# Nick Thurston
**Nick Thurston** (born 1987) is an American actor and voice actor known for playing Brian Leary in the John Gray drama *White Irish Drinkers* (2010) and for performing the motion-capture role of Blue Eyes, Caesar's son, in *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* (2014).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3231354/) • [2](https://pota.goatley.com/scrolls/simianscrolls_18.pdf) He has since worked extensively in voice acting and game writing.[3](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-thurston-7490461b6)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1987; sources give Oakland, California (IMDb) or San Francisco, California (TMDb-based listings)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3231354/) • [4](https://www.strubt.ch/media/person/557930) |
| Training | American Conservatory Theater; British American Drama Academy, London; BFA in acting, University of Southern California[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3231354/) |
| Breakout film role | Brian Leary in *White Irish Drinkers* (2010), a Brooklyn drama set in 1975[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3231354/) • [5](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/303097-Nick-Thurston) |
| Motion capture | Blue Eyes, Caesar's young chimpanzee son, in *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* (2014)[2](https://pota.goatley.com/scrolls/simianscrolls_18.pdf) |
| Voice work | Hazel's Dad and a nosy cat in *Luck* (2022); Idwal in *DOTA: Dragon's Blood* (2021); six episodes of *American Dad!* (2020–2023)[6](https://www.fernsehserien.de/nick-thurston/filmografie) |
| Writing | Creator of the fantasy audio drama *Moonsong*; game writer and narrative designer; Substack series *Letters from Abroad*[7](https://shoutoutla.com/meet-nick-thurston-actor-writer/) • [3](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-thurston-7490461b6) |
## Early life and training
Thurston was born in California in 1987 and has acted since childhood.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3231354/) He trained at several theater schools, including the [American Conservatory Theater](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-conservatory-theater) in San Francisco and the British American Drama Academy in London, and graduated from the [University of Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-southern-california) with a [Bachelor of Fine Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-fine-arts) in acting.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3231354/) • [8](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/nick-thurston/umc.cpc.myac1scf0qyir377rz4kiahg) During a semester abroad in England he played Edmund in *King Lear*, directed by Royal Shakespeare Company veteran Kelly Hunter.[9](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/images%2Ffiles%2F00%2F00354849-f140-4ec4-81fd-b6d4fd8adde6.pdf)
## Film and television
**Early screen roles.** Thurston's first credited screen appearances came in guest spots on network series: a varsity football player on *Ghost Whisperer* (2005), Nick Pavonetti on *Bones* (2005), and Nash Simpson on *Cold Case* (2009).[6](https://www.fernsehserien.de/nick-thurston/filmografie) In 2010 he played Mark Stenwyck, an abusive boyfriend, in the Lifetime television film *Reviving Ophelia*, adapted from Mary Pipher's 1994 book and directed by Bobby Roth.[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1690215/)
**White Irish Drinkers.** His leading film role came as Brian Leary in *White Irish Drinkers* (2010), John Gray's drama about two working-class brothers in Brooklyn in 1975 who plan to rob a local theater on the night of a Rolling Stones concert.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3231354/) • [5](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/303097-Nick-Thurston) The American Film Institute catalog lists the film as his single feature-film credit within its records.[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/303097-Nick-Thurston)
**Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.** In Matt Reeves's 2014 sequel, Thurston portrayed Blue Eyes, the teenage son of [Andy Serkis](https://www.edgepedia.org/andy-serkis)'s Caesar, through performance capture. In an interview with the fan publication *Simian Scrolls*, he described winning the part through several auditions that included ape movement and sign-language improvisation, and said the central acting challenge was conveying the character's thoughts with body language and glances because Blue Eyes has little dialogue.[2](https://pota.goatley.com/scrolls/simianscrolls_18.pdf) A contemporary review in *Time* noted that every thought and feeling could be read on the digital faces of Blue Eyes and Koba's son Ash ([Doc Shaw](https://www.edgepedia.org/doc-shaw)).[11](https://time.com/2971082/dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-review/)
**Television guest roles.** Through the 2010s he appeared in single episodes of *Grimm* (as Roddy Geiger, 2011), *The Protector* (2011), *Castle* (as Buck Cooper and Hank Rodgers, 2012), *Bones* (2013), *Heartbeat* (2016), *[Pure Genius](https://www.edgepedia.org/pure-genius)* (2016), *Snowfall* (2017), and *FBI: Most Wanted* (as Will Conway, 2022).[6](https://www.fernsehserien.de/nick-thurston/filmografie) • [12](https://watch.plex.tv/nl/person/nick-thurston) His film credits in this period include Dante in the thriller *The Truth Below* (2011) and Anson Stein in *The Colony* (2013), on which he also received a producer credit.[12](https://watch.plex.tv/nl/person/nick-thurston)
## Voice work and games
Thurston moved into voice acting in the 2020s. He voiced Hazel's adoptive father and a nosy cat in the animated film *Luck* (2022), Idwal in the animated series *DOTA: Dragon's Blood* (2021), and characters in six episodes of *American Dad!* between 2020 and 2023; he is also credited with additional voices in the video game *[Spider-Man: Miles Morales](https://www.edgepedia.org/spider-man-miles-morales)* (2020).[6](https://www.fernsehserien.de/nick-thurston/filmografie) • [13](https://www.archivtv.cz/-nick-thurston)
He describes himself as a voice actor and writer working in video games, affiliated with Scary Kid Studios. In a 2026 post he reported having written and narrative-designed three games, landed roles in two unannounced AAA titles, and worked on projects for Netflix, Hachette, and Disney.[3](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-thurston-7490461b6)
## Writing: Moonsong and other projects
In a 2023 interview with *Shoutout LA*, Thurston described *Moonsong*, an epic fantasy audio drama he writes and produces. Its first season follows King Hafnir, who tries to kill his newborn daughter to avoid his fate; the daughter survives and the story becomes a tale of revenge, love, and betrayal, told with immersive sound design in a style drawing on Scandinavian folklore and [Greek mythology](https://www.edgepedia.org/greek-mythology).[7](https://shoutoutla.com/meet-nick-thurston-actor-writer/) He also publishes a fantasy series, *Letters from Abroad*, on Substack.[3](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-thurston-7490461b6)
## Other people named Nick Thurston
The name refers to several unrelated people. Nick Thurston (born 1982) is a British writer, editor, and artist who teaches at the [University of Leeds](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-leeds); he authored the experimental books *Reading the Remove of Literature* (2006) and *Of the Subcontract* (2013), co-edited *Post-Digital Cultures of the Far Right* (2018), co-edited the publishing collective Information As Material from 2006 to 2018, and received a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Artists in 2020.[14](https://cms.mit.edu/video-nick-thurston-document-practices-the-art-of-propagating-access/) • [15](https://pages.sandpoints.org/ubu50/glassblower/nickthurston/) A Nick Thurston has also been listed as chairman of the English football club Sutton Coldfield Town F.C.[16](https://www.thenamesdictionary.com/references-for/nick-thurston)
## References
1. [Nick Thurston (I) – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3231354/)
2. [The Art of Focus: An Interview with Nick Thurston, Simian Scrolls Issue 18](https://pota.goatley.com/scrolls/simianscrolls_18.pdf)
3. [Nick Thurston – Scary Kid Studios, LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-thurston-7490461b6)
4. [Nick Thurston – StrubT.ch (TMDb/OMDb data)](https://www.strubt.ch/media/person/557930)
5. [Nick Thurston – AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/303097-Nick-Thurston)
6. [Filmografie Nick Thurston – fernsehserien.de](https://www.fernsehserien.de/nick-thurston/filmografie)
7. [Meet Nick Thurston, Actor & Writer – Shoutout LA](https://shoutoutla.com/meet-nick-thurston-actor-writer/)
8. [Nick Thurston – Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/nick-thurston/umc.cpc.myac1scf0qyir377rz4kiahg)
9. [White Irish Drinkers official press kit](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/images%2Ffiles%2F00%2F00354849-f140-4ec4-81fd-b6d4fd8adde6.pdf)
10. [Reviving Ophelia (TV Movie 2010) – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1690215/)
11. [Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Time](https://time.com/2971082/dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-review/)
12. [Nick Thurston Movies and TV Shows – Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/nl/person/nick-thurston)
13. [Nick Thurston – ArchivTV](https://www.archivtv.cz/-nick-thurston)
14. [Nick Thurston: Document Practices – MIT Comparative Media Studies](https://cms.mit.edu/video-nick-thurston-document-practices-the-art-of-propagating-access/)
15. [Nick Thurston – Ubu@50](https://pages.sandpoints.org/ubu50/glassblower/nickthurston/)
16. [Reference for Nick Thurston – The Names Dictionary](https://www.thenamesdictionary.com/references-for/nick-thurston)
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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: 2000s onward › Surnames T*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 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