Biography

Steven Jon Nichols traveled extensively all over the world as a young person as part of his family's business, surfing in Southeast Asia and headquartering in San Francisco, London, and Paris. He enjoyed a successful early career modeling in Europe's capitals, working with many great photographers including Bruce Weber, appearing in Harper's Bazaar UK, L'Uomo Vogue Italia, and other European publications. He appeared in advertisements for British fashion bastion Jaeger of London and other luxury brands, then earned his AFTRA Card in 1982 doing TV commercials.

Eventually Steve traded the glitz and glam for a life tending his organic olive orchard in the California Redwoods south of San Francisco, even defending it against blazing forest fires. 100% committed to a plant-based lifestyle, Steve is ultra-chiseled with a lanky physicality. He carries himself with the intensity and mellowness that comes with watching the ocean as a long-time big wave surfer, and the alertness required by his volunteer work in marine mammal rescue. Steve is practical and responsive-with piercing eyes, a sunlit smile, and determined, razor-sharp intelligence.

Working as a hand-picked extra for a scene with Gerard Butler in Chasing Mavericks and a stand-in for Jeff Daniels in Steve Jobs led to roles in indie films and television. Steve was nominated for Best Actor in the Oregon Short Film Fest 2021 for his work with Italian Director Davide Fiore in the much-awarded feature short Fauna. Steve was proud of his supporting role in Breathe, which won awards and mentions at the 2021 San Francisco Indie Short Festival and Toronto Independent Film Festival.

With set experience as Casting Director and First and Second Associate Director for a handful of niche projects and a United Airlines commercial, he's known on-set as calm and collected. Steve is hyper-aware of the planning and complexity that goes into world-class film projects, and he shows up as professional and precise every day.

Steve works with A-lister acting coach Kate McGregor-Stewart, the on-set acting coach to Marisa Tomei as well as for Paramount, Universal, Sony, and other major film studios-and an accomplished screen actress herself. Steve also enjoys learning with teacher George Gallagher (Harold Guskin approach).

Steve's presence has been compared to Kevin Costner, Sam Shepard, and Jeff Bridges. Inspired by fellow Buddhist actors Richard Gere and Peter Coyote, he looks forward to new roles that showcase his natural grit, sensitivity, and love of adventure.
- IMDb mini biography by: Emily Shur