Nicholas Braun Bio
Nicholas Joseph Braun (born May 1, 1988) is an American actor widely recognized for his role as Greg Hirsch in the HBO drama series Succession (2018–2023). The performance brought him three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, cementing his reputation as a respected dramatic performer. Beyond television, Braun has built a varied film résumé that includes Disney productions, independent dramas, and festival premieres. His career reflects a steady transition from teenage roles in family-friendly projects to critically acclaimed adult work.
Standing at 6 feet 7 inches tall, Braun has spoken about how his unusual height shaped both his casting opportunities and his early career decisions. He has consistently chosen roles that balance mainstream appeal with character-driven storytelling, allowing him to move comfortably between studio features and independent films.
Early Life and Background
Nicholas Joseph Braun was born and raised on Long Island, New York. His father, Craig Braun, is an actor and a former graphic designer who co-designed the Rolling Stones’ tongue and lips logo, a detail that reflects the creative environment in which Braun was raised. When he was five years old, his parents divorced, and he divided his time between his mother’s home in Connecticut and his father’s home in Manhattan. This dual upbringing gave him early exposure to two different communities and an appreciation for varied perspectives.
Braun attended boarding school as a teenager and continued to act during summer breaks, sharpening his skills outside a traditional classroom setting. He later enrolled at Occidental College as a math major, but after two years he decided to leave the program to pursue acting on a full-time basis. The decision marked a clear turning point, redirecting his energy toward the craft he had been exploring since childhood.
Path to Acting
Encouraged by his father, Braun began taking acting classes at a very young age, an early start that helped him develop confidence in front of casting directors and audiences. His height, which would later define much of his on-screen presence, occasionally worked against him early in his career. Braun has noted that he sometimes tried to present himself as shorter during auditions, a strategy that reflected the limited roles available to very tall young actors.
Braun made his film debut in the Disney superhero comedy Sky High in 2005, a project that introduced him to a wide audience and established his footing in the industry. He followed this with roles in Disney Channel Original Movies, including Minutemen (2008) and Princess Protection Program (2009), as well as the ABC Family series 10 Things I Hate About You, where he played the regular role of Cameron until the show’s final episode aired on May 24, 2010. He also appeared in The Secret Life of the American Teenager and portrayed Cole Waters on the web series The LXD, building a steady foundation of screen credits.
Nicholas Braun Career
Early Career (2001–2012)
Braun’s professional career began in 2001, and he quickly accumulated a mix of television and film appearances. In 2011, he played Lloyd Taylor in the Disney theatrical release Prom and portrayed Billy Ray in Kevin Smith’s Red State the same year. The following year, he took on a supporting role in the coming-of-age film The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), a project that signaled his growing range and his willingness to take on more emotionally layered material. These early roles helped him move beyond family-friendly programming and into projects aimed at older audiences.
Throughout this period, Braun balanced mainstream Disney projects with independent and genre work, building a versatile body of credits. He appeared in films such as The Watch (2012) and continued to take on smaller but distinctive parts that showcased his dry comedic timing and dramatic instincts. This blend of work laid the groundwork for the more significant opportunities that would follow.
Breakthrough (2018–2023)
Braun’s breakthrough arrived in 2018 when he joined the main cast of the HBO drama series Succession as Gregory Hirsch, the awkward and often overlooked cousin at the center of the Roy family’s media empire. The role earned him critical acclaim and established him as a leading dramatic actor on television. For his performance, he received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2020, 2022, and 2023, a recognition that placed him among the most respected supporting performers of his era.
Alongside his television work, Braun expanded his film career with the A24 drama Zola (2021), directed by Janicza Bravo and written by Jeremy O. Harris. He played Derrek in the film, which received positive reviews for its bold style and sharp performances. He also co-starred in How to Be Single (2016) and Date and Switch (2014), demonstrating his ability to work across genres and tones.
Notable Works and Milestones
Braun’s signature work remains his portrayal of Greg Hirsch in Succession, a role that defined his career and brought him his three Emmy nominations. His film highlights include Sky High (2005), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), Zola (2021), and Cat Person (2023), the last of which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and was based on a 2017 short story from The New Yorker. These projects illustrate his range, moving comfortably between comedy, drama, and thriller territory.
Nicholas Braun Award Nominations
Braun has earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations across his career, all in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Each nomination recognized his work as Greg Hirsch in Succession, with nods in 2020, 2022, and 2023. The repeated recognition from the Television Academy reflects the consistent impact of his performance across the show’s run.
Nicholas Braun Awards Won
As of the most recent verified information, Nicholas Braun has not won a Primetime Emmy Award, though his three nominations for Succession demonstrate sustained peer recognition. His body of work continues to earn critical attention, positioning him for future award opportunities as he takes on new projects.
Nicholas Braun Family
Braun was born to Craig Braun, an actor and former graphic designer who co-designed the Rolling Stones’ tongue and lips logo. His parents divorced when he was five, after which he split his time between his mother’s home in Connecticut and his father’s home in Manhattan. Public information about additional family members remains limited, and Braun has kept most of his extended family life out of the spotlight.
Personal Life
Braun was born in Bethpage, New York, and later attended Occidental College before leaving to pursue acting full-time. He has invested in various bars and restaurants in New York City, an interest that complements his creative pursuits. Outside of acting, he has also explored music, releasing the single “Antibodies (Do You Have The)” in 2020 in partnership with Partners In Health and the COPE Program to support pandemic relief efforts. In 2022, he appeared in the IFC mockumentary series Documentary Now! episode “Soldier of Illusion, Parts 1 & 2,” written by John Mulaney. Looking ahead, Braun has been cast as both filmmaker Jim Henson and entertainer Andy Kaufman in the 2024 biographical dramedy Saturday Night and will appear in the 2026 thriller Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie.
