Scoot McNairy

American actor (born 1977)

Scoot McNairy

McNairy at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival

Born|

John McNairy

(1977-11-11) November 11, 1977 (age 47)

Dallas, Texas, U.S.

Occupations|

* Actor
* film producer

Years active| 2001–present
Spouse|

Whitney Able

(m. 2010; div. 2019)​

Children| 2

John "Scoot" McNairy (born November 11, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in films such as Monsters (2010), Argo, Killing Them Softly (both 2012), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Speak No Evil, and Nightbitch (both 2024).[1]

On television, McNairy starred as Gordon Clark in the AMC period drama Halt and Catch Fire (2014–2017), Bill McNue in the Netflix miniseries Godless (2017), Walt Breslin on Netflix's Narcos: Mexico (2018–2021), Tom Purcell on the third season of True Detective (2019), and Rod Rosenstein in the Showtime miniseries The Comey Rule (2020). His accolades include an Independent Spirit Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as an International Emmy Award nomination for Narcos: Mexico.

## Early life

[edit]

McNairy was born in Dallas, Texas. In addition to a house in Dallas, the family had a ranch in rural Paris, Texas, where they spent time on weekends and holidays.[2][3] Growing up, he did theater in after-school programs.[4] His father began calling him Scooter when he was about two years old. "A lot of people are like, oh, it must be some amazing story. But it's because I used to scoot around on my butt", says McNairy.[5]

McNairy has stated that he is "highly dyslexic" and that he had to "go to dyslexia school for four years." He describes himself as a visual learner and was attracted to films for that reason.[6] McNairy attended Lake Highlands High School.[7]

## Career

[edit]

### Actor

[edit]

McNairy moved to Austin, Texas, when he was 18 to attend the University of Texas at Austin.[8] In 2001, he appeared in Wrong Numbers, written and directed by Alex Holdridge, which won the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival.[3] Holdridge was hired to remake Wrong Numbers into a studio picture, which was never made.[5] Interested in cinematography and photography, McNairy moved to Los Angeles to go to film school.[3] He attended for a year,[9] then dropped out and began working in film production, doing carpentry and building film sets. He then worked as an extra before eventually securing a consistent job in more than 200 TV commercials. He eventually was offered roles in feature films, a career he has been pursuing since 2001.[4][10]

During the early 2000s, McNairy portrayed colorful and individualistic young men with a rebellious edge. He had small parts in films, including Wonderland, Herbie: Fully Loaded, and Art School Confidential. 2010 saw the release of the alien invader film Monsters by Gareth Edwards, in which McNairy starred and featured largely improvised dialogue and was shot in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Texas.[11][12][13]

In 2012, McNairy played Frankie in director Andrew Dominik's film Killing Them Softly opposite Brad Pitt.[14] This led to a string of high-profile roles, including Ben Affleck's Argo,[2] Gus Van Sant's Promised Land, and Lynn Shelton's Touchy Feely opposite Rosemarie DeWitt.[15] For his role as Joe Stafford in Argo, he studied Persian, which he spoke in his final monologue in the film.[16] In 2013, he appeared in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave, which again included Pitt. McNairy filmed his second movie with Michael Fassbender, Leonard Abrahamson's Frank, and co-starred in Jaume Collet-Serra's Non-Stop, opposite Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore.[16]

He appears in David Michod's The Rover opposite Robert Pattinson and Guy Pearce. McNairy starred as computer engineer and internet pioneer Gordon Clark in the AMC Network drama Halt and Catch Fire, about the personal computer business in the 1980s and 1990s.[17][18] The series ran for four seasons from 2014 to 2017 to high critical acclaim.[19] By coincidence, his character's wife in Halt and Catch Fire is portrayed by actor Kerry Bishé, who also played his spouse in Argo. McNairy played Wallace Keefe in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.[20] In September 2016, McNairy was announced as a cast member in the third season of the FX drama Fargo.[21]

In 2017, McNairy played crime boss Novak in the crime drama Sleepless and returned to television when he co-starred in the Netflix western-miniseries Godless as shortsighted sheriff Bill McNue. Since 2018, he has also portrayed DEA Agent Walt Breslin on Netflix's Narcos: Mexico. He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of troubled father Tom Purcell in the third season of True Detective in 2019.[22]

McNairy next appeared in Taurus, alongside Machine Gun Kelly (who also co-wrote the script) and Megan Fox, which premiered at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival.[23] He also reunited with Andrew Dominik in the 2022 film Blonde, an adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates's historical fiction novel that chronicles the inner life of Marilyn Monroe. In 2022, McNairy also starred in the Netflix mystery film Luckiest Girl Alive and the live-action/animated hybrid musical comedy Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile.[24] Additionally, he voiced a character in AMC's animated series Pantheon.[25]

McNairy portrayed folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie in the 2024 Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, which starred Timothée Chalamet.[26]

As of July 2022, McNairy is filming the drama The Line.[27] He will star in the film Fairyland, which concluded production in June 2022. In February 2022, it was announced that McNairy would star alongside Michael Shannon, Emilia Clarke and Dane DeHaan in an upcoming Joseph McCarthy biopic.[28] In May 2022, he reportedly joined Jack Reynor and Emily Browning in psychological thriller Brightwater.[29] That same month, McNairy was announced as part of the cast for Blood for Dust, an action thriller, also including Kit Harington and Josh Lucas.[30] A month later, McNairy also joined Amy Adams in Marielle Heller's Nightbitch.[31] Filming is set to start in September 2022. As of July 2023, McNairy is set to be in the upcoming third season of the Amazon Prime series Invincible.

### Producer

[edit]

McNairy worked as producer for 2007's In Search of a Midnight Kiss, in which he also starred and which is referred to as his breakout film.[32][33] He has worked on a number of other projects as an actor and producer, including 2012's A Night in the Woods; and Angry White Man, Dragon Day, and The Off Hours, all released in 2011.[15]

### Other work

[edit]

* In 2002, McNairy appeared in the music video for Death Cab for Cutie's "A Movie Script Ending".
* In 2006, McNairy appeared in the music video for "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor, directed by McNairy's friend Marc Webb.[6]
* In 2007, McNairy appeared in the BookShorts film for JPod by Douglas Coupland, incorrectly credited as "Scoot McNally".[34]

## Personal life

[edit]

McNairy married actress Whitney Able in 2010. They initially started dating in Los Angeles about six months before co-starring in Monsters.[35] They have two children.[36] On November 19, 2019, Able announced that they had divorced.[37] He is currently in a relationship with actress Sosie Bacon.[38]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2001  | Wrong Numbers | Russell  |  |
2002  | Plugged In | Raver Kid #1  | Short film  |
2003  | Sexless | Ryan  |  |
Wonderland | Jack  |  |
Silenced | Friend #1  | Short film  |
2004  | D.E.B.S. | Stoner  |  |
White Men in Seminole Flats | Dale  | Short film  |
Sleepover | DJ at Club  |  |
2005  | Herbie: Fully Loaded | Augie  |  |
2006  | Marcus | Charles  |  |
Art School Confidential | Army-Jacket  |  |
Bobby | Beatnik  |  |
The Shadow Effect | Harold Grey  | Short film  |
Mr. Fix It | Dan  |  |
2007  | In Search of a Midnight Kiss | Wilson  | Also producer  |
Blind Man | Sparky Collins  |  |
2008  | Wednesday Again | Peter  |  |
2009  | Shipping and Receiving | Steve Porter  | Short film  |
Cop Out | Mike Singbush  |
The Resurrection of Officer Rollins | Shooter  |
Mr. Sadman | Stevie  |  |
2010  | Wreckage | Frank Jeffries  |  |
Everything Will Happen Before You Die | Matt  |  |
Monsters | Andrew Kaulder  |  |
Wes and Ella | Wes  |  |
2011  | Amor Fati | Teddy  | Short film  |
The Off Hours | Corey  |  |
A Night in the Woods | Brody Cartwright  |  |
Angry White Man | Walt  |  |
2012  | Killing Them Softly | Frankie  |  |
Argo | Joe Stafford  |  |
Promised Land | Jeff Dennon  |  |
Please, Alfonso | —  | Producer only  |
2013  | Straight A's | —  |
Touchy Feely | Jesse  |  |
Dragon Day | Phil  |  |
12 Years a Slave | Merrill Brown  |  |
2014  | Non-Stop | Tom Bowen  |  |
All Hail the King | Jackson Norriss  | Short film  |
The Rover | Henry  |  |
Frank | Don  |  |
Gone Girl | Tommy  |  |
Black Sea | Daniels  |  |
The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest | Mark DeFriest  | Voice; documentary  |
2015  | Lamb | Jesse  |  |
Our Brand Is Crisis | Rich  |  |
Frank and Cindy | —  | Producer only  |
2016  | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | Wallace Keefe  |  |
2017  | Sleepless | Rob Novak  |  |
Aftermath | Jacob "Jake" Bonanos  |  |
War Machine | Sean Cullen  |  |
2018  | The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter | Greg  |  |
Destroyer | Ethan  |  |
2019  | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Business Bob Gilbert  |  |
The Parts You Lose | Ronnie  |  |
2020  | A Quiet Place Part II | Marina Man  | Cameo  |
2021  | C'mon C'mon | Paul  |  |
2022  | Taurus | Ray  |  |
Blonde | Tommy "Tom" Ewell / Richard Sherman  |  |
Luckiest Girl Alive | Andrew Larson  |  |
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile | Mr. Primm  |  |
2023  | Fairyland | Steve Abbott  |  |
The Line | Detective  |  |
Blood for Dust | Cliff  |  |
2024  | Nightbitch | Husband  |  |
Speak No Evil | Ben Dalton  |  |
A Complete Unknown | Woody Guthrie |  |
2025  | East of Wall | Roy Waters  |  |
TBA  | The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd | TBA | Filming

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2004  | Good Girls Don't... | Henry  | Episode: "My Best Friend Is a Big Fat Slut"  |
2005  | Six Feet Under | Trevor  | Episode: "All Alone"  |
Close to Home | T.J.  | Episode: "Meth Murders"  |
2006  | More, Patience | Jake  | Television film  |
Murder 101 | Panache  |
Jake in Progress | Dean Thomas Stilton  | Episodes: "Eyebrow Girl vs. Smirk Face", "The Hot One"  |
2007  | How I Met Your Mother | Fast Food Worker  | Episode: "Something Blue"  |
2007–2011  | Bones | Noel Liftin  | Episodes: "The Secret in the Soil", "The Man in the Outhouse", "The Daredevil in the Mold"  |
2008  | Murder 101: New Age | Panache  | Television film  |
The Shield | Doug Obermyer  | Episode: "Snitch"  |
My Name Is Earl | Bed Bug  | Episode: "Quit Your Snitchin'"  |
Eleventh Hour | Rudy Callistro  | Episode: "Surge"  |
2009  | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Vitas Long  | Episode: "Lover's Lanes"  |
2011  | The Whole Truth | Larry Thompson  | Episode: "Lost in Translation"  |
2013–2015  | Axe Cop | Scoot / Sun Thief  | Voice; 3 episodes  |
2014–2017  | Halt and Catch Fire | Gordon Clark  | Main role (40 episodes)  |
2017  | Fargo | Maurice LeFay  | Season 3 (2 episodes)  |
Godless | Bill McNue  | Miniseries (7 episodes)  |
2018–2021  | Narcos: Mexico | D.E.A Special Agent Walt Breslin  | 20 episodes  |
2019  | True Detective | Tom Purcell  | Season 3 (8 episodes)  |
2020  | Love Life | Bradley Field  | 2 episodes  |
The Comey Rule | Rod Rosenstein | Miniseries (2 episodes)  |
2022–2023  | Pantheon | Cody Lowell, Kurt  | Voice; 9 episodes  |
2023  | Invincible | King Lizard  | Season 2; voice[39] |

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Association  | Year  | Category  | Work  | Result  | Ref(s)

|
|
|
|
|

British Independent Film Awards | 2010 | Best Actor | Monsters | Nominated  | [40]
Georgia Film Critics Association Awards | 2013  | Breakthrough Award  | Argo, Killing Them Softly and Promised Land | Nominated  | [41]
Best Ensemble  | Argo | Nominated
2014  | Best Ensemble  | 12 Years a Slave | Nominated  | [42]
Hamptons International Film Festival Awards | 2012  | Variety's Ten Actors to Watch  | Killing Them Softly | Won  | [43]
Hollywood Film Awards | 2012  | Ensemble of the Year  | Argo | Won  | [44]
Independent Spirit Awards | 2009 | John Cassavetes Award | In Search of a Midnight Kiss | Won  | [45]
International Emmy Awards | 2022 | Best Actor | Narcos: Mexico | Nominated  | [46]
Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards | 2012  | Ensemble Cast Award  | Argo | Won  | [47]
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards | 2012 | Best Performance by an Ensemble | Argo | Nominated  | [48]
2013 | Best Performance by an Ensemble | 12 Years a Slave | Nominated  | [49]
Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2013 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Argo | Won  | [50]
2014 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | 12 Years a Slave | Nominated  | [51]
2024 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | A Complete Unknown | Nominated  | [52]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Scoot McNairy | Actor, Producer, Soundtrack". IMDb. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
2. ^ a b Sperling, Nicole (September 8, 2012). "Toronto International Film Festival: Actor Scoot McNairy is on a roll with multiple roles". L.A. Times. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
3. ^ a b c Campion, Freddie (October 2, 2012). "One to Watch: Mr Scoot McNairy". Mr Porter. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
4. ^ a b Creeden, Molly (November 28, 2012). "Breaking Out: Scoot McNairy in Killing Them Softly". Vogue. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
5. ^ a b Boursaw, Jane (September 8, 2008). "Exclusive: Interview with Scoot McNairy of "In Search of a Midnight Kiss" – Video". Every Joe. Defy Media, LLC. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
6. ^ a b Herman, James Patrick (November 29, 2012). "Meet Mr. Right Now...Scoot McNairy". Verge. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
7. ^ "Watch LH grad Scoot McNairy in AMC's new drama". The Lake Highlands Advocate. June 3, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
8. ^ Baumgarten, Marjorie (November 30, 2012). "From the Vaults: Scoot McNairy's Splendid Year". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
9. ^ Doperalski, Dan (October 3, 2012). "10 Actors to Watch 2012: Scoot McNairy / McNairy: 'Softly' star gets chance to shine". Variety. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
10. ^ Aguirre, Abby (January 2, 2013). "Asked & Answered | Scoot McNairy". New York Times. T-Magazine. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
11. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (October 28, 2010). "Alien Invaders, Earthling Romance". New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
12. ^ Kohn, Eric (October 13, 2010). "Making Movies With Laptops and Ingenuity". New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
13. ^ "SXSW 2010: Exclusive – Scoot McNairy on 'Monsters'". Fear.net. March 18, 2010. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
14. ^ Lim, Dennis (September 6, 2012). "Illuminating Performances: Breakout Actors of the New Season – Scoot McNairy". New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
15. ^ a b Osenlund, R. Kurt (September 6, 2013). "Scoot McNairy Has Worked with Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Michael Fassbender. So Why Don't You Know His Name Yet?". Indiewire. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
16. ^ a b Ferguson, Deborah (December 15, 2012). "Scoot McNairy". contentMode. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
17. ^ Weisman, Jon (March 4, 2012). "Scoot McNairy Joins AMC Pilot 'Halt'". Variety. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
18. ^ Marechal, AJ (July 26, 2013). "TCA: AMC Orders 'Halt and Catch Fire' and 'Turn' to Series". Variety. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
19. ^ Halt and Catch Fire, retrieved June 26, 2020
20. ^ "Batman V. Superman May Be More Insanely Depressing Than We Suspected". io9. August 28, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
21. ^ Stolworthy, Jacob (September 20, 2016). "Fargo season 3 adds Scoot McNairy to its most impressive cast list yet". The Independent.
22. ^ "'True Detective' season 3: From a pitiful middle-aged man to a brave gun-toting dad, Tom Purcell has come a long way". February 15, 2019.
23. ^ Roxborough, Scott (December 15, 2021). "Berlin Announces First Films for 2022 Including Titles With Isabelle Huppert and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau". The Hollywood Reporter.
24. ^ Vlessing, Etan (June 6, 2022). "Emilia Jones, Scoot McNairy Star in 'Fairyland' Adaptation for American Zoetrope". The Hollywood Reporter.
25. ^ Thorne, Will (August 7, 2020). "Daniel Dae Kim, Katie Chang and Scoot McNairy Board AMC Animated Drama 'Pantheon'". Variety.
26. ^ Kramer, Gary M. (January 2, 2025). ""A Complete Unknown" actor Scoot McNairy talks playing Woody Guthrie "with no guardrails"". Salon.
27. ^ Hipes, Patrick (March 26, 2019). "Alex Wolff To Star In Thriller 'The Line'; John Malkovich, Scoot McNairy Also Aboard". Deadline Hollywood.
28. ^ Ritman, Alex (February 7, 2022). "Michael Shannon's Joseph McCarthy Biopic Sells Globally Ahead of European Film Market". The Hollywood Reporter.
29. ^ Marc, Christopher (May 9, 2022). "'Brightwater': Scoot McNairy, Jack Reynor & Emily Browning To Star In Lance Edmands' Psychological Thriller". The Playlist.
30. ^ Lang, Brent (May 21, 2022). "Scoot McNairy, Kit Harington, Josh Lucas Starring in 'Blood For Dust'". Variety.
31. ^ Donnelly, Matt (June 27, 2022). "Scoot McNairy Joins Amy Adams in 'Nightbitch'". Variety.
32. ^ Dargis, Manohla (August 1, 2008). "Hopeful Misanthrope Seeks Same". New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
33. ^ "Lost and Found". New York Times. August 1, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
34. ^ BookShorts Film: JPod by Douglas Coupland, retrieved September 21, 2022
35. ^ Smith, Krista (October 19, 2012). "Whitney Able & Scoot McNairy on "Monsters"" (video). Vanity Fair. Condé Nast. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
36. ^ "S11E1108: Trey Galyon, Scoot McNairy, Alex Diamond and Raul Sanchez guest". Doug Loves Movies. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
37. ^ Stone, Natalie (November 20, 2019). "Halt and Catch Fire's Scoot McNairy and Actress Whitney Able Divorce After 9 Years of Marriage". People. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
38. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
39. ^ "Invincible Season 2: Release Date, Trailer, Cast & More". Retrieved September 11, 2023.
40. ^ "2010 British Independent Film Awards Winners and Nominees". BIFA. October 24, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
41. ^ "2012 Awards". Georgia Film Critics Association. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
42. ^ "2013 Awards". Georgia Film Critics Association. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
43. ^ "Variety reveals 10 Actors to Watch". Variety. August 24, 2012. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
44. ^ King, Susan (October 3, 2012). "'Argo' cast to be celebrated at Hollywood Film Awards". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
45. ^ "37 Years of Nominees & Winners, 1986–2022" (PDF). Film Independent. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
46. ^ Yossman, K.J. (September 29, 2022). "International Emmys 2022: The Complete Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
47. ^ Hanna, Beth (December 5, 2012). "Palm Springs Int'l Film Festival Honors 'Argo' with Ensemble Performance Award". IndieWire. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
48. ^ "San Diego Film Critics Nominate Top Films for 2012". San Diego Film Critics Society. December 9, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
49. ^ "San Diego Film Critics Nominate Top Films for 2013". San Diego Film Critics Society. December 10, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
50. ^ "The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
51. ^ "The 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
52. ^ "Nominations Announced for the 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards". sagawards.org. Retrieved January 10, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scoot McNairy.

* Scoot McNairy at IMDb

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National|

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Artists|

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*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced
*[TBA]: To be announced
*[Ref(s)]: Reference(s)