Nick Robinson

Nicholas John "Nick" Robinson (born March 22, 1995) is an American actor. As a child, he appeared in stage productions of A Christmas Carol and Mame (both in 2008), following which he starred in the television sitcom Melissa & Joey (2010–2015). He went on to play a supporting role in science fiction film Jurassic World (2015) and took on lead roles in several teen dramas, including The Kings of Summer (2013), The 5th Wave (2016), and Everything, Everything (2017). In 2018, Robinson starred as the title character in the acclaimed gay teen romantic comedy film Love, Simon. Personal life Robinson was born on March 22, 1995 in Seattle, Washington, as the oldest of seven children. He has two older half-siblings from his father's previous marriage. His mother is Denise Podnar. He graduated from Campbell Hall School in 2013. While being known for portraying the gay titular character in Love, Simon, Robinson stated on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that he is heterosexual. However, his younger brother came out as gay during the films production. Career At age 11, Robinson made his professional acting debut in a stage version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. In 2008, a theater friend suggested to Robinson's parents that Nick should meet with legendary Hollywood talent scout, Matt Casella, who said of Robinson, "He's a real kid, with an extraordinary talent and gift, not to mention a smart, good natured, creative kid with a great smile. Nick is ready for LA." Casella then recommended him to a few agencies and eventually signed with The Savage Agency in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for Robinson, the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike was in full swing so he and his parents returned to Washington where he continued to perform on stage in and around Seattle. In 2009, after only his second television audition, Robinson landed the role of Ryder Scanlon, nephew of Melissa Joan Hart's character on the ABC Family sitcom, Melissa & Joey, where he acted until the show concluded in 2015. In 2011, while on hiatus from Melissa & Joey, Robinson began filming of the Disney Channel original movie Frenemies with Disney stars Bella Thorne and Zendaya of Shake It Up; Robinson played the role of Jake Logan. Frenemies premiered on January 13, 2012, on the Disney Channel. In 2012, Robinson was cast in the lead role of Joe Toy in director Jordan Vogt-Roberts' feature film-debut The Kings of Summer. Filming began in July 2012 in the Cleveland, Ohio-area and ended August 2012. He also guest-starred in the third season of HBO's Boardwalk Empire as Rowland Smith, a young thief who has stolen part of Nucky Thompson's (Steve Buscemi) underground liquor shipments. The episode, entitled "Blue Bell Boy," aired October 7, 2012. During the summer of 2012, Robinson began starring in a series of television commercials for Cox Communications entitled "Buffer Time is Bonding Time." A new series of commercials began airing in October 2012. In late 2013, Robinson was cast in Jurassic World, the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise which was ultimately released in 2015. He co-starred with Ty Simpkins, playing a pair of brothers who visit their aunt played by Bryce Dallas Howard at Jurassic World. Jurassic World went on to become the second-highest-grossing film of 2015. Robinson played Ben Parish in the film adaptation of the novel The 5th Wave, which was released in January 2016. Robinson's roles in both Jurassic World and The 5th Wave resulted in his character being written out of Melissa & Joey for multiple episodes of the show's final season. With sporadic appearances throughout, he returned for the final three episodes. He played the lead in the independent film Being Charlie, which premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival; the film was released theatrically on May 6, 2016. In March 2016, it was announced that Robinson would star in William H. Macy's comedy-drama film Krystal. In 2017, he starred as Olly in Everything, Everything, a film adaptation of the novel of the same name, also starring Amandla Stenberg. In 2018, Robinson starred as Simon Spier in the gay coming out teen drama film Love, Simon. The film was considered ground-breaking because it was the first major studio film to focus on a gay romance. Robinson's performance as Simon garnered critical acclaim. After reading the script, Robinson revealed that he broke his own rule to no longer play high schoolers because he believed so much in the importance of the film. In March 2018, it was reported that he had been signed onto a new film version of Richard Wright's Native Son.