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Producer · Actor

1970-06-26 · Joliet, Illinois, U.S. · Male

67 series in the catalog

Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, carpenter, and writer. He became known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015), for which he received the Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy and was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Offerman appeared in the second season of the FX crime series Fargo (2015), for which he received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award, as well as the FX on Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy (2022) and the HBO drama series The Last of Us (2023), for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. He was Emmy-nominated for playing Chester A. Arthur in the Netflix limited series Death by Lightning (2025) and a former wrestler and addict in the Apple TV dramedy series Margo's Got Money Troubles (2026).

He has acted in numerous films The Kings of Summer (2013), Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015), The Founder (2016), The House of Tomorrow (2017), Hearts Beat Loud (2018), Civil War (2024), and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025). He voiced Agent Powers on Gravity Falls (2014–2015) and voice roles in The Lego Movie franchise (2014–2019), Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), Ice Age: Collision Course (2016), the Sing franchise (2016–present), Smurfs (2025) and Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (upcoming 2027). He hosted Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics (2020).

He began co-hosting the NBC reality competition series Making It (2018–2021) with Parks and Recreation co-star Amy Poehler; the duo received three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program.

Early life and education

Nicholas David Offerman was born in Joliet, Illinois, on June 26, 1970, the son of nurse Cathy (née Roberts) and social studies teacher Ric Offerman. His father taught at a high school in Minooka. Offerman was raised Catholic in nearby Minooka, where he attended Minooka Community High School. He received a BFA from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign in 1993. That year, he and a group of fellow students co-founded the Chicago theatre company Defiant Theatre. His parents were initially bewildered by his desire to become an actor, stating "It was bizarre to them... Nobody in our town had ever gone into the arts. So when I said: 'I think I want to be an actor', everybody kind of shook their head and said, 'I don't think you can get there from here.'"

Career

1997–2008: Early work and acting roles

Offerman lived in Chicago in the mid-1990s, where he participated with theater companies such as Steppenwolf, Goodman, and Wisdom Bridge. At Steppenwolf, he also worked as a fight choreographer and master carpenter, having been trained in carpentry by his father. During this time, Offerman became acquainted with Amy Poehler, who was heavily involved with the Chicago improv comedy scene. Offerman appeared briefly as a construction worker in City of Angels (1998) and in other films such as November (2004), Cursed (2005), Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005), Sin City (2005), The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009).

In 2003, he married actress Megan Mullally. Offerman has appeared on her talk show, The Megan Mullally Show. At the same time, he began appearing on television as a plumber on Will & Grace on its fourth season's Thanksgiving episode, on The King of Queens, in three episodes of 24, and in an episode of The West Wing. Prior to Parks and Recreation, his most prominent role was as a factory worker and Benny Lopez's love interest Randy McGee on George Lopez. He appeared twice on Gilmore Girls, in 2003's "The Festival of Living Art" and 2005's "Always a Godmother, Never a God" and in the third-season episode of Monk, "Mr. Monk and the Election" as a helper for the campaign of Natalie Teeger. In 2007, Offerman co-starred in the Comedy Central series American Body Shop.

2009–2015: Breakthrough with Parks and Recreation

In 2009, The Office producers Michael Schur and Greg Daniels offered Offerman a series regular role in their NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation for the character Ron Swanson, the deadpan, government-hating, libertarian head of a city parks department and boss of Amy Poehler's character Leslie Knope. Slate magazine declared Offerman "Parks and Recreation's secret weapon", and said he regularly stole scenes and "has a gift for understated physical comedy." The role weaves antagonism and political philosophy with humanity, while the intense libertarian philosophy the character lives out is often played off against the equally intense social liberalism and "do-gooder" mentality of Poehler's character. Offerman said that supporting parts such as that of Parks and Recreation are his ideal roles, and that he draws particular inspiration from Reverend Jim Ignatowski, the character played by Christopher Lloyd in the sitcom Taxi.

Offerman has been featured in the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital. He is the voice of Axe Cop in the animated series of the same name that premiered on July 27, 2013. In the same year, Offerman portrayed Johnny Cool in the "Boston" episode of Derek Waters' Drunk History on Comedy Central. In 2014, he portrayed a lovesick German talk show host in The Decemberists' video "Make You Better". The same year, he appeared in a short film The Gunfighter directed by Eric Kissack. Offerman played the role of the narrator of the film where the actors of the film break the fourth wall and are able to hear the narrator.

In 2012, had two film roles, as 21 Jump Street's Deputy Chief Hardy and in Casa de Mi Padre as DEA Agent Parker. He reprised his role as Deputy Chief Hardy in 22 Jump Street two years later. He starred in and produced an independent film, Somebody Up There Likes Me (2012), shot in Austin, Texas. He appeared in the 2013 comedy The Kings of Summer (2013), and We're the Millers, and voiced MetalBeard in The Lego Movie. Offerman conceived of and starred in punk band FIDLAR's 2013 video for their song "Cocaine". Offerman played an alcoholic college guidance counselor in Believe Me. In 2014, Offerman and Mullally starred together in the off-Broadway one-act play, Annapurna. The two play an estranged couple that reunites one last time. In 2015, Offerman starred as Ignatius J. Reilly in a theatrical adaptation of A Confederacy of Dunces with the Huntington Theatre Company. Offerman played the recurring role Karl Weathers in the second season of Fargo (2015). Offerman voiced Grandpa Mike alongside wife Megan Mullally who voiced Grandma Linda in Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015).

2016–present: Career expansion

He portrayed the first establisher of McDonald's, Dick McDonald, in The Founder (2016). In 2017, Offerman launched his Full Bush Tour which consisted of 28 shows across the U.S. and Canada. His All Rise Tour kicked off on July 20, 2019, in Thackerville and continued through the rest of 2019, hitting major cities: Chicago, San Francisco, Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, and Atlanta. Offerman starred in alternative rock band They Might Be Giants' 2018 video for their song "The Greatest". In 2023, Offerman appeared in "Long, Long Time", the third episode of the HBO series The Last of Us as Bill. His performance, along with that of his co-star Murray Bartlett, was critically acclaimed, with some critics naming it a career-best performance, and Dais Johnston of Inverse labelled them as "Emmy-worthy". He won Guest Actor in a Drama Series at the 2023 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

In 2025, Offerman starred with Jacob Tremblay and Dennis Quaid in the crime thriller Sovereign. Offerman was the Show Announcer for the 97th Academy Awards. He appeared in the 2025 film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

Writing

Offerman has authored several books, most of which he has also narrated as audiobooks:

Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's…