Nick Offerman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nick Offerman
Offerman in 2022
Born	Nicholas David Offerman (1970-06-26) June 26, 1970 (age 55) Joliet, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (BFA)
Occupation	Actor, Carpenter, Writer and Comedian
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Megan Mullally ​ (m. 2003)​

Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, carpenter, writer, and comedian. He is well-known for playing Ron Swanson in the TV show Parks and Recreation. For this role, he won an award for best comedy performance. He was also nominated twice for the Critics' Choice Television Award.

Offerman also appeared in the TV series Fargo (2015) and The Last of Us (2023). For The Last of Us, he won an Emmy Award. He has acted in many independent films. These include The Kings of Summer (2013) and The Founder (2016).

He was also an executive producer and star in the film The House of Tomorrow (2017). He played the President in the movie Civil War (2024). Offerman has lent his voice to characters in Gravity Falls and The Lego Movie series. He also voiced characters in Hotel Transylvania 2 and the Sing film series.

He co-hosted the TV show Making It with his Parks and Recreation co-star Amy Poehler. They were nominated three times for an Emmy Award for their hosting.

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Early Life and Education

Nicholas David Offerman was born in Joliet, Illinois, on June 26, 1970. His mother, Cathy, was a nurse, and his father, Ric, was a social studies teacher. He grew up in Minooka and went to Minooka Community High School.

He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign in 1993. After college, he helped start a theater company in Chicago called Defiant Theatre. His parents were surprised when he wanted to become an actor. He said that nobody from his town had ever gone into the arts before.

Acting Career Highlights

In the mid-1990s, Offerman worked with theater groups in Chicago. He also worked as a fight choreographer and master carpenter at the Steppenwolf Theatre. This is where he met Amy Poehler.

In 2003, he married actress Megan Mullally. He appeared on her talk show, The Megan Mullally Show. He also had roles on TV shows like Will & Grace, The King of Queens, and 24. Before Parks and Recreation, he was known for playing Randy McGee on George Lopez.

Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation

Offerman with the cast of Parks and Recreation in 2012

In 2009, Offerman got a main role in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. He played Ron Swanson, a character who dislikes government. Ron Swanson was the boss of Amy Poehler's character, Leslie Knope. Critics praised Offerman's performance, calling him the show's "secret weapon."

Offerman said that supporting roles, like Ron Swanson, are his favorite. He found inspiration from the character Jim Ignatowski in the TV show Taxi.

Voice Acting and Films

Offerman has also done voice work for animated shows. He was the voice of Axe Cop in the animated series Axe Cop. In 2014, he voiced MetalBeard in The Lego Movie. He returned to voice MetalBeard in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019).

He has appeared in many films. These include City of Angels (1998) and The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009). He also played Deputy Chief Hardy in 21 Jump Street (2012) and 22 Jump Street (2014). In 2016, he played Richard McDonald, one of the founders of McDonald's, in the film The Founder.

In 2023, Offerman appeared in the HBO series The Last of Us. He played the character Bill in the episode "Long, Long Time". His acting in this role was highly praised. He won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for this performance. In 2025, he is set to star in the crime thriller Sovereign.

Offerman was the Show Announcer for the 97th Academy Awards in 2025. He is also set to appear in the 2025 film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

Other Projects

Writing Books

Offerman has written four books that share stories from his life. His first book, Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living, came out in 2013. His second book, Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers, was released in 2015.

His third book, Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop, was published in 2016. His fourth book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside, was released in 2021. He has also narrated all of his books as audiobooks.

Comedy Shows

In 2017, Offerman started his Full Bush Tour, performing 28 shows across the U.S. and Canada. His All Rise Tour began in July 2019 and continued through the end of that year. He performed in major cities like Chicago, San Francisco, and New York.

Theatre Work

In 2014, Offerman and his wife, Megan Mullally, starred together in the play Annapurna. They played a couple who meet again after being apart for a long time. In 2015, Offerman played Ignatius J. Reilly in a play based on the book A Confederacy of Dunces.

Woodworking Skills

Offerman has run the Offerman Woodshop in Los Angeles since 2001. He works there with a team of six other craftspeople. He has said that acting sometimes takes time away from his woodworking. He enjoys woodworking and live theater very much.

He learned woodworking by reading books and magazines. He has also written several books about woodworking. He believes it's important to know that making mistakes is part of the learning process.

Personal Life

Offerman married actress Megan Mullally on September 20, 2003. They met in 2000 while working on a play together. They have worked on many projects since then. These include TV shows like Will & Grace and Parks and Recreation. They also appeared in films like The Kings of Summer and Hotel Transylvania 2.

They started a live comedy tour together in 2016. In 2019, they began a podcast where they discuss their lives and interview guests.

Political Views

When asked if he is a libertarian, like his character Ron Swanson, Offerman said in 2017 that he admires the idea but doesn't think it works well in government. He described himself as a "free-thinking American."

He has shared his political views on social media. In 2020, he supported Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren. He also supported Democratic candidate Charles Booker in the U.S. Senate primary in Kentucky.

In April 2024, Offerman described himself as "progressive" but also "conservative in many ways." He believes that political labels have lost their meaning. In August 2024, he supported Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidential election. He released a song called "Proud to Be a Kamala Man."

Film and Television Roles

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Going All the Way	Wilks
1998	City of Angels	Construction Worker
1999	Treasure Island	Samuel
2000	Groove	Sergeant Channahon
	Forever Lulu	Man at Boardner's
2002	Murder by Numbers	Officer at Richard's House
2004	November	Officer Roberts
2005	Cursed	Officer
	Sin City	Shlubb
2006	Wristcutters: A Love Story	Cop
2007	The Go-Getter	Nick the Potter
2008	Harmony & Me	Meter Maid Man
2009	The Men Who Stare at Goats	Scotty Mercer
	Taking Chances	Sheriff Hoke Hollander
2010	Audrey the Trainwreck	David George
	All Good Things	Jim McCarthy
2012	Somebody Up There Likes Me	Sal	Also producer
	21 Jump Street	Deputy Chief Hardy
	Casa de Mi Padre	DEA Agent Parker
	2013	The Kings of Summer	Frank Toy
In a World...		Heners
We're the Millers		Don Fitzgerald
Paradise		Mr. Mannerhelm
2014	Nick Offerman: American Ham	Himself	Stand-up film; Also writer and executive producer
	The Lego Movie	MetalBeard	Voice role
	Ernest & Celestine	George	Voice role; English dub
	Date and Switch	Terry
	The Gunfighter	Narrator	Voice role; short film
	22 Jump Street	Deputy Chief Hardy
Believe Me	Sean
2015	A Walk in the Woods	REI Dave
	Me and Earl and the Dying Girl	Victor Gaines
	Knight of Cups	Scott
	Danny Collins	Guy DeLoach
	Welcome to Happiness	Moses
2016	Ice Age: Collision Course	Gavin	Voice role
Sing	Norman	Voice role
The Founder	Richard McDonald
2017	Gunter Babysits	Norman	Voice role; short film
	The House of Tomorrow	Alan Whitcomb	Also executive producer
	The Little Hours	Lord Bruno
	The Hero	Jeremy
	My Life as a Courgette	Raymond	Voice role; English dub
	Infinity Baby	Neo
2018	Nostalgia	Henry Greer
	Hearts Beat Loud	Francis James "Frank" Fisher
	Bad Times at the El Royale	Felix O'Kelly
	White Fang	Marshal Weeden Scott	Voice role
2019	The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part	MetalBeard	Voice role
	Frances Ferguson	Narrator
	Lucy in the Sky	Will Plimpton
2020	Sacred Cow	Narrator	Voice role
2021	Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans	Varvatos Vex	Voice role
	Sing 2	Norman	Voice role
2023	Origin	Dave
	...: The Musical	Steve Chaney
	Dumb Money	Kenneth C. Griffin
	Candy Cane Lane	Pip
2024	Civil War	The President of the United States
	The Life of Chuck	The Narrator
2025	Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning	General Sidney
	Sovereign	Jerry Kane
	Smurfs	Ken	Voice role; in production

Television

Video Games and Theme Parks

Awards and Recognition