{{Short description|American actor (1937–2007)}} {{similar names|Nicholas Wirth (disambiguation){{!}}Nicholas Wirth}} {{Infobox person | name = Nicholas Worth | image = Nicholas worth.png | caption = | birth_date = {{birth-date|September 4, 1937}} | birth_place = St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2007|5|7|1937|9|4}} | death_place = Van Nuys, California, U.S. | occupation = Actor }}
'''Nicholas Worth''' (September 4, 1937 – May 7, 2007) was an American character actor who appeared on film, on TV, and in video games.
== Early years == Worth was born in St. Louis, Missouri on September 4, 1937. He served for three years in the army as a paratrooper<ref name="obit">[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-11-me-passings11.1-story.html Obituary], ''Los Angeles Times'', latimes.com, May 11, 2007; accessed October 8, 2016.</ref> and studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology and Pasadena Playhouse.<ref name="v" />
==Career== Worth specialized in playing antagonistic characters.<ref name="v">{{cite news |title=Nicholas Worth, 69, actor |url=https://variety.com/2007/film/news/nicholas-worth-69-actor-1117964799/ |access-date=January 1, 2021 |work=Variety |date=May 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140830051112/http://variety.com/2007/film/news/nicholas-worth-69-actor-1117964799/ |archive-date=August 30, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> Among his best-known, most typical villainous roles are Kirk Smith, the tormented necrophiliac serial-killer of attractive young women in the low-budget horror film ''Don't Answer the Phone!'' (1980),<ref name="obit"/> and Ray, a fearsome homosexual rapist in the 1985 television film ''The Rape of Richard Beck''.
He began with a low-level TV career, appearing in one episode of ''Charlie's Angels'' as a kidnapper-on-skates. Subsequently, he played numerous roles as henchmen and tough guys in films such as ''Swamp Thing'' (1982), ''City Heat'' (1984), ''Doin' Time'' (1985), ''The Ladies Club'' (1986), ''No Way Out'' (1987), ''Hell Comes to Frogtown'' (1988), ''Action Jackson'' (1988), ''The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!'' (1988), ''Darkman'' (1990), ''Best of the Best II'' (1993), ''Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II'' (1994), ''Barb Wire'' (1996) and ''Blood Dolls'' (1999). He appeared at the beginning of ''Heartbreak Ridge'' (1986) as a convict who was beaten up by Clint Eastwood, and in the same year, he played a Divine-like drag queen who loses his clothes to John Candy in ''Armed and Dangerous''. He continued his television career, playing small roles in sci-fi programs like ''Star Trek: Voyager'' and ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', and in ''WKRP in Cincinnati'', ''Knight Rider'', ''Hunter'', ''Night Court'' and ''Simon & Simon''.
He also did video game work, portraying General Marzaq and Soviet leader Alexander Romanov in Westwood Studios' ''Command & Conquer'' series of games, Sierra's ''The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery'' (1995), and ''Emperor: Battle for Dune'' (2001). He also provided the voice of Mr. Jones/Colonel Bulba in ''Freedom Fighters'' (2003).
== Personal life == Worth was an amateur power-lifter and bodybuilder<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWbzYSZGcIQ Interview July 29, 2006: "Answering the phone", produced and directed by Bruce Holecheck ]</ref> and a born-again Christian.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://simple-movie.com/actor/nicholas-worth_50476/ | title=Actor Nicholas Worth. Biography and Filmography Nicholas Worth. Buy movies Nicholas Worth }}</ref>
==Death== Worth died of heart failure at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, California at the age of 69.<ref name="obit" />
==Selected filmography== {{Div col}} * 1966 ''For Pete's Sake'' * 1973 ''Scream Blacula Scream'' as Dennis * 1974 ''Bogard'' as Masters * 1974 ''The Terminal Man'' as Hospital Orderly (uncredited){{cn|date=May 2025}} * 1974 ''Black Starlet'' as Motorcycle Cop * 1977 ''Mule Feathers'' as "Copperhead" * 1978 ''Coma'' as Jefferson Institute Chief of Security (uncredited){{cn|date=May 2025}} * 1979 ''The Glove'' as Chuck * 1980 ''Don't Answer the Phone!'' as Kirk Smith * 1982 ''Swamp Thing'' as Bruno * 1984 ''Invitation to Hell'' as Sheriff * 1984 ''The Hills Have Eyes Part II'' as The Reaper (voice, uncredited){{cn|date=May 2025}} * 1984 ''City Heat'' as Troy Roker * 1985 ''Doin' Time'' as "Animal" * 1985 ''The Rape of Richard Beck'' as Ray * 1986 ''The Ladies Club'' as Jack Dwyer * 1986 ''Armed and Dangerous'' as Transvestite * 1986 ''Heartbreak Ridge'' as Jail Binger * 1987 ''No Way Out'' as Cup Breaker * 1987 ''Dirty Laundry'' as Vito * 1987 ''Death Feud'' as Jim * 1988 ''Hell Comes to Frogtown'' as "Bull" * 1988 ''Action Jackson'' as Cartier * 1988 ''The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!'' as Thug #1 * 1989 ''Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog'' as The Head Chef * 1990 ''Darkman'' as Pauly Mazzuchelli * 1991 ''Blood and Concrete'' as Spuntz * 1993 ''Best of the Best II'' as "Sick Humor" * 1993 ''Fist of Honor'' as Tucchi * 1994 ''Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II'' as "Rock" * 1994 ''Dark Angel: The Ascent'' as "Father / Hellikin" * 1995 ''A Gift from Heaven'' * 1995 ''Hologram Man'' as "One-Eye" * 1996 ''Barb Wire'' as Ruben Tannenbaum * 1996 ''High School High'' as "Rhino" * 1996 ''Timelock'' as Sullivan * 1996 ''Dangerous Cargo'' as Yuri * 1997 ''Leather Jacket Love Story'' as Jack * 1998 ''Denial'' as Walt Smiley * 1999 ''Slaves of Hollywood'' as Sam Gittleman * 1999 ''Blood Dolls'' as George Warbeck * 1999 ''Every Dog Has Its Day'' as Mel * 2000 ''Starforce'' as Jemma Quonloy {{div col end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0006431}}
{{Memory Alpha}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worth, Nicholas}} Category:1937 births Category:2007 deaths Category:American male film actors Category:American male television actors Category:Male actors from St. Louis Category:20th-century American male actors Category:American video game actors