Nicholas Chavez — things you didn't know about the actor

Nicholas Chavez is an American TV and film actor, best known for his role in the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital. 

He's currently a trending name thanks to his performance in Netflix streaming sensation Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

Nicholas plays the titular Lyle Menendez in Ryan Murphy's anthology series, which tells the real-life story of two American brothers who brutally murdered their parents back in August 1989. His co star Cooper Koch plays Erik Menendez.

He may be only 25-years-old, but Nicholas has packed a lot into his young life. Here are a few interesting facts you may not know about him.

Nicholas Chavez was a sporty kid

Nicholas Alexander Chavez was born on September 6, 1999 in Houston, Texas.

He originally lived in Sugar Land, Texas but relocated to Denver, Colorado aged five. Nicholas has three younger half-siblings.

Growing up in Denver, Nicholas spent a lot of time outside. 

"I came from a big footballing family," he revealed to Daily Drama. "Everyone played, so they made sure I was going to play too. But it was completely the wrong fit for me, even though I enjoyed it."

As well as football, Nicholas also spent his free time snowboarding, hiking and mountain biking.

He discovered acting through debating

Nicholas got into performing as a youngster and was a member of the Colorado Children's Chorale, performing in venues such as Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

Acting entered his sphere when he was a pupil at Denver East High School. Nicholas joined the speech and debate team, which he describes as being like "competitive acting". 

His talent was spotted by drama teacher Matt Murphy, who recruited him to play the lead Atticus Finch in the school's production of "To Kill a Mockingbird". 

From then on there was no looking back. Nicholas continued his training at the Visionbox Student Theater and the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers.

He stayed there for two years before moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting as a full-time career.

He's an Emmy Award winner

Nicholas's big break came in 2021 when he cast to play Spencer Cassadine in the popular American daytime soap, General Hospital. 

Speaking about the audition process to JLJ Media, Nicholas said: "It was absolutely terrifying, I had never done a screen test for a role before. I had gone straight from submitting a million self-tapes to screen testing for the executive producer of ABC."

Spencer proved to be a huge hit with the viewers and earned Nicholas the 2022 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Performer in a Drama Series.

The actor completed his three-year contract with the show before Spencer's on-screen exit in January 2024.

He's dating a fellow actor

Bad news for Nicholas admirers — he's totally loved up with girlfriend Victoria Abbott, an actress who hails from Nebraska. 

The 23-year old first appeared in a Disney Infinity commercial when she was in eighth grade and has gone on to appear in a string of music videos.

Nicholas and Victoria recently celebrated her birthday with a romantic holiday to Italy. The smitten couple visited Rome and Vatican City, Florence and the stunning seaside resort of Amalfi.

They documented their trip on their respective social accounts. Victoria posted a carousel of highlights, with the caption "Two lovers in Italy". Aww!

He's a self-confessed chess nerd

Nicholas loves nothing more than a good old game of chess — which came in handy during his filming breaks for General Hospital. 

Speaking to Soap Hub in 2021, he said: "I’m a chess nerd and there are a few other cast members that play as well. Marcus (Coloma, who played Nikolas Cassadine) and  I play all the time.

"I read an article…where he talked about how often we play chess. Thankfully, he failed to mention how often he beats me!" 

Nicholas also revealed he binge-watched The Queen's Gambit, which chess features heavily in, and found the series "captivating".

He's a man in demand

Nicholas's performance in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story clearly made a lasting impression with co-creator Ryan Murphy.

So much so that he offered Nicholas a role in his next project, Grotesquerie. In the upcoming horror drama, which is scheduled to premiere on September 25, Nicholas plays the part of Father Charlie.

Speaking on the red carpet for the Monsters premiere, Nicholas revealed what drew him to the project:

"I think it was Ryan's enthusiasm," he explained. 

"He is so excited about Grotesquerie, as am I. It was an incredible show to work on, so much fun. When Ryan called I was ecstatic, I was still working with him on Monsters and I was overjoyed that he wanted to give me another opportunity to play an interesting character in one of his worlds."

Nicholas uses meditation to stay grounded

Nicholas's star is definitely in ascendency right now, but he's determined to keep his feet on the ground.

"It's really important for me, personally, that I have guideposts I can turn to," he shared during a chat with podcaster Steven Cuoco. 

"Meditation is a really great one. I listen to music all the time, that kind of helps me to reset and process my feelings. I write a lot. Going out in nature helps too. Ultimately it's important to get present, however you do that, and you can usually figure out what's the next best thing to do."

We think the future is looking very bright for Nicholas.

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