Alexander Livingston Nicol Jr., a rugged and charismatic actor, was born in 1916 in Ossining, New York, to a prison warden and his wife, the matron of a detention center. He developed an early interest in acting and trained at the Fagin School of Dramatic Art.
Nicol's professional stage career began in 1938, and he quickly found work as an apprentice to the renowned actor Maurice Evans. He appeared on stage with Evans in productions of "Henry IV, Part I" and "Richard II" on Broadway. After a stint in the National Guard and Cavalry Unit during World War II, Nicol returned to the stage and became a student and charter member of Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio.
He continued to work on Broadway, appearing in productions such as "Sundown Beach," "South Pacific," "Waiting for Lefty," "Forward the Heart," and "Mister Roberts." Nicol's most notable role on Broadway was as Brick in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" in 1956, which earned him excellent reviews.
Nicol's film career began in the early 1950s, when he was discovered by Universal-International director George Sherman. He appeared in a range of films, including "The Sleeping City," "Tomahawk," "The Redhead from Wyoming," "The Lone Hand," "Law and Order," "Dawn at Socorro," and "The Man from Laramie." He often played decent, law-abiding sheriffs and simpering, murdering gunslingers in westerns.
Nicol also appeared in outdoor/war pictures such as "Target Unknown," "Air Cadet," "Red Ball Express," and "Strategic Air Command." He top-lined a few British-made pictures during this time period and continued to work in television, appearing in shows such as "The Twilight Zone," "Dr. Kildare," and "The Outer Limits."
In the late 1950s, Nicol began to direct, starting with the semi-cult horror film "The Screaming Skull." He went on to direct several episodes of the "Tarzan" series starring Ron Ely throughout the 1960s.
Nicol and his family moved to Rome in 1959, where he continued to film. Although they returned to the US in 1961, he would often appear in European-made "spaghetti westerns" or two during the early 1960s. He continued to work sporadically on TV and film until his retirement in 1987.
Nicol passed away in Montecito, California in 2001 at the age of 85, leaving behind his long-time wife, Jean Fleming, and their three children.
