Nicholas John Robinson is an American actor. As a child, he appeared in the 2008 stage productions of A Christmas Carol and Mame, following which he starred in the television sitcomMelissa & Joey. He went on to play a supporting role in the science fiction adventure film Jurassic World, and took on lead roles in several teen dramas, including The Kings of Summer, The 5th Wave, Everything, Everything, and Love, Simon, and Native Son. In 2018, Robinson was named in Forbes "30 Under 30" in the Hollywood & Entertainment category.
Early life
Robinson was born on March 22, 1995 in Seattle, Washington. He has four younger siblings and two older half-siblings from his father's previous marriage. His mother is Denise Podnar. He graduated from Campbell Hall School in 2013. He was accepted to New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Studies but deferred his first year to work on another season of Melissa & Joey.
Career
Robinson made his professional acting debut at the age of eleven with a role in the stage adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol. Talent scout Matt Casella recommended him to a few agencies and Robinson was eventually signed with the Los Angeles-based Savage Agency. Because of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, Robinson's family moved back to Washington where he continued to perform on stage in and around Seattle. In 2010, Robinson was cast in the role of Ryder Scanlon, nephew of Melissa Joan Hart's character on the ABC Family sitcom, Melissa & Joey, playing the character until its cancellation in 2015. In 2011, while on hiatus from Melissa & Joey, Robinson began filming of the Disney Channel original movie Frenemies with Disney stars Bella Thorne and Zendaya; Robinson played the role of Jake Logan. Frenemies premiered in January 2012, on the Disney Channel. In 2012, Robinson was cast in the lead role of Joe Toy in director Jordan Vogt-Roberts' The Kings of Summer. He also guest-starred in the episode "Blue Bell Boy," during the third season of HBO's Boardwalk Empire. He also began appearing in a series of television commercials for Cox Communications entitled "Buffer Time is Bonding Time." In late 2013, Robinson was cast in Jurassic World, which was released in 2015. He co-starred with Ty Simpkins, playing a pair of brothers who visit their aunt played by Bryce Dallas Howard at Jurassic World. He played Ben Parish in the film adaptation of the novelThe 5th Wave, which was released in January 2016. These roles made him unavailable for multiple episodes of the final season of Melissa & Joey, but he returned for the final three episodes. He played the lead in the independent film Being Charlie, which premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival; the film was released theatrically in 2016. In 2017 he starred in William H. Macy's comedy-drama film Krystal, and as Olly in Everything, Everything, a film adaptation of the novel of the same name. Robinson was one of the many actors who auditioned for the role of Han Solo for Lucasfilm's before the part was cast to Alden Ehrenreich. In 2018, Robinson starred as Simon Spier in the gay coming out teen drama filmLove, Simon. The film was considered ground-breaking because it was the first major studio film to focus on a gay, teenage romance. Robinson's performance as Simon garnered critical acclaim. After reading the script, Robinson revealed that he broke his own rule to no longer play high schoolers because he saw the cultural importance of the film. In 2019, he co-starred in the third film version of Richard Wright's Native Son. In June 2018, it was announced he will star in the film adaptation of the novel Weetzie Bat.
