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Actor Nicky Katt, known for Dazed and Confused and Boston Public, died by suicide at 54. His 40-year career included over 75 credits. Director Robert Rodriguez paid tribute.
Nicky Katt, the actor known for his gritty, unforgettable roles in Dazed and Confused, Boston Public, and A Time to Kill, has tragically passed away at the age of 54. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner confirmed on April 15, 2025, that the cause of death was suicide. The news came as a shock to fans and colleagues alike.
Katt was found at his Los Angeles home and, according to the LAPD, he had died on Saturday, April 12. “Nicky Katt has been identified, and a manner of death has been established. He died by suicide, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner," a spokesperson from the L.
A. Police Department told People. With a career spanning nearly 40 years, Katt carved out a unique space for himself in Hollywood.
He was often cast as the tough, unpredictable, or edgy character, the guy you couldn’t ignore on screen. His breakout moment came in 1993, playing the hot-headed Clint Bruno in Dazed and Confused, where his fight scene with Adam Goldberg’s character remains etched in cult film history. Beyond that, he stacked up more than 75 credits in film and television, with roles in Sister Act, School of Rock, and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, among others.
His career, which ran from the early 1980s to 2018, showed just how versatile and consistent he was. Director Robert Rodriguez, who worked with Katt on multiple projects, paid a heartfelt tribute to his late friend. “He’d come in incredibly prepared for a role with costumes and props.
He’d come full of inventive and creative ideas that would make his characters pop off the screen and consistently have an audience howling," Rodriguez wrote on Instagram. Rodriguez remembered how Katt would bring characters to life in unexpected ways. “He’d deliver lines that would constantly sound as unexpected as an ad lib, yet it was the text.
And if he did ad-lib, it was always gold. Even his physical comedy and timing were truly on another level. Nicky was an absolute joy on and off the camera.
A true artist. A friend." He also noted the special magic Katt brought to every performance—his pacing, his energy, and the way he elevated a scene.
“It’s very sad to lose Nicky Katt. But I can only be grateful I got to know him, work with him, and watch him create his own truly original brand of magic that will live forever in his favorite medium," Rodriguez added. May his soul rest in peace!.
