Actor Nicky Katt, known for playing Clint Bruno in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused and teacher Harry Senate on Boston Public, died at 54 on April 8, 2025. The Los Angeles Times reported that the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office found that Katt died by suicide. Separately, The Guardian reported that Katt’s sister, Elise Ravenscroft, said he died by suicide after battling depression.
Nicky Katt’s death and cause of death
Katt died at his apartment in Burbank, California, on April 8, 2025. His lawyer, John Sloss, confirmed the death to the Los Angeles Times, which reported that the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office found that he died by suicide.
![Fast Times at Ridgemont High / Dazed and Confused Double Feature [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61K+dLV4DVL._SL160_.jpg)
![Dazed and Confused [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Kt-1D1QVL._SL160_.jpg)
The Guardian separately reported that Katt’s sister, Elise Ravenscroft, said he died by suicide after battling depression. Those are distinct attributions: the medical examiner’s finding was reported by the Los Angeles Times, while the account of depression was attributed to his sister by The Guardian.
Clint Bruno was Katt’s breakthrough role
Katt’s most enduring film role was Clint Bruno, the bully in Richard Linklater’s 1993 coming-of-age film Dazed and Confused. Set in Austin, Texas, on the last day of high school in 1976, the film gave Katt a memorable place in an ensemble portrait of teenage life.
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Linklater later praised the performance’s individuality: “He made something unique out of it, bringing his wicked humour, unpredictability, and smouldering quality to it.”
Harry Senate on Boston Public
On Fox’s Boston Public, Katt played teacher Harry Senate for the show’s first three seasons. The role brought his work to a continuing prime-time television audience, distinct from the sharp-edged supporting characters he played in films.
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![Dazed and Confused (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61HN2El5RPL._SL160_.jpg)
- Dazed and Confused (Criterion Collection)
- Product type: PHYSICAL MOVIE
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A career across film and television
Early acting work
Born in South Dakota on May 11, 1970, Katt began acting as a child. His early television appearances included Quincy, M.E., Father Murphy, Fantasy Island and CHiPs.
Film roles beyond Dazed and Confused
His film credits included Batman & Robin, A Time to Kill, The Limey, Boiler Room, Full Frontal and The Dark Knight. Across that work, he collaborated with directors including Steven Soderbergh, Christopher Nolan, Joel Schumacher, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, as well as Linklater.
Later work
The Los Angeles Times lists Katt’s role in the 2018 Hulu series Casual as his last acting credit. That is the outlet’s last listed credit, rather than a claim that he formally retired in 2018.
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Robert Rodriguez, who worked with Katt, remembered him as: “Nicky was an absolute joy on and off the camera. A true artist. A friend.”
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Katt also described how he approached humor in serious scenes: “I kind of am notorious for bringing a lot of humour to stuff, and not in a scene-stealing way, [but] especially if something is really kind of heavy subject matter I’m kind of like oxygen for a drowning man.”
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