Actor Nicky Katt, who was famous for his parts in the beloved movie Dazed and Confused and the TV show Boston Public, was found dead at age 54 in his Los Angeles apartment on April 8, 2025. Police believe his death may have been a suicide, but they did not find a suicide note.

His landlord found Katt’s body hanging in his bedroom; he had been dead for more than a day. The landlord had come by the apartment five days earlier to collect late rent and had noticed the door was open when he returned. The landlord recalled telling Katt he only had a few days to pay it since it was late.

TMZ reported that when the landlord came back after five days, the apartment door was open, and Katt was found hanging in his bedroom. He didn’t leave a suicide note, and he had been dead for over a day by the time he was discovered.

Nicky Katt found hanging by landlord

Katt was born on May 11, 1970, in South Dakota, and he started acting at a young age. His first TV role was in 1980 on Fantasy Island. As a child actor, he appeared in many popular 1980s shows, including CHiPs, Code Red, Herbie, the Love Bug, and Voyagers!, proving early on that he could play different kinds of roles. He moved on to movies, starting with Underground Aces in 1981, and later acted in well-known films like Gremlins, The Burbs, Martians Go Home, and Sister Act.

His big break came when he played Clint Bruno, the high school bully, in Richard Linklater’s 1993 coming-of-age hit Dazed and Confused. This movie made him more famous and put him alongside rising stars like Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck. He worked with Linklater again in subUrbia (1996), Waking Life (2001), and School of Rock (2003).

He also acted in a wide variety of other films, including A Time to Kill, Sin City, Boiler Room (where he played stockbroker Greg Weinstein with Affleck and Vin Diesel), and The Way of the Gun, showing he could handle both funny and serious roles. He teamed up with famous director Steven Soderbergh three times, proving he could work in different styles. His roles in Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia (2002) and The Dark Knight (2008) further showed his range in major films.

Katt was also successful on TV, with parts in many popular shows over the years. One of his most notable roles was as Harry Senate, a geology teacher, in the Fox drama Boston Public. He also appeared in Monk, Law & Order, King of the Hill, and ER, proving he could fit into all kinds of TV genres. His last acting job was in the Hulu series Casual in 2018. In his personal life, Katt was married to Annie Morse from 1999 to 2001.

Katt’s sudden death has shocked both the entertainment industry and his fans. His long career in movies and TV showed his talent and versatility as an actor. While his ing is tragic, it also reminds us how important it is to talk about mental health and make sure help is available for those who need it.

Movies about teenagers have been a staple of cinema ever since films like The Wild One and Rock Around the Clock showed 1950s filmmakers how popular films made for this untapped demographic could become. While stories both about and made for young people were a relatively new concept at the time (as were teenagers themselves, if you can believe that), they’ve since become a fixture of pop culture, especially those about high school.

What is it that makes them so appealing to viewers? Is it that most have attended, or will attend, high school, making it a relatively safe setting? Do we enjoy watching excellently dressed teenagers (usually played by actors in their 20s) make better — or at least more entertaining — choices than we did? Or is it that watching embarrassing high school moments helps us process our own awkward adolescence?

Whatever the reason, there’s something about high school that makes us tune in. Most high school movies have an element of fantasy to them, whether it be the students speak like 30-something screenwriters, or the parties are too over the top; so when one shows an authentic high school experience, it can be unexpectedly cathartic. While I love escapism as much as the next person, seeing your experiences represented on screen is a huge part of the magic of cinema. Here are 10 high school movies that truly get what it’s like.

1. Dazed and Confused (1993)

Dazed and Confused is a film documenting the last day of high school before summer (and for the graduating seniors, the rest of their lives) starts. It may be set in 1976 — complete with all the period trappings like bell bottoms and Aerosmith — but the way the teenagers act transcends time. There’s not much of a plot, but that’s part of what makes Dazed and Confused feel so realistic. It feels like the audience is just watching the action unfold on one wild summer night. One part that makes it a little too real is Matthew McConaughey’s character, who unfortunately resembles real-life dudes who continue to hang around high school girls even though it’s long past “alright, alright, alright.”

2. Superbad (2007)

Many high school movies center around a huge, life-changing party, and Superbad is one of them. While not everything about it is realistic (namely McLovin’s whole subplot with the two cops), there’s a lot it absolutely nails about being a teenager. From the way the teens swear in pretty much every sentence to the very real fear of growing apart from your friends when you go off to college, Superbad actually resembles a real-life high school experience in a lot of ways. Sure, the awkward moments are definitely played up for laughs (and there’s a lot of raunchy scenarios that might not resonate with all viewers) but some of them are oddly relatable.

3. The Breakfast Club (1985)

The ’80s saw a huge surge of teen movies, many of which were directed by John Hughes and starred of the “Brat Pack,” a group of young actors. The Breakfast Club is one of them, and possibly the most memorable due to its fresh concept and outstanding performances by its leads. The story follows five teens while they complete an all-day detention on a Saturday (thankfully, this part’s not realistic); while they initially begin the day with preconceived beliefs about themselves and each other, they soon realize they’re all dealing with similar family and social problems.

While distinct cliques are a mainstay in many teen tales, The Breakfast Club feels more lifelike because the characters come across as real people and don’t fit in those narrow boxes, despite the stereotypes they’ve assigned each other at the beginning. The sometimes-awkward dialogue and the realistic mannerisms of the characters make The Breakfast Club feel more rooted in reality than many contemporaries of the same time period.

4. Mean Girls (2004)

Hear me out: there are plenty of things about Mean Girls that make it feel like a stylized high school film (albeit, a great one). At the same time, parts of this movie really nail what high school feels like for a lot of young girls; we may not have known Regina George, but most girls know a girl like Regina George. The way the girls subtly bully each other and talk to each other in general feels very authentic in my experience. Adolescent friendships between girls can sometimes be wrought with competition, jealousy, and insecurity, and Mean Girls does a good job of capturing that in a funny, entertaining way. The realism is the point; Tina Fey was inspired to make it after reading the nonfiction parenting book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman.

5. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Yeah, my high school experience may not have featured a young Heath Ledger serenading me on the school bleachers, but there’s a lot 10 Things I Hate About You gets right about being a teen. Similarly to The Breakfast Club, the film initially presents its lead characters as one-dimensional: Kat is an edgy man-hating feminist, Patrick is a bad boy, and Bianca is superficial and shallow. As the narrative progresses, we learn the characters are much more nuanced than we may have initially believed and have reasons for the ways they present themselves. For example, Kat is scared to be vulnerable and to confront her own trauma, while Bianca is actually much more self-assured and intelligent than we may have thought.

Being a teenager and defining your own identity is complex in ways not often explored onscreen. 10 Things I Hate About You might be a rom-com at the end of the day, but it explores the contradictions inherent to being a teenager in a relatable way.

6. Lady Bird (2017)

When you’re a teenager, you can sometimes be an asshole, especially to the ones you love. Lady Bird captures this part of adolescence so well, and you’ll feel vaguely uncomfortable during a lot of the angst-filled scenes between the mother and daughter at the center. The protagonist Christine “Lady Bird” can’t wait to get out of her home town in California and move to New York for college, where she feels like her life will truly begin. Throughout, Christine goes through growing pains like fighting (and making up) with her best friend, trying to impress people that don’t deserve her attention, and butting heads with her mother due to both their similarities and their differences. The complex relationship with her mom is something I haven’t seen represented in many teenage films, and it resonates with many Lady Bird viewers.

7. The Hate U Give (2018)

Many teen movies are based off of YA novels (think To All The Boys I Loved Before), but rarely does teen cinema approach subjects like racial identity and police brutality like in The Hate U Give, even though these topics are no less relatable for many young teenagers. The film follows 16-year-old Starr Jackson, an African-American girl who leaves her predominantly Black neighborhood every morning to attend a mostly white private school. She rarely notices any difference between her and her classmates, until her best friend is killed by a cop after failing to signal a lane change.

During the resulting media coverage and attention, Starr learns that her school friends don’t have to worry about things like code-switching or behaving the “right” way when a police officer pulls them over, and the resulting tension leads to racist viewpoints coming to light and friendship fallout. While most of these topics aren’t explored in high school movies, they are still a reality many teens face.

8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

In some ways, The Perks of Being a Wallflower feels like a memory. Some parts are soft and full of longing, while other parts are as sharp and painful as if they happened the day before. Growing up is full of exciting new experiences, but also complicated realizations; the film captures this dichotomy well as it follows freshman Charlie as he navigates crippling depression amid new friendships. Parts beautifully capture the feeling of finally fitting in somewhere — like when Charlie, Sam, and Patrick rally around the song “Heroes” — while others explore the rough parts of adolescence.

That duality is part of what makes The Perks of Being a Wallflower feel so real and so captivating. Like the book before it, the film continues to resonate with audiences who what it felt like to be in love with someone who was dating someone else, or how it feels to be the only openly queer kid in a school of unaccepting peers.

9. The Spectacular Now (2013)

The Spectacular Now follows Miles Teller’s high school student Sutter Keely, a cool kid who keeps himself in a constantly buzzed state with the help of alochol-spiked soda. Sutter is in his senior year and is having trouble finishing a college application when he meets Aimee, another senior who likes anime and never crossed his radar. When the two finally enter a relationship, it feels realistic; the whole movie unfolds as if we’re just watching their senior year as a spectator. It hits some dramatic beats, but nothing ever feels forced or sensationalized for drama’s sake.

The teens speak like real people, and Sutter’s alcoholism is never treated like a punchline, nor is it something he magically recovers from. The Spectacular Now doesn’t end on a happy note, but it does end on a realistic (and tentatively hopeful) one.

10. The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

Being a teenager is a time of loneliness, and feeling as though no one truly understands you. The Edge of Seventeen captures this in-between state perfectly as 17-year-old Nadine deals with changing relationships and her grief over her father’s death when she was 13. Nadine feels like her mother doesn’t notice her and feels distant from her popular older brother Darian; her only comfort is her best friend Krista, but their friendship becomes strained when Krista begins dating Darian. Nadine feels out of place in her own skin, and struggles to find a true sense of belonging throughout the film.

It’s a little thing, but I like that the teen characters never look too put together in the movie. Nadine’s hair is always slightly messed up which makes the film feel even more lifelike; when she’s going through all of this, she’s not gonna have the energy to constantly look presentable.

One of the most iconic movies of all time, Dazed and Confused was released back in 1993. Directed by Richard Linklater, the cult classic comedy had an all-star cast, but at the time, fans did not know some of these names by heart like they do now. The movie revolved around a group of kids, both those who were going to be seniors in high school the following year and those who were going to be freshmen.

So where is the cast of the movie now?

Matthew McConaughey

Back in 1993, McConaughey had just graduated from the University of Texas and had not had any breakthrough roles. He was cast as David Wooderson in the now classic movie. As everyone on the planet knows, he has had one of the most successful acting careers ever. McConaughey’s most recent project was Sing 2 back in 2021. Recently, he has spent a lot of time in sports ownership, as he is an investor in the soccer team, Austin FC.

Ben Affleck

Another one of the household names that starred in Dazed and Confused is most certainly Ben Affleck, who took on the role of Fred O’Bannion. Much like McConaughey, he became a wildly successful actor. Recently, Affleck became Batman in the DC/Justice League movies. He has also starred in The Last Duel, The Tender Bar, and Deep Water. When not acting, Affleck still maintains a strong presence, thanks to his marriage to Jennifer Lopez, making him part one of the strongest celebrity power couples.

Jason London

One of the main characters in Dazed and Confused, Jason London was also just getting his acting career started when he was cast as Randall ‘Pink’ Floyd. London also played a major role in the 1995 comedy Mallrats. Since then, Jason has been married two separate times and has a daughter. It appears that London has somewhat taken a step back from acting, as his last two roles were in 2019. He was in Marriage Killer and Full Count that year but has not acted since. It appears he is spending quality time with his family.

Parker Posey

An actress who was starting to make herself known in Hollywood back in 1993, Parker Posey starred as Darla Marks. This was the start of what has turned out to be an incredible career for her. Recently, fans have been able to see Posey on the show Lost in Space, where she was the lead role of Dr. Smith. In 2022, she was in the television miniseries The Staircase and will be starring in the movie Beau is Afraid, which comes out later in 2023.

Milla Jovovich

Another young actress who made one of her first appearances on screen in Dazed and Confused was Milla Jovovich, starring as Michelle Burroughs. Much like the other people on this list, the film catapulted her career. She has been seen in a number of major movies, most recently in Monster Hunter, where she was cast in the role of Captain Natalie Artemis. Aside from acting, she also started a modeling career. She is also known for her role in the Resident Evil series as Alice, which spanned more than a decade, from 2002 all the way to 2016.

Wiley Wiggins

One of the youngest actors on set, Wiley Wiggins was cast in Dazed and Confused as Mitch Kramer. Just as with anyone, plans change from the time we are 16. It was no different for Wiggins. While he enjoyed acting, he has found a lot of love for deg video games. The most recent role Wiggins took on was in Social Animals back in 2018. He has even spent some time as a writer for different publications such as Mondo 2000, FringeWare Review, and Boing Boing. Even though his career might not have gone with acting, he has still had quite a successful career.

Joey Lauren Adams

One of the stars of the movie, Joey Lauren Adams started off her career being cast as Simone Kerr. Since then, she has not looked back and has snagged many roles in her productive career. One of her biggest roles came only a few years later, as she was cast as Alyssa Jones in the movie Chasing Amy. She earned many nominations for her job in this movie. Recently, Adams starred in the show Still the King and the 2022 movie Tankhouse, where she played the role of Deirdra. She has a role in the movie Providence, which does not have an exact release time yet.

Rory Cochrane

In only his fourth-ever appearance on screen, Rory Cochrane was cast in the role of Ron Slater in Dazed and Confused. This role helped Rory start his career, which has been quite wildly successful as well. Rory is most known for his role in the 2012 film Argo, when he starred alongside fellow Dazed and Confused actor Ben Affleck again. This role earned him multiple nominations for his acting ability. He also played a huge role in the television series CSI: Miami from 2002 to 2007 as Tim Speedle. Recently, Rory was in the 2022 film Tyson’s Run, in which he played Bobby Hollerman. He also was cast in the movie Antlers, in which he played Dan Lecroy.

Adam Goldberg

An actor who has had an amazing career, Adam Goldberg also used Dazed and Confused to burst onto the scene as Mike Newhouse. Ever since then, he has been in some of the biggest movies around, such as Zodiac, A Beautiful Mind, and Saving Private Ryan. Movies are not the only thing Goldberg has been in, as he has also had some roles in the biggest television shows such as Friends, Entourage, and Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Recently, Goldberg has been starring in the television series The Equalizer and has been cast in the movie The Georgetown Project, which will be released soon.

With Before Midnight about to hit theaters (check out our review), it is unsurprising that Richard Linklater is once more looking to the future and that future appears to include a sequel (of sorts) to his most iconic of films, Dazed and Confused. Linklater has been making plans to bring us a ‘spiritual sequel’ to Dazed and Confused for a while now – and he seems to be about to ready to shoot, saying that he hopes to start filming this fall. What ‘spiritual’ means, exactly, I’m not certain. I assume it means that we cannot expect the same characters many years on, but perhaps a ‘college comedy’ about the contemporary generation? Linklater says that he’d like to work with a big ensemble. Hmm. In other Linklater news – and attached to his thematics of growing pains – the director is preparing to finally finish the coming-of-age film Growing Up that he’s been shooting for the past 11 years. It’s a fascinating idea, actually: Linklater has been working with child star Ellar Salmon since 2002, when the kid was only six, shooting the film bit by bit each year as Salmon grew up. So we shall literally get a view of a child growing into a teenager. It’s a unique challenge for a director, but one that Linklater seems to have risen to. He seems quite happy with the results. Here’s what he said:

Believe it or not, every project is basically as designed. When people ask anything like what you said, of course. To me, film is all about structure and planning, and trying to get it exactly the way you’re thinking of it. The process was what it was about, so I’m not really surprised that it’s pretty much an exploration of what I thought it would be.

The film is a film, though, not a mini-series and will run at a feature-length time. There’s a lot we can expect from Richard Linklater in the next few years, then. Growing Up sounds noteworthy simply for the method he’s employed, whether or not it’s ultimately successful. And as for a Dazed and Confused sequel? That remains to be seen. Linklater has had good luck with his sequels so far. No reason to suspect he won’t keep that luck going.

2011 has been yet another impressive year for Blu-Ray. With each New Year comes Blu-Ray’s slow takeover as the dominant home video format. Market shares are increasing and awareness is increasing. 2011 gave way to classic titles making their first appearance on the high def format like Taxi Driver, Pulp Fiction, Star Wars, Jurassic Park and many many more. 2011 also marked for the introduction to 3D Blu-Ray; a technology that is still slowly catching on. As we’re drawing closer to the New Year, I’ve put together this list of my personal favorite Blu-Rays of 2011. I’ve broken them down into separate categories that I thought would help give the viewers a better idea of why I chose a particular disc. I must note that hundreds of Blu-Ray discs came out over the year and I wasn’t able to check out all of them, so this list shouldn’t act as the absolute list of 2011, but more so my personal selections of 2011. Best Picture Quality – The Tree of Life

Terrence Malick‘s incredibly bold film The Tree of Life is hands down the best looking Blu-Ray disc of 2011. It’s one of the most beautifully shot films of all-time and Fox transferred it to Blu-Ray without a single flaw. His use of nature and simple details of life to tell a story in a non-linear way might not be for everybody, but The Tree of Life‘s stunning imagery is worthy of celebration. The film features a wide array of color, from the dark and cold colors of space to the warm and bright colors of the O’Brien’s front yard. This is a reference disc that is sure to please anyone looking to take Blu-Ray to maximum capacity. Best Audio Quality – Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Michael Bay‘s latest Transformers flick might not have been a good quality movie, but it sure sounds amazing on Blu-Ray. The 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio mix is one of the best tracks ever released on Blu-Ray. Everything about the track is so loud, clear and pristine. The last hour specifically is the ultimate treat for any high def junkie, but even the films quieter moments impress. Dialogue is never a problem and environmental detail is extraordinary. Every single piece of broken glass can be heard as well as every piece of broken building towards the ending climax. The audio track is an all-out war of explosions and power. Best Animated Film – Rango While I didn’t particularly care for the film in general I think it’s hard to deny Rango this award. The film’s quality combined with the video and audio easily make it the best animated film released on Blu-Ray in 2011. The film itself sort of dragged in quality for a good half hour, but the natural detail is so sharp and colorful. Let it be noted that Rango is a Paramount release and not Disney, yet it looks just as good as any Pixar production. The characters are creatively designed and displayed with a realistic visual approach that adds detail like dirt, sweat and lifelike wear and tear. Rango holds up as one of Johnny Depp‘s better efforts and one of Paramount’s only films that can truly rival Disney and their Pixar films. Best Catalog Release – Pulp Fiction The film that we’ve all been waiting for has finally hit Blu-Ray. Pulp Fiction easily wins as best catalog release of 2011. For those of you that don’t know catalog release simply means a title that was previously available to own on a past format like DVD or VHS. Lionsgate gives Quentin Tarantino‘s cult-classic the utmost respect when they transferred it over to Blu-Ray. The disc is loaded with detailed special features and it looks and sounds better than ever. Watching the film on Blu-Ray was like watching it for the first time all over again and it still holds up as one of the best films ever made. Best Box Set – Jurassic Park

I might take some heat for not picking Star Wars for this category, but I honestly thought Universal’s release of the Jurassic Park trilogy was far superior to Fox releasing George Lucas‘ epic sci-fi trilogy (and their horrible prequels). Star Wars fumbled onto Blu-Ray with new butchered cuts by Lucas. The theatrical cuts were nowhere to be found, which made the disc go from great to good. The video, audio and special features for the Star Wars package were good, but the lack of the original cuts made it become something already in need of a double dip. The Jurassic Park trilogy on the other hand comes with all three films and a wide array of special features, including a never before seen six part documentary. Each film looks better than ever with full 1080p video transfers and the 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks are all full of range and detailed effects. The first film still remains the best of the series, but I think the second one holds up well while the third feels a little too warn out and tired. Watching this trilogy set on Blu-Ray brought back the kid in me who was awed by Steven Spielberg‘s entries in the series. The dated special effects hold up well with the universal stories being told. Best Replay Value – Take Me Home Tonight This category is reserved for a personal favorite film of mine from 2011. Michael Dowse‘s Take Me Home Tonight had a long bumpy road trying to get a theatrical release, but in 2011 that goal was finally achieved. I still think the film is one of the most entertaining films of the year despite its imitation of classic films like American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused. Topher Grace, Dan Fogler and Teresa Palmer all provide funny, yet down to earth performances in this coming-of-age story set in the 80’s. The Blu-Ray disc features a grainy video transfer that replicates the film experience and a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track that rocks due to the film’s great soundtrack. I’ve probably watched the film on Blu-Ray over 10 times, including all of the special features. It’s one of the most overlooked films of 2011 and I’m glad the Blu-Ray disc is such a winner. Best 3D Blu-Ray Release – TRON: Legacy Like I mentioned above, 2011 marks for the release of Blu-Ray 3D on the home video format. Until this year only a few titles got 3D treatment and most were “fake” 3D. Disney started to pump out classic titles like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast while Paramount and Sony jumped on the bandwagon with The Smurfs and How to Train Your Dragon. The biggest 3D release, Avatar, has still yet to receive a wide 3D release (it can be purchased with specific 3D Blu-Ray player bundles). Each and every studio started releasing their library in hopes to capitalize on this latest 3D craze and I found one particular title to be the best one in of 3D video, 2D video and audio. Disney’s live-action TRON: Legacy is a dark visual treat for 3D fans. The 3D transfer contains tons of depth and impressively rendered special effects that make the disc worthy of a purchase. The film might have been a stinker in theaters, but the experience it provided cannot be ignored. It took the 3D craze and turned it on itself providing you with a world of dark colors and a base heavy techno score. TRON impressed me because it managed to go in the opposite direction of Avatar in of visuals, which provided it with a unique set of visuals I’ve only ever seen once before in the original TRON. Everything was dark and lifeless in the high-tech futuristic world of s and programs. The 3D Blu-Ray perfectly represents the theatrical experience of the film with a layered 3D transfer, a sharply slick 2D transfer and an absorbent 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track.

2011 was without a doubt one hell of a year for Blu-Ray technology. Traditional 2D films have been equally selling when compared to their DVD counterparts and 3D combo packs have been slowly making a dent. With the slow decline in theater revenue the home video market has been flourishing and it’s great to see every day buyers invest in Blu-Ray. There’s been hundreds of worthy titles released on Blu-Ray both classics and new releases and the continued success will only mean more for the future. I wish I could cover every Blu-Ray disc that I really enjoyed, but there are just too many out there. I’d like to close my article mentioning a few more titles that are worthy of viewing. Titles like The Social Network, Attack the Block, Source Code, Fast Five, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and X-Men: First Class were all great films that received great Blu-Ray transfers in 2011. They might not have been named best PQ or AQ in my book, but the films themselves are really good and the Blu-Ray packages are top quality. Here’s to the great job studios did on 2011 Blu-Ray titles (even though they messed up a fair share of titles too) and here’s to 2012 and what Blu-Ray titles it brings for us! I’m personally looking forward to the Indiana Jones collection and more Alfred Hitchcock titles. I’m sure we’ll see even more noteworthy titles released in 2012 as the format slowly settles in for the long haul!