Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He became widely known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015), for which he received the Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy and was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Following the end of Parks and Recreation, Offerman appeared in the second season of the FX dark comedy-drama series Fargo (2015), for which he received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries. He also portrayed McDonald's co-founder Richard McDonald in The Founder (2016) and began co-hosting the NBC reality competition series Making It (2018–present) with Amy Poehler; the duo received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program. Offerman's other work includes executive producing and starring in the film The House of Tomorrow (2017). He voiced Agent Powers on Gravity Falls (2012–2016) and has provided voice acting work for The Lego Movie franchise (2014–present), Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), Ice Age: Collision Course (2016), and the Sing film franchise (2016–present). He also hosted Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics (2020). He starred as Bill in the acclaimed third episode of the HBO series The Last of Us (2023), with some critics naming it potentially the best performance of his career. Early life Nicholas David Offerman was born in Joliet, Illinois, on June 26, 1970, the son of nurse Cathy (née Roberts) and social studies teacher Ric Offerman. His father taught at a high school in Channahon. Offerman was raised Catholic in nearby Minooka, where he attended Minooka Community High School. He received a BFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1993. That year, he and a group of fellow students co-founded the Chicago theatre company Defiant Theatre. Career Acting Offerman lived in Chicago in the mid-1990s, where he participated with theater companies such as Steppenwolf, Goodman, and Wisdom Bridge. At Steppenwolf, he also worked as a fight choreographer and master carpenter. During this time, Offerman became acquainted with Amy Poehler, who was heavily involved with the Chicago improv comedy scene. In 2003, he married Will & Grace actress Megan Mullally. Offerman has also appeared on her talk show, The Megan Mullally Show. At the same time, he