Biographie
Nicholas Worth, a large, muscular man with an imposing presence, was frequently cast as menacing and intimidating villains. Born on September 4, 1937, in St. Louis, Missouri, Worth earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He then served three years as an Army paratrooper in Kentucky. After leaving the military in 1965, he relocated to Los Angeles, studied at the Pasadena Playhouse, and performed in local theater productions.
Worth made his film debut in For Pete's Sake! (1966) and appeared in smaller roles in films such as Scream Blacula Scream (1973), The Terminal Man (1974), Coma (1978), and The Glove (1979), where he delivered a notably humorous performance as a gay blank check dropper tossed into a pool by John Saxon’s rugged bounty hunter. He portrayed a disturbed, impotent, misogynistic Vietnam veteran and pornographer who strangles young women in the cult psycho thriller Don't Answer the Phone! (1980). Worth also gave a chilling and memorable performance as a violent homosexual criminal in the acclaimed TV movie The Rape of Richard Beck (1985).
Other notable roles include Bruno, the dimwitted henchman to Louis Jourdan in Swamp Thing (1982); Pauly, a cruel sidekick to Larry Drake’s character in Darkman (1990); the chauffeur to Craig T. Nelson in Action Jackson (1988); a hostile bully beaten by Clint Eastwood in a jail cell in Heartbreak Ridge (1986); an enforcer for Ricardo Montalban in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988); a mutant frogman in Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988); a depraved sex offender in The Ladies Club (1985); and a transvestite in Armed and Dangerous (1986).
On television, Worth guest-starred on numerous shows including Star Trek: Voyager (1995), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), The X-Files (1993), Night Court (1984), Moonlighting (1985) – where he sang and danced alongside Bruce Willis – Fame (1982), MacGyver (1985), The Greatest American Hero (1981), Knight Rider (1982), Hunter (1984), Simon & Simon (1981), Fantasy Island (1977), Charlie’s Angels (1976), The Rockford Files (1974), Quincy, M.E. (1976), Starsky and Hutch (1975), Baretta (1975), and Cannon (1971).
On stage, Worth’s range spanned from Shakespearean plays to musical comedies. Known in real life as a kind and gentle man and a born-again Christian, he was also passionate about powerlifting and bodybuilding. In later years, Worth lent his distinctive, gravelly voice to several video games. He passed away from heart failure on May 7, 2007, at the age of 69.
