Nicholas Lea

2025-09-16T04:00:26Z

166.70.252.91:

{{short description|Canadian actor (born 1962)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Nicholas Lea
| image = Nicholas Lea 01 (9511897377).jpg
| caption = Lea in 2013
| birth_name = Nicholas Christopher Herbert
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|6|22}}
| birth_place = [[New Westminster]], [[British Columbia]], Canada
| nationality = [[Canadians|Canadian]]
| occupation = Actor
| yearsactive = 1989–present
}}

'''Nicholas Lea''' (born '''Nicholas Christopher Herbert'''; June 22, 1962) is a Canadian actor<ref>[https://www.northernstars.ca/actor/nicholas-lea/ Nicholas Lea's bio] at northernstars.ca</ref> known for his portrayal of [[Alex Krycek]] on ''[[The X-Files]]''<ref>[https://ew.com/article/1998/05/15/x-files-biggest-baddie/ "''The X-Files'' biggest baddie"] by Mike Flaherty at [[Entertainment Weekly|ew.com]]</ref> and of Tom Foss on ''[[Kyle XY]]''. He is the partner of actress Crystal Balint.

==Life and career==
Lea was born in [[New Westminster]], [[British Columbia]]. He attended [[Prince of Wales Secondary School]] where he graduated in 1980.<ref>"Russell checking out lead role in hockey flick/He's Not Blue" by Lynne McNamara, ''[[Vancouver Sun]]'' (2 October, 2002) [Final Edition] Retrieved from {{ProQuest|242483528}}</ref>

Lea's first major role was on the TV series ''[[The Commish]]''<ref>[https://variety.com/1993/tv/reviews/the-commish-set-up-1200433583/ "The Commish Set Up"] by Todd Everett at [[Variety (magazine)|variety.com]]</ref> where he played Officer Enrico Caruso from 1991 to 1994. It was during this time that he had a minor guest role in a first-season episode of ''[[The X-Files]]'' called "[[Gender Bender (The X-Files)|Gender Bender]]". The producers were impressed by his performance and when, in the second season, he auditioned for the role of turncoat [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agent [[Alex Krycek]], he was successful.

Lea guest starred in eleven episodes from 1994 to 1996 and became a popular character amongst fans.<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/once-more-on-the-trail-of-the-wicked/article18430545/ "Once more on the trail of the wicked"] by Catherine Dawson March at [[The Globe and Mail|theglobeandmail.com]]</ref> Because of his character's willingness to switch sides, he was known as the 'ratboy'.<ref>[https://ew.com/article/1996/02/09/x-filess-supporting-cast/ X-Files's supporting cast"] by Bret Watson at [[Entertainment Weekly|ew.com]]</ref> In the season three episode "[[Apocrypha (The X-Files)|Apocrypha]]," Krycek was left to die in an abandoned missile silo with an alien ship. This allowed Lea to take a starring role in the series ''[[Once a Thief (TV series)|Once a Thief]]''—which followed on from the 1996 [[John Woo]] film—alongside [[Ivan Sergei]].<ref>[https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/john-woo-s-once-a-thief-2-1200446624/ John Woo’s Once a Thief review] by Carole Horst at [[Variety (magazine)|variety.com]]</ref> The series was cancelled after one season. Lea continued to play Krycek, who became a nemesis not just of [[Fox Mulder|Mulder]] and [[Dana Scully|Scully]] but particularly of [[Walter Skinner|A.D. Skinner]] ([[Mitch Pileggi]]).

Lea co-starred with [[Lau Ching-Wan]], [[Theresa Lee]] and [[Bif Naked]] in the Hong Kong-Canadian film ''[[Lunch with Charles]]'' in 2001.<ref>[https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/lunch-with-charles-1200469604/ Lunch with Charles review] by Ken Eisner at [[Variety (magazine)|variety.com]]</ref><ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/a-labour-of-love/article762623/ "A labour of love"] by Alexandra Gill at [[The Globe and Mail|theglobeandmail.com]]</ref>

In 2006, Lea had a role on [[Freeform (TV channel)|ABC Family]]'s ''[[Kyle XY]]'' (26 episodes) playing Tom Foss, Kyle's tutor, and was one of the lead actors (playing Ethan McKaye) on the Canadian TV series ''[[Whistler (TV series)|Whistler]]''.<ref>[https://playbackonline.ca/2006/01/09/bcrevival-20060109/ "Sexy Whistler joins West Coast revival"] by Distin Dinoff at [[Playback (magazine)|playbackonline.ca]]</ref> He was also that series' associate producer. He did not return to ''Whistler'' for its second season in 2007.<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2007/10/06/new_faces_add_spunk_to_whistler.html "New faces add spunk to Whistler"] by Jim Bawden at [[Toronto Star|thestar.com]]</ref>

He has guest starred in shows such as ''[[NYPD Blue]]'' (3 episodes), ''[[Andromeda (TV series)|Andromeda]]'', ''[[Burn Notice]]'', ''[[Sliders (TV series)|Sliders]]'', ''[[Highlander: The Series]]'', ''[[Judging Amy]]'', ''[[CSI: Crime Scene Investigation|CSI]]'' (4 episodes) (as [[Catherine Willows]]' boyfriend) and ''[[Men in Trees]]'' (10 episodes) (as Eric, the minister). Nicholas has also guest starred in the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] [[remake]] of the sci-fi series ''[[V (2009 TV series)|V]]''. He is also a member of the board of directors for the Lyric School of Acting in [[Vancouver]].

Lea appeared in the film ''Guido Superstar: The Rise of Guido'', starring, produced, and directed by Silvio Pollio, including Lea, [[John Cassini]], [[Terry Chen]], and [[Michael Eklund]]. The film screened at the 2010 [[Vancouver International Film Festival]].<ref>[https://telefilm.ca/en/telefilm-canada-announces-its-support-of-the-29th-edition-of-the-vancouver-international-film-festival "Telefilm Canada announces its support of the 29th edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival"] at [[Telefilm Canada|telefilm.ca]]</ref> In 2012 he portrayed [[Eliot Ness]]<ref>[https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/29492/a-preview-of-supernatural-episode-7-12-time-after-time-after-time/ "A Preview of Supernatural Episode 7.12 – Time After Time After Time"] by Steve Barton at [[Dread Central|dreadcentral.com]]</ref> who formed the law enforcement group The Untouchables in the ''[[Supernatural (American TV series)|Supernatural]]'' episode "Time after Time".<ref>[https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/28480/two-new-guest-stars-lined-up-for-supernatural/ "Two New Guest Stars Lined Up for Supernatural"] by Steve Barton at [[Dread Central|dreadcentral.com]]</ref> Also in 2012, Lea starred in the movie ''[[The Philadelphia Experiment (2012 film)|The Philadelphia Experiment]]'' as Bill Gardner in the lead role. Lea had a minor role on ''[[Arrow (TV series)|Arrow]]'' as [[List of supporting Arrow characters|Mark Francis]], who was [[List of Arrow characters|Moira Queen]]'s campaign manager. He appeared in three episodes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nicholas Lea|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0494774/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t50|website=imdb|access-date=January 16, 2015}}</ref>

==Filmography==

===Film===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1989
| ''[[American Boyfriends]]''
| Ron
|
|-
| 1990
| ''[[Xtro II: The Second Encounter]]''
| Baines
|
|-
| 1993
| ''From Pig to Oblivion''
|
| Short
|-
| 1994
| data-sort-value="Raffle, The" | ''[[The Raffle]]''
| David Lake
|
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Bad Company (1995 film)|Bad Company]]''
| Jake
|
|-
| 2000
| ''[[Vertical Limit]]''
| Tom McLaren
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|2001
| ''[[Lunch with Charles]]''
| Matthew
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Elephant, The" | ''[[The Impossible Elephant]]''
| Steven Harris
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Shot in the Face, A" | ''A Shot in the Face''
| The Robber
|
|-
| 2002
| ''[[Ignition (2001 film)|Ignition]]''
| Peter Scanlon
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|2003
| ''Threshold''
| Dr. Jerome 'Geronimo' Horne
|
|-
| ''[[Moving Malcolm]]''<ref>[https://playbackonline.ca/2003/04/28/bcsc-20030428/ "Peace Arch makes noise/Moved to direct"] by Ian Edwards at [[Playback (magazine)|playbackonline.ca]]</ref>
| Herbert
|
|-
| ''[[See Grace Fly]]''
| Grace - male
| Voice
|-
| 2005
| ''[[Chaos (2006 film)|Chaos]]''
| Det. Vincent Durano
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|2007
| ''[[Butterfly on a Wheel]]''
| Jerry Crane
|
|-
| ''[[American Venus]]''
| Dougie
|
|-
| ''Hastings Street''
| Charlie
| Voice, short
|-
| rowspan="3"|2008
| ''[[Vice (2008 film)|Vice]]''
| Jenkins
|
|-
| ''Crime''
| Varsity Coach
|
|-
| ''[[Mothers & Daughters (2008 film)|Mothers & Daughters]]''
| Dinner Party Guest Nicholas
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|2009
| ''[[Dancing Trees]]''
| Detective Velez
|
|-
| ''Unspoken Rules''
| Narrator
|
|-
| ''[[Excited (film)|Excited]]''
| Skidder
|
|-
| 2010
| ''Guido Superstar: The Rise of Guido''
| Mr. Other Guy
|
|-
| 2012
| ''[[Crimes of Mike Recket]]''
| Mike Recket
|
|-
| 2017
| ''[[Before I Fall (film)|Before I Fall]]''
| Dan Kingston
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|2018
| data-sort-value="Bletchley Circle: San Francisco, The" | ''[[The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco]]''
| George Mason
|
|-
| data-sort-value="Lie, The" | ''[[The Lie (2018 film)|The Lie]]''
| Detective Rodney Barnes
|
|-
|}

===Television===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1991–1994
| data-sort-value="Commish, The" | ''[[The Commish]]''
| Ricky Caruso
| 33 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3"|1993
| ''[[Madison (TV series)|Madison]]''
| Jack
| 1 episode
|-
| data-sort-value="Hat Squad, The" | ''[[The Hat Squad]]''
| Brett Halsey
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[North of 60]]''
| 2nd Lt. Lloyd Hillard
| 1 episode
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Robin's Hoods]]''
| Loren Faber
| 1 episode
|-
| 1994–1996
| ''[[Highlander: The Series]]''
| Cory Raines / Rodney Lange
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1994–2002
| data-sort-value="X Files, The" | ''[[The X Files]]''
| Michel / [[Alex Krycek]]
| 24 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|1995
| data-sort-value="Marshal, The" | ''[[The Marshal]]''
| Ray Turner
| Pilot
|-
| ''[[Jake and the Kid (1995 TV series)|Jake and the Kid]]''
| Tony Edwards / Mack Smith
| 1 episode
|-
| 1995–1996
| ''[[Sliders (TV series)|Sliders]]''
| Ryan Simms
| 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3"|1996
| ''[[Lonesome Dove: The Series|Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years]]''
| Tom Andrews
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[Once a Thief (1996 film)|Once a Thief]]''
| Victor Mansfield
| TV movie
|-
| data-sort-value="Burning Zone, The" | ''[[The Burning Zone]]''
| Philip Padgett
| 1 episode
|-
| 1996–1998
| ''[[Once a Thief (TV series)|Once a Thief]]''
| Victor Mansfield
| Main role
|-
| rowspan="3"|1997
| ''[[Once a Thief (TV series)|Once a Thief: Brother Against Brother]]''
| Victor Mansfield
| TV movie
|-
| ''[[Moloney (TV series)|Moloney]]''
| Anson Greene
| 1 episode
|-
| ''Their Second Chance''
| Roy
| TV movie
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Once a Thief (TV series)|Once a Thief: Family Business]]''
| Victor Mansfield
| TV movie
|-
| 1998–1999
| data-sort-value="Outer Limits, The" | ''[[The Outer Limits (1995 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]''
| Jacob Hardy / Mac 27
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2000
| ''Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye''
| Dustin Yarma
| TV movie
|-
| 2001
| ''Earth Angels''
| Maximillian
| TV movie
|-
| rowspan="2"|2002
| ''[[NYPD Blue]]''
| Frank Colohan
| 3 episodes
|-
| data-sort-value="Investigation, The" | ''The Investigation''
| Les Forsythe<ref>[https://playbackonline.ca/2004/11/08/actordram-20041108/ "Nominees for best actor in a dramatic program or miniseries/Nicholas Lea – The Investigation"] at [[Playback (magazine)|playbackonline.ca]]</ref>
| TV movie
|-
| 2003–2004
| ''[[Andromeda (TV series)|Andromeda]]''
| Tri-Lorn
| 4 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|2004
| ''[[Judging Amy]]''
| Vincent Canello
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[CSI: Crime Scene Investigation]]''
| Chris Bezich
| 4 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|2005
| ''Deadly Isolation''
| Patrick Carlson / Jeff Watkins
| TV movie
|-
| ''[[Category 7: The End of the World]]''
| Monty
| TV movie
|-
| 2006
| ''[[Whistler (TV series)|Whistler]]''
| Ethan McKaye
| 13 episodes
|-
| 2006–2009
| ''[[Kyle XY]]''
| Tom Foss
| 26 episodes
|-
| 2007
| ''[[Drive (2007 TV series)|Drive]]''
| Mr. Bright
| Unaired pilot
|-
| 2007–2008
| ''[[Men in Trees]]''
| Eric
| 10 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|2009
| ''[[Burn Notice]]''
| Quinn Luna
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[Without a Trace]]''
| Raymond Walsh
| 1 episode
|-
| 2010
| ''[[CSI: Miami]]''
| Donald Newhouse
| 1 episode
|-
| 2010–2011
| ''[[V (2009 TV series)|V]]''
| Joe Evans
| 5 episodes
|-
| 2011
| ''Obsession''
| Sebastian Craig
| TV movie
|-
| rowspan="3"|2012
| ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]''
| The Woodcutter / Michael Tillman
| 1 episode
|-
| data-sort-value="Philadelphia Experiment, The" | ''[[The Philadelphia Experiment (2012 film)|The Philadelphia Experiment]]''
| Bill Gardner
| TV movie
|-
| ''[[Supernatural (American TV series)|Supernatural]]''
| Eliot Ness
| 1 episode<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1995105 |title = "Supernatural" Time After Time (TV Episode 2012) - IMDb| website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref>
|-
| 2012–2013
| ''[[Continuum (TV series)|Continuum]]''
| Agent Gardiner
| 8 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|2013
| ''[[King & Maxwell]]''
| Theo Bancroft
| 1 episode
|-
| data-sort-value="Killing, The" | ''[[The Killing (U.S. TV series)|The Killing]]''
| Dale Daniel Shannon
| 5 episodes
|-
| 2014
| ''[[Arrow (TV series)|Arrow]]''
| [[Mark Francis (Arrowverse)|Mark Francis]]
| 3 episodes
|-
| 2015
| ''Unveiled''
| Bill
| TV movie
|-
| rowspan="2"|2019
| data-sort-value="Twilight Zone, The" | ''[[The Twilight Zone (2019 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]''
| Captain Donner
| Episode: "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet"
|-
| data-sort-value="InBetween, The" | ''[[The InBetween]]''
| Jace Gray
| Episode: "While The Song Remains The Same"
|-
| 2020–2021
| data-sort-value="Stand, The" | ''[[The Stand (2020 miniseries)|The Stand]]''
| Norris
| 5 episodes
|-
| 2023
| data-sort-value="Fall of the House of Usher, The" | ''[[The Fall of the House of Usher (miniseries)|The Fall of the House of Usher]]''
| Judge John Neal
| 4 episodes
|-
| 2025
| data-sort-value="Tracker" | ''[[Tracker_(American_TV_series)|Tracker]]''
| Noah Darview
| Episode: "The Disciple"
|}

===Video games===
* ''[[The X-Files: Resist or Serve]]'' (2004) (voice and likeness) as Alex Krycek
* ''Guido Superstar: The Rise of Guido'' (2010) (post-production) as Mr. Other Guy

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0494774}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lea, Nicholas}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from British Columbia]]
[[Category:Canadian male film actors]]
[[Category:Canadian male television actors]]
[[Category:Canadian male voice actors]]
[[Category:People from New Westminster]]
[[Category:Canadian people of English descent]]

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Nicholas Lea