Born on March 27, 1971 in Edmonton, Alberta, Nathan Fillion began his acting career by performing in numerous theater productions, as well as working on various projects on both the small and big screens. He was the son of retired English teachers, and he was educated at Holy Trinity Catholic High School, Concordia University College of Alberta, and the University of Alberta.
Upon relocating to New York City, Fillion landed the role of Joey Buchanan in the popular soap One Life to Live , and his portrayal earned him a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor.
Nathan Fillion left the soap opera in 1997, and when he headed to Los Angeles, he was made a part of the supporting cast of the sitcom Two Guys and a Girl. Additionally, Fillion also appeared in the war movie Saving Private Ryan, where he shared the big screen with actor Tom Hanks, and was the title character in the short-lived sci-fi series, Firefly. His work on Firefly won him a Cinescape Genre Face of the Future-Male award and a 2006 SyFy Genre Award for Best Actor/Television. His other acting credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serenity, Slither, Waitress and White Noise 2: The Light. He has also been active in voicing numerous animated characters. Some of his work in the field includes those in King of the Hill, Justice League Unlimited and an episode of Robot Chicken. He has also lent his voice in video games like Jade Empire and Halo 3. In 2006, Fillion was cast as Alex Tully, the lead role in the Fox series Drive. About a year later, the series was cancelled due to low ratings. Fillion then moved on to join the cast of ABC’s Desperate Housewives and was seen on the independent feature film Trucker. He gained a lot of popularity starring on Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, where he was cast as Captain Hammer. Also in 2008, he started working on the ABC television series Castle, where he plays the mystery novelist Rick who helps the NYPD solve crimes.
-Nathan has a tattoo of an Egyptian glyph on his right hip.
-Nathan was trained to be a teacher, but left four months before qualifying.
-In Firefly, Nathan did his own stunts, getting multiple bruises and a sprained ankle.
-Sometimes, Nathan wears a kilt.