‘Dazed and Confused’ and ‘Boiler Room’ Star Dead at 54

Nicky Katt—one of the rare actors who managed to seamlessly transition from child performer to reliable character actor—has died. He was 54 years old.

TheWrap reported the news, though no official cause of death has been shared.

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Katt was born in South Dakota on May 11, 1970 and developed an early interest in performing. He began his acting career at the age of seven, and appeared in episodes of several hit shows in the 1980s, including Fantasy Island, CHiPs, and The Facts of Life. His earliest film roles included parts in Gremlins, The ‘Burbs, and Sister Act.

In 1993, Katt appeared as bully Clint Bruno in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused alongside a who’s who of soon-to-be major stars, including Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, and Renée Zellweger. He went on to appear in several other classic Gen X titles, including Gregg Araki’s The Doom Generation, Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days, and Linklater’s SubUrbia. He appeared alongside Affleck again in one of his best-known roles, playing Greg Weinstein in 2000’s Boiler Room. From 2000 to 2002, Katt had a starring role on Boston Public.

Katt perfected the role of the tough guy, and went on to work with several more A-list directors. He worked with Linklater many more times, including in Waking Life (2001) and School of Rock (2003). He was also a regular collaborator of Steven Soderbergh, having worked together on The Limey (1999), Full Frontal (2001), and Behind the Candelabra (2013). Katt worked with Christopher Nolan several times as well, including roles in Insomnia (2002) and The Dark Knight (2008).

Katt’s attorney, John Sloss of Sloss Law, confirmed his death to TheWrap.