Distinguished New Orleans actor, Lance Nichols,
stars in the Emmy nominated HBO drama series
TREME, which follows several New Orleans natives
as they try to rebuild their lives after the devastation
left behind by Hurricane Katrina. Nichols plays the
dentist 'Larry Williams', supportive and devoted
husband to 'LaDonna Baptiste-Williams' (Khandi
Alexander) and loving father to his two stepchildren.
Born in the 12th ward of New Orleans, Nichols grew
up attending McDonough 35 and remained in the
city through his college years, attending the
University of
New Orleans in 1973. Having begun as a pre-med
major, Nichols knew quickly that this was not his
calling. A freshman drama class spurred his decision
to change his major, which resulted in a GPA jump
and a Bachelors degree in Dramatic Arts and
Communications. After attending a national dramatic
audition for graduate studies, Nichols was offered
entrance into seven different programs. Budget cuts
eventually made it impossible for him to attend,
however, and he remised to manual labor work,
loading trucks for UPS.
Not one to give up on his true passion for acting,
Nichols made the decision to move to Los Angeles in
1978 where he quickly landed his first on-screen gig
on the widely popular game show "The Dating
Game." Though love never sparked for him on the
show, following his appearance he was fortunate
enough to run into another New Orleans native at a
Baskin Robbins, whom he married less than a year
later. Today, after 31 years of marriage and three
children, the couple are still going strong, having
battled the plight of Hurricane Katrina not only on
the small screen of TREME but also in real life as a
working family.
Nichols is most widely known for his role as the
preacher in the 2008 Academy Award nominated
film, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON,
alongside Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Following the
success of this role, Nichols landed a part in the
Warner Bros. summer blockbuster THE CAMPAIGN
(2012), starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis.
Throughout his 30+ years of acting, spanning from
the early 80s to present day, Nichols has made over
75 appearances on multiple award winning and
critically acclaimed television series including:
CHEERS, MURDER SHE WROTE, MATLOCK,
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND and DESPERATE
HOUSEWIVES. After a long stint in Los Angeles
pursuing his passion, Nichols returned to his roots in
New Orleans where he landed a role close to his
heart - his current role on TREME.
Nichols is currently filming the fourth and final
season of TREME and has recently wrapped filming
on the feature film adaptation of BEAUTIFUL
CREATURES alongside Academy Award nominee
Viola Davis and Academy Award winning actress
Emma Thompson. When he's not on set, Nichols and
wife Zardis stay busy operating Lanzardis
Productions, their company that specializes in acting
and dialogue coaching. In his free time, Nichols can
be found at home in New Orleans with his wife and
kids, most likely at a Saints game cheering his team
to victory.
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