Trivia

He is deaf in his left ear. He lost his hearing in that ear in 1977.

He considers his time on Firefly (2002) to be the most fun he had on a TV series, and uses it as a yard stick to compare his experiences on every other TV/movie set.

When he won Best Actor at the 2006 SyFy Genre Awards for his portrayal of Captain Malcolm Reynolds in Firefly (2002), the show had been off the air for around three years.

Wanted to be a high school drama teacher. In college he majored in art and minored in drama while pursuing an acting career on the side.

Is an avid fan of video games and collects comic books.

Both of Nathan's parents and his brother were all teachers.

Before Stana Katic was ultimately cast, he read with 125 actresses auditioning for the role of Kate Beckett in Castle.

Originally auditioned for the role of Angel for Joss Whedon's first television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997). However, never met Joss Whedon until he auditioned for the part of Mal on Firefly (2002).

Parents are Bob and Cookie Fillion, both of whom are retired English teachers.

Since 1997, he is an American citizen.

Was a popular fan choice for the role of the heroic pilot Hal Jordan in Green Lantern (2011), but the role went to Ryan Reynolds instead. Fillion voiced Jordan in the animated feature Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011) as a replacement for Christopher Meloni, who had voiced Jordan in Green Lantern: First Flight (2009), but was unable to reprise the role due to scheduling conflicts.

Has an older brother, Jeff Fillion, who decided to go into teaching. He taught in schools in Edmonton, Alberta, and became a principal at St. Richards Edmonton Catholic School where he made a movie with the kids and got his brother Nathan to do the introduction. It was about the school going into space.

Attended Concordia University College of Alberta and the University of Alberta.

He has said that he is a descendant of Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early. When told this, Joss Whedon created a bounty hunter by the name of Jubal Early for the Firefly (2002) episode Objects in Space (2002). However, genealogical research has shown that Nathan and Lt. Gen. Early are not related; Nathan's line leads back to ancestors named "Ehrle" or "Oehrle" in Germany, while Early's line leads back to Donegal, Ireland.

One of four actors from Firefly (2002) who voiced superheroes on Justice League (2001). He voiced the Western-themed Vigilante while Adam Baldwin voiced Hal Jordan, the Silver Age-Green Lantern; Gina Torres voiced Vixen; and Morena Baccarin voiced Black Canary.

Has voiced Hal Jordan/Green Lantern in four different animated features: Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011), Justice League: Doom (2012), Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), and Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015).

His father is of French-Canadian descent. His mother is of English, German, Norwegian, and Finnish/Swedish ancestry. His paternal grandparents were born in Massachusetts, with their families having originally been from Québec. His maternal grandfather was born in Salem, Marion, Oregon, though Nathan's grandmother was born in Edmonton.

He has the most Marvel roles played.

Auditioned for the role of Michael in Dawn of the Dead (2004).

Friends with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"Flowers for Your Grave (2009)", the series premiere of Castle (2009), aired a couple of weeks before he turned 38. In 2016, "Crossfire (2016)", the series finale, aired a couple of weeks after Stana Katic turned 38.