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We have tragic news out of Hollywood today, as beloved actor Nicky Katt has passed away unexpectedly.

Over the course of his lengthy career, Katt worked with some of the industry’s most acclaimed directors, including Richard Linklater, Steven Soderbergh, Christopher Nolan, Robert Rodriguez, and David Gordon Green.

He is perhaps best known for the role of Clint Bruno, the violent partygoer who pummels Adam Goldberg’s character in the 1993 cult classic Dazed and Confused.

A brilliant career cut short

Born in South Dakota in 1970, Katt made his way to Hollywood at a very young age.

After beginning his career as a child star with roles on TV shows like Fantasy Island and Chips, Katt transitioned into more mature projects.

His impressive list of credits includes well-received films such as Boiler Room, Sin City, A Time to Kill, The Way of the Gun, SubUrbia, Insomnia, and School of Rock.

In Dazed, Katt starred alongside a veritable who’s who of young talents who would go on to achieve big things.

Katt was on set alongside such future luminaries as Matthew McConaughey, Cole Hauser, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, and Parker Posey.

He later returned to television, where he starred in the first three seasons of the beloved Fox drama Boston Public.

Nicky Katt’s cause of death

At the moment, details about Katt’s passing are hard to come by.

After noting that it can be difficult to confirm such tragic news on a weekend, Deadline reported that Katt does appear to have passed away, but the cause of his death is currently unclear.

Katt’s talent as a character actor is evident in the loving tributes that began appearing on social media shortly after news of his passing went public.

“Holy sh-t. I was just talking to friends a few weeks ago how much I loved Nicky Katt. RIP to a real one,” one fan tweeted.

“Nicky Katt should’ve/could’ve been 2010’s Walton Goggins. Phenomenal in everything from Boston Public to Planet Terror. RIP,” film critic Barry Hertz added.

“RIP Nicky Katt. Even with limited screen time this is the most realistic bad kid/bully performance I’ve seen in a movie,” a third user wrote, alongside a photo of Katt in Dazed and Confused.

We’d like to add our voice to the chorus of those paying tribute to this one-of-a-kind talent.

Our thoughts go out to Nicky Katt’s loved ones during this enormously difficult time.