# Nicholas Guest
**Nicholas Guest** (born 1951 in New York City as Nicholas Haden-Guest) is an English-American actor whose career spans live-action film and television and, most prominently, voice work in animated features, television series, and video games.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and place | Nicholas Haden-Guest, born 1951 in New York City, New York, USA[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/11158/nicholas-guest) |
| Screen roles known for | Trading Places (1983), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), and Astro Boy (2009)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346415/bio) |
| Voice roles | Frozen, Tangled, Big Hero 6, ParaNorman, and Rio, among others[3](https://classes.stellaadler.com/profiles/nicholas-guest/) |
| Career volume | 139 credits in one archive count: 92 films and 47 TV series, from 1978 to 2025, with 1993 the busiest year at 9 credits[4](https://www.archytele.com/person/nicholas-guest/movies-and-tv-shows) |
| Recurring television | John Teller (voice) in 18 episodes of Sons of Anarchy; President Maxim Salnikov in Madam Secretary[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/11158/nicholas-guest) |
| Family | Younger brother of Christopher Guest; half-brother of journalist Anthony Haden-Guest; son of Peter Haden-Guest, the fourth baron of Saling[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346415/bio) |
## Early life and family
Guest was born in New York City to Peter Haden-Guest and Jean Pauline Hindes, an American[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346415/bio). His father, an English lord who held the title of the fourth baron of Saling in Essex, was an actor and dancer who became a UN diplomat; Peter Haden-Guest served with the [United Nations Secretariat](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-nations-secretariat) from 1946 until his retirement in 1972 and took his seat in the [House of Lords](https://www.edgepedia.org/house-of-lords) on the death of his brother in 1987[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346415/bio) • [5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-17-mn-59587-story.html).
The family connects him to a distinctly creative circle. He is the younger brother of the actor, writer, and director [Christopher Guest](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-guest), known for the mockumentaries *Waiting for Guffman* and *Best in Show*, and brother-in-law of actress and director [Jamie Lee Curtis](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-lee-curtis)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346415/bio) • [6](https://bistroawards.com/nicholas-guest/). His half-brother is the journalist Anthony Haden-Guest, widely believed to be the model for the British journalist Peter Fallow in [Tom Wolfe](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-wolfe)'s novel *The Bonfire of the Vanities*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346415/bio) • [7](https://research.kent.ac.uk/british-cartoon-archive/record/anthony-haden-guest/).
Guest has been married to Pamela Guest since November 26, 1989, and was previously married to Jill Ellen Demby[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/11158/nicholas-guest).
## Screen acting
Guest's live-action credits reach back to the early 1980s. He appeared in *Trading Places* (1983)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346415/bio), played Bob Ford in *The Long Riders* (1980), and played Todd Chester, the neighbors' son-in-law, in *National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation* (1989)[8](https://www.fandango.com/people/nicholas-guest-267031/film-credits). He also played a Starfleet cadet in *Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan*[9](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Nicholas_Guest).
Television work has been steady across four decades. Recurring roles include John Teller, voiced across 18 episodes of *Sons of Anarchy*, and Acting Russian President Maxim Salnikov in *Madam Secretary*, a part he returned to in three seasons before one further appearance as President Salnikov in 2019[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/11158/nicholas-guest). Earlier starring roles include Headmaster Patrick Elliot in *USA High* (1997), Ardeth Bey in *The Mummy: The Animated Series* (2001), and Maj. Zander Barcalow in *Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles* (1999)[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/11158/nicholas-guest). Guest appearances range from *Knight Rider* and *Sledge Hammer!* in the 1980s to *Mad Men*, *Cold Case*, *Shark*, and *Sleepy Hollow*, where he played General Howe in 2015[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/11158/nicholas-guest).
## Voice acting
Voice work is the center of Guest's career. The Stella Adler Studio of Acting describes him as primarily a voice actor whose films include *Frozen*, *Tangled*, *Big Hero 6*, *ParaNorman*, and *Rio*[3](https://classes.stellaadler.com/profiles/nicholas-guest/). He has contributed additional voices to animated features such as *Hotel Transylvania 2* (2015), *Penguins of Madagascar* (2014), and *Mr. Peabody & Sherman* (2014), and to series including *Avatar: The Last Airbender* and *DreamWorks Dragons: Race to the Edge*[4](https://www.archytele.com/person/nicholas-guest/movies-and-tv-shows) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/11158/nicholas-guest).
His superhero and animation credits include the Question in *Batman: The Brave and the Bold* and [Martian Manhunter](https://www.edgepedia.org/martian-manhunter) in the 2018 film *Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold*[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/11158/nicholas-guest) • [4](https://www.archytele.com/person/nicholas-guest/movies-and-tv-shows). He has also worked in anime dubbing and video games, including *[Cowboy Bebop: The Movie](https://www.edgepedia.org/cowboy-bebop-the-movie)* (2001), *Star Trek: Armada II*, and *Star Trek: Bridge Commander*[9](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Nicholas_Guest).
## Stage and other work
In 2015 Guest performed a solo cabaret show, *Finding Nick*, at the New York venue 54 Below, telling a globe-spanning personal story with impressions of characters and accents; a review in the Bistro Awards publication singled out his quick accent work as the most rewarding part of the performance[6](https://bistroawards.com/nicholas-guest/). A [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) profile lists his professional activities as actor, producer, soundtrack contributor, sound department work, and casting department work[10](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/nicholas-guest/3030011716/).
## References
1. [Nicholas Guest, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/11158/nicholas-guest)
2. [Nicholas Guest Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346415/bio/)
3. [Nicholas Guest profile, Stella Adler Studio of Acting](https://classes.stellaadler.com/profiles/nicholas-guest/)
4. [Nicholas Guest: Movies and TV Shows, Archytele](https://www.archytele.com/person/nicholas-guest/movies-and-tv-shows)
5. [Peter Haden-Guest; British Peer, Former U.N. Official, Los Angeles Times (1996)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-17-mn-59587-story.html)
6. [Nicholas Guest, Bistro Awards (2015)](https://bistroawards.com/nicholas-guest/)
7. [Anthony Haden-Guest biography, British Cartoon Archive, University of Kent](https://research.kent.ac.uk/british-cartoon-archive/record/anthony-haden-guest/)
8. [Nicholas Guest Filmography, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/nicholas-guest-267031/film-credits)
9. [Nicholas Guest, Memory Alpha](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Nicholas_Guest)
10. [Nicholas Guest, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/nicholas-guest/3030011716/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Gr to G*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license