David Nykl

Last updated

David Nykl
David Nykl 2014.jpg
Nykl at the Sydney Oz Comic Con, 2014
Born (1967-02-07) 7 February 1967 (age 57)
Occupationactor

David Nykl (born 7 February 1967) is a Czech-Canadian actor of film, television, commercials and theater. He is best known for portraying Dr. Radek Zelenka in the SyFy television series Stargate Atlantis and Anatoly Knyazev in the DC Comics series Arrow .

Contents

Early life and education

Nykl was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, to a nurse mother and a structural engineer father. [1] After the Soviet invasion in 1968, he and his family left then-Communist Czechoslovakia for Canada. Upon arriving at Victoria, British Columbia, Nykl briefly attended the University of British Columbia, where he majored in liberal arts and marketing, but did not graduate. [2]

Career

Nykl has appeared frequently in Vancouver and Prague in dozens of theater, film and television productions. Known for his versatility and depth as an actor, he has also produced theatre and film projects, and in 1994, he co-founded Prague's Misery Loves Company Theatre with Richard Toth and Ewan McLaren.

Nykl is known to science fiction fans as the recurring Stargate Atlantis character of Dr. Radek Zelenka, a Czech scientist on Earth's expedition to the "lost city" of Atlantis. His character is often seen working with the main scientist Dr. Rodney McKay, with their disagreements recurring throughout the series. He also played the role in the Stargate SG-1 episode "The Pegasus Project".

Nykl is fluent in Czech, English, French and Spanish. Though his character on Stargate Atlantis speaks English with a Czech accent, Nykl normally speaks with a Canadian accent. Whenever Zelenka spoke Czech in Stargate Atlantis, Nykl was given the lines in English, and he translated them.

In 2012 he made a brief guest appearance on "Once Upon A Time" as dock man turned fish by evil Cora.

Personal life

He has three children: daughters Judi and Maddie, and son Sam. [2]

Filmography

Actor
YearTitleMediaRoleNotes
1988 Danger Bay TV seriesPeter
1993 StrangeviewFeatureTrucker's Friend
DavidFeatureBob
1995 Sacred CargoFeatureBrother Alexis
1996 Hidden in SilenceTV movieHenek
5 Stunden Angst – Geiselnahme im KindergartenFeature"Drops"
Crackerjack 2FeatureCavanaugh
1997 Snow White: A Tale of Terror FeatureUnknown
1998 Prague DuetFeatureThe Journalist
The Barber of Siberia FeatureUnknown
Operation NoahTV moviePR Man
Act of WarFeatureGeorge Willmont
Ceská sodaFeatureUnknown
Blumenstein Fernand – bláznuv príbehFeaturevoice
Hell MountainFeatureFirst Corridor Guard
Escape Velocity FeatureFather Russell
Pat & Mat TV seriesPat1 episode – "Playing Cards"
1999 Loves Lies Bleeding FeatureFraser
Joan of ArcTV seriesDuke of Luxembourg
Praha ocimaPrague StoriesFeatureHonza
2000 Jack London's Call of the Wild TV seriesSettler
The Scarlet Pimpernel TV seriesRobespierre's Barber
2001 BéckaFeatureUnknown
Seven Days TV seriesYuri
2002 The Dead Zone TV seriesThe Waiter
My Guide to Becoming a Rock StarTV seriesDancing Potato
2003 Jake 2.0 TV seriesVasily
Stealing SinatraTV movieThe Valet
2004 Spare ChangeShort filmJoel
20042009 Stargate: Atlantis TV seriesDr. Radek Zelenka recurring, 55 episodes
2005 Masters of Horror TV seriesCSI
Pterodactyl Feature filmHerbert
Behind the Camera: Mork & MindyTV movieJohn Byner
Cold Squad TV seriesBernhardt
2006 Psych TV seriesEvents Coordinator in "Shawn vs. the Red Phantom"
Stargate SG-1 TV series Dr. Radek Zelenka 1 episode – "The Pegasus Project"
Merlin's Apprentice TV seriesBrianna's Father
2007 Eureka TV seriesDr. Steven Whiticus
2008 Sanctuary TV seriesStrickland
The Beast of Bottomless LakeFeatureUnknown
The SeamstressFeature filmDonny Platt
2009 Encounter with DangerTV movieElliott Maine
Helen TV seriesJohn
2010 Fringe TV seriesReverend Marcus
Human Target TV seriesVincent Morgan
2012 Christmas MiracleFilmDrake
Camera Shy FilmCliff Gardner
2013 Once Upon A Time TV seriesMan on dock1 episode – "The Cricket Game"
2013–2020 Arrow TV series Anatoli Knyazev [3] recurring
2014 Supernatural TV seriesLester Morris
2015 Air FilmSleeper 1
2018 Salvation TV seriesCzech Rep1 episode – "Détente"
2019 Superior Donuts PlayArthur
2019 The Sleepers (Bez vedomí)TV seriesGerald Lloyd

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Shanks</span> Canadian actor (born 1970)

Michael Garrett Shanks is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Daniel Jackson in the long-running military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1 and as Dr Charles Harris in the Canadian medical drama Saving Hope. He is also known for his work on low budget genre work filmed in Canada.

Stargate Atlantis is an adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself based on the feature film Stargate (1994). All five seasons of Stargate Atlantis were broadcast by the Sci-Fi Channel in the United States and The Movie Network in Canada. The show premiered on July 16, 2004; its final episode aired on January 9, 2009. The series was filmed in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don S. Davis</span> American actor (1942–2008)

Donald Sinclair Davis was an American character actor best known for playing General Hammond in the television series Stargate SG-1 (1997–2007), and earlier for playing Major Garland Briggs on the television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991). In animation, he was also known as Wild Bill in the 2003 direct-to-video animated movie G.I. Joe: Spy Troops and its 2004 sequel, G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom. He was also a theater professor, painter, and United States Army captain.

Rising (<i>Stargate Atlantis</i>) 1st and 2nd episodes of the 1st season of Stargate Atlantis

"Rising" is the pilot episode for season one of the military science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, a Canadian-American spin off series of Stargate SG-1. The episode was written by executive producers Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, and directed by Martin Wood. The episode was the strongest episode of the whole series on Nielsen household ratings. The episode got strong reviews from major media publishers worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodney McKay</span> Fictional character

Meredith Rodney McKay, Ph.D, is a fictional character in the 2004 Canadian-American Sci-Fi Channel television series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, two military science fiction television shows about military teams exploring two galaxies via a network of alien transportation devices.

The Siege (<i>Stargate Atlantis</i>) 19th and 21st episodes of the 1st season of Stargate Atlantis

"The Siege" is the season finale for season one and season premiere for season two of the military science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, and the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first episode of the series overall. The episodes were written by executive producers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie and Martin Gero, and all three were directed by Martin Wood. The episodes were one of the series strongest in season 1 on Nielsen ratings and part three gathered the strongest rating with "Instinct" in season 2. The episode got strong reviews from major media publishers worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carson Beckett</span> Fictional character in the TV series Stargate Atlantis

Dr. Carson Beckett is a fictional Scottish character in the 2004 Canadian-American science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1. He is portrayed by Scottish-born Canadian actor Paul McGillion, who previously played Dr. Ernest Littlefield in the first season of SG-1. The character's Scottish nationality was only decided after McGillion's audition.

Dr. Radek Zelenka is a fictional character of a scientist in the 2004 television series Stargate Atlantis, portrayed by David Nykl. He is a member of the original expedition from Earth to the Ancient city of Atlantis in the Pegasus galaxy, which he joined after turning down a job at Masaryk University in his home country Czech Republic. His expertise on Ancient technology is only surpassed by Dr. Rodney McKay, with whom he shares a friendly rivalry. Zelenka's planned one-time appearance in the season 1 episode "Thirty-Eight Minutes" was followed by a recurring role for expository scenes with McKay and the leader of the expedition. Zelenka has since appeared in approximately half of each season's episodes and also appeared in the crossover episode "The Pegasus Project" of Stargate SG-1. The series finale of Atlantis, "Enemy at the Gate", marks his last appearance. For his portrayal of Radek Zelenka, David Nykl was nominated for a 2005 Leo Award in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Supporting Performance by a Male".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KGBeast</span> DC Comics character

KGBeast is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo, the character first appeared as an adversary of Batman.

Zelenka is a Czech and Slovak surname. The name stems from the adjective "zelený" (green). Notable people with the surname include:

"First Strike" is the 60th episode and the third season finale of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis. The episode originally aired in Canada on February 5, 2007, on The Movie Network, and subsequently aired March 14 on Sky One in the United Kingdom, and June 22 on the United States Sci Fi Channel. It was written by executive producer Martin Gero, and directed by Martin Wood. The episode is the first of a three-parter, in which the new Earth ship Apollo arrives at Atlantis to conduct a preemptive strike against the Asurans before they can launch a fleet to attack Earth.

<i>Stargate Universe</i> 2009 American-Canadian science fiction TV series

Stargate Universe is a military science fiction drama television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny several billion light years distant from the Milky Way Galaxy. They are now trying to figure out a way to return to Earth, while simultaneously trying to explore and to survive in their unknown area of the universe. The series, created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, premiered in the United States on Syfy on October 2, 2009. The series featured an ensemble cast and was primarily filmed in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A second season of 20 episodes was announced by Syfy in December 2009.

"Adrift" is the 61st episode and the fourth season premiere of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis. The episode first aired in the United States on September 28, 2007, on the Sci Fi Channel, and subsequently aired October 9 on Sky One in the United Kingdom. It was written by executive producer Martin Gero, and directed by Martin Wood. The episode continues from the third-season finale "First Strike", where Atlantis drops out of hyperspace in the middle of deep space with 24 hours of power left after an Asuran attack.

<i>Stargate Atlantis</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the television series Stargate Atlantis commenced airing on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States on July 16, 2004, concluded on The Movie Network in Canada on January 31, 2005, and contained 20 episodes. The show was a spin off of sister show, Stargate SG-1. Stargate Atlantis re-introduced supporting characters from the SG-1 universe, such as Elizabeth Weir and Rodney McKay among others. The show also included new characters such as Teyla Emmagan and John Sheppard. The first season is about a military-science expedition team discovering Atlantis and exploring the Pegasus Galaxy. However, there is no way to return home, and they inadvertently wake a hostile alien race known as the Wraith, whose primary goal is to gather a fleet to invade Atlantis and find their new "feeding ground", Earth.

<i>Stargate Atlantis</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of Stargate Atlantis, an American-Canadian television series, began airing on September 28, 2007 on the US-American Sci Fi Channel. The fourth season concluded after 20 episodes on March 7, 2008 on Sci Fi. The series was developed by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, who also served as executive producers. Amanda Tapping joins the cast as a regular for 14 episodes, and Jewel Staite was a recurring character for eleven episodes. In comparison, regular cast member Torri Higginson was a recurring cast member for four episodes. Other season four regular cast members include Joe Flanigan, Rachel Luttrell, Jason Momoa and David Hewlett.

"The Shrine" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis. The episode is also the 300th produced episode in the overall Stargate franchise. The episode first aired on August 22, 2008 on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States, and subsequently aired on October 23 on Sky1 in the United Kingdom. The episode was nominated for a Nebula Award, and a further four Leo Awards.

Enemy at the Gate (<i>Stargate Atlantis</i>) 20th episode of the 5th season of Stargate Atlantis

"Enemy at the Gate" is the 100th and final episode of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis. The episode aired on January 9, 2009 on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States, and on January 13, 2009 on Sky1 in the United Kingdom. Written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie as their fifth and final script in the fifth season, "Enemy at the Gate" was produced as the nineteenth episode of the season and was directed by Andy Mikita. It is dedicated to Don S. Davis, who died from a heart attack in 2008.

The Sleepers is a Czech drama television series, that premiered on HBO Europe in November 2019.

References

  1. "David Nykl Biography". Film Reference. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  2. 1 2 Jackson, Desiree. "Zelenka Explains It All: An Interview with David Nykl".
  3. Byrne, Craig (22 October 2013). "Arrow Casting Spoiler: David Nykl Is Anatoli Knyazev". GreenArrowTV. Retrieved 23 October 2013.