Italian-Canadian TV actor, best known for his roles in “Scruples” and “Stingray.” He was the host of “Mysterious Forces Beyond.” He has performed on-stage with Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, and many other well-known actors. Mancuso has appeared in over 65 movies.
Nick immigrated with his parents and sister to Canada in 1956. The oldest of five kids, Nick was raised in the Italian section of Toronto with his two brothers and two sisters
He began acting in high school, after a teacher had him read from “Julius Caesar.” Up to that time, Nick had never seen a play performed, and knew nothing about theatre. He soon became fascinated with acting, auditioned for and won a major role in his high school production of “Hamlet.” He studied at Toronto’s Bloor Collegiate Institute, then enrolled in the University of Toronto, and majored in psychology. Although he studied for a career in research, he found himself auditioning for their leading roles in the drama department’s productions. He later transferred to the University of Guelph and graduated with a degree in psychology.
He began his professional acting career in the early 1970s with a number of Canadian theatre groups. He founded a theatre troupe in Toronto called “Teatru Streetcarru,” which produced plays for Toronto’s Italian community. He distinguished himself at Canada’s prestigious Stratford Festival in 1976, in the leading role of Bassanio in “The Merchant of Venice,” as well as in “Antony and Cleopatra” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” working with Maggie Smith, Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. His American stage debut was in Tennessee Williams’ play, “Tiger Tail,” where he worked directly with the playwright. Shortly afterwards, Arthur Hiller signed him to star in “Nightwing.”
In the mid-1970s, after years of working in live theatre, Mancuso was noticed by some executive producers from Universal and the ABC television network.
Nick’s first movie role was in “Dr. Scorpion,” 1978. He appeared in “Scruples,” the 1980 mini-series on television. Mancuso won a Genie Award for Best Actor for the movie “Ticket to Heaven” in 1982. In addition, he has twice received the Best Actor award from the Houston International Film and Television Festival, and another at the International Film Festival in Taomina, Italy. He appeared in the television movie and series “Stingray” in 1985 and 1986.
Some of his recent film projects include “Total Recall 2070,” a television movie and series in 1998 and 1999 and “Apocalypse II-Revelation,” in 1999 and “Apocalypse III-Tribulation” in 2000. “Jack London’s Call of the Wild” television series in 2000 was picked up by the Animal Planet network.
The author of numerous plays and poetry, Mancuso continues to read his poetry and other writings at The Colloquy in Beverly Hills. Several of his poems have been composed into soundscapes (poetry with a soundtrack) and performed in Europe. Nick speaks four languages fluently, and he has written a book, “The Line”, about his experience as a young immigrant. Mancuso also paints, mostly in oils, completing several paintings in a day.
Link to Wikipedia biography