Nick Offerman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nick Offerman
Offerman in 2018
Born	Nicholas David Offerman (1970-06-26) June 26, 1970 (age 54) Joliet, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (BFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Megan Mullally ​ (m. 2003)​

Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor. He is widely known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC TV show Parks and Recreation (2009–2015). For this role, he won an award from the Television Critics Association.

Offerman has also appeared in other popular TV series. These include Fargo (2015), Pam & Tommy (2022), and The Last of Us (2023). He won a Primetime Emmy Award for his work in The Last of Us.

He has acted in many independent films. Some of these are The Kings of Summer (2013), Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015), and The Founder (2016). Offerman also played the President of the United States in the movie Civil War (2024).

He is also known for his voice acting. He voiced Agent Powers on Gravity Falls (2012–2016). He has lent his voice to characters in The Lego Movie films (2014–2019), Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), and the Sing movies (2016–present).

From 2018 to 2021, he co-hosted the NBC reality show Making It with his Parks and Recreation co-star Amy Poehler. They were nominated for three Emmy Awards for hosting the show.

Early Life and Education

Nick Offerman was born in Joliet, Illinois. He grew up in a nearby town called Minooka. His mother, Cathy, was a nurse, and his father, Ric, taught social studies. Nick was raised in the Catholic faith.

He went to Minooka Community High School. In 1993, he earned a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In the same year, he and some friends started a theater company in Chicago called the Defiant Theatre.

Acting Career Highlights

In the mid-1990s, Offerman lived in Chicago. He worked with several theater groups, including Steppenwolf and Goodman. At Steppenwolf, he also worked as a fight choreographer and a master carpenter. During this time, he met Amy Poehler, who was active in Chicago's improv comedy scene.

In 2003, he married actress Megan Mullally. She was famous for her role in Will & Grace. Offerman later appeared on her talk show, The Megan Mullally Show. He also had small roles on TV shows like Will & Grace, The King of Queens, 24, and The West Wing. Before Parks and Recreation, his biggest role was as Randy McGee on George Lopez.

Offerman with the cast of Parks and Recreation in 2012

In 2009, TV producers Michael Schur and Greg Daniels offered Offerman a role in their sitcom Parks and Recreation. He played Ron Swanson, a character who was the head of a city parks department. Ron Swanson was known for his serious personality and dislike of government. He was also the boss of Amy Poehler's character, Leslie Knope. Many critics praised Offerman's performance.

Offerman has also appeared in the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital. He is the voice of Axe Cop in the animated series Axe Cop. In 2014, he was the narrator in the short film The Gunfighter.

On the big screen, Offerman has appeared in films like City of Angels (1998), Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005), and Sin City (2005). In 2012, he was in 21 Jump Street and Casa de Mi Padre. He returned as Deputy Chief Hardy in 22 Jump Street in 2014.

He also starred in and produced an independent film called Somebody Up There Likes Me (2012). In 2013, he was in the comedy We're the Millers and voiced MetalBeard in The Lego Movie. Offerman played Karl Weathers in the second season of Fargo (2015). He voiced Grandpa Mike in Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) alongside his wife, Megan Mullally. In 2016, he played Dick McDonald, one of the founders of McDonald's, in The Founder.

In 2023, Offerman appeared in an episode of the HBO series The Last of Us as a character named Bill. His acting in this role was highly praised. He won a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Guest Actor in a Drama Series for this performance. He is also set to appear in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in 2025.

Other Projects

Writing Books

Nick Offerman has written four books that share stories from his life and his thoughts.

• Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living (2013)
• Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers (2015)
• Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop (2016)
• Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside (2021)

He has also narrated all four books as audiobooks.

Comedy Tours

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, visiting many major cities.

Theater Work

In 2014, Offerman and his wife, Megan Mullally, starred together in an off-Broadway play called 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.

Personal Life

Nick Offerman married actress Megan Mullally on September 20, 2003. They first met while acting together in a play in 2000. They have worked together on many TV shows and films, including Will & Grace, Parks and Recreation, The Kings of Summer, and Hotel Transylvania 2. In 2019, they started a podcast called In Bed with Nick and Megan, where they discuss their lives and interview guests.

Offerman is a Freemason.

Political Views

When asked about his political views, Offerman has said that he admires the ideas of libertarianism. However, he believes it has not worked well in real government. He describes himself as a "free-thinking American."

In 2024, he endorsed Kamala Harris for the 2024 Presidential Election with a song.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Video games

Theme park attractions

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Nick Offerman para niños