‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Nick Cascone Has Secret Past as Actor in ‘Titanic,’ ‘ER,’ ‘West Wing’ & More
Jeopardy!‘s latest Tournament of Champions qualifying contestant has a surprise acting past, having appeared in several films and television shows, including the mega-hit movie Titanic.
Nick Cascone, an orthopedic physician assistant originally from Queens, New York, earned a spot in the upcoming Tournament of Champions after triumphing in the first-ever Champions Wildcard competition. But some fans are only now learning about his impressive acting career, a subject that never came up during his recent stint on the show.
According to Cascone’s LinkedIn page, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting in 1986 from Purchase College, State University of New York, and soon after embarked on a career on-screen.
Performing under the name Nicholas Cascone, the recent Jeopardy! champ had early credits in classic TV series such as Matlock, Highway to Heaven, My Sister Sam, Moonlighting, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Hey hey here’s Nick Cascone in Titanic!#Jeopardy pic.twitter.com/3yUBwOX9ZP
— Anything I Watch (@AnythingIwatch) March 22, 2021
His acting career continued throughout the 1990s, appearing in shows like L.A. Law, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Marshal, ER, and The West Wing. He also had several movie credits, including Mr. Baseball, Eye For an Eye, Up Close and Personal, Nightwatch, and Murder In Mind.
But perhaps his most recognizable role came in James Cameron‘s Titanic, where he played Bobby Buell, one of the members of Brock Lovett’s search crew. He only appears in a few scenes and is mostly seen listening to Rose’s stories.
From left, Bill Paxton as Brock Lovett, Gloria Stuart as Rose Calvert, Suzy Amis as Lizzy Calvert and Nicholas Cascone as Bobby Buell in Titanic / CBS via Getty Images
“I can’t believe Nick has been on this many episodes of #Jeopardy and no one has asked him about his role in Titanic,” wrote one viewer on X (formerly Twitter).
However, as Cascone himself pointed out, he had once mentioned his Titanic role back when he first appeared on the show in Season 37, when the show was in its guest hosts era.
“Talked about it in the only game I lost so far, back in 2021 with Dr Oz. Bad luck to bring up a disaster?” Cascone replied to the tweet.
Talked about it in the only game I lost so far, back in 2021 with Dr Oz. Bad luck to bring up a disaster?
— Nicholas Cascone (@njcascone) November 28, 2023
“I kept telling my wife that Nick reminded me of some character actor. Then, after a bit of Googling, I discover that he *is* that character actor! And, apparently, a physicians assistant, too?! Wow!” added another fan.
I kept telling my wife that Nick reminded me of some character actor. Then, after a bit of Googling, I discover that he *is* that character actor! And, apparently, a physicians assistant, too?! Wow!
— Damian Synadinos (@dsynadinos) November 29, 2023
Cascone’s acting career continued into the early 2000s with minor roles in the TV series Philly, Charmed, The Division, Without A Trace, and Drake & Josh, in addition to the movies Dragonfly, Undisputed, and Welcome to the Neighborhood. His final acting credit was in Jason Bateman‘s short-lived 2006 sitcom The Jake Effect.
After leaving the world of acting, Cascone earned his Physician Assistant Bachelor of Science from Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science and started a career in healthcare. He now works as a physician assistant in the Los Angeles, California, area.
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