded Tanakhir Films in 2013. This company focuses on films about culture and the environment. In 2017, he worked with artist Angki Purbandono on an art project about Sumatran elephants. The exhibition included photos taken by Nicholas.

Besides his activism, Nicholas built an eco friendly lodge near Mount Leuser National Park in Tangkahan, North Sumatra. This helps support ecotourism in the area.

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

Television

Music video

Awards and Nominations