Nicholas Kadi, born Nameer El-Kadi, is a classically trained New York stage actor who initially gained recognition in Hollywood as Gaw, one of the lead cavemen in the Academy Award-winning prehistoric epic "Quest For Fire". He began his career with the New York Children's Theater and went on to work extensively at La MaMa E.T.C. in New York, where he taught movement for actors and appeared in numerous productions.
In Los Angeles, he performed at the Ahmanson theater and was a member of the Laurel Grove Acting Company. Kadi's film and television credits showcase his versatility, as he has portrayed characters from various nationalities, including Palestinian in "Navy Seals" (1990),Russian in "Murder, She Wrote" (1984),Greek in "Perfect Strangers", and French in "Glee" (2009).
As an alumnus of the prestigious Decroux mime studio in Paris, Kadi utilized his movement skills to great acclaim, donning an animatronic gorilla suit as "Ape" in "George of the Jungle" (1997) and continuing his work in "Congo" (1995). He also lent his voice to a marmot and a marmoset in two episodes of "The Wild Thornberrys" (1998).
Kadi played a key role in the development of the Henson Company's motion capture system, combining puppetry with technology. He worked as a puppeteer in "Dr. Dolittle 2" (2001) and "Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge" (2014). As a motion capture artist, Kadi appeared as a toy soldier in "Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King" (2006).
During the filming of "Quest for Fire" (1981) in Scotland, Kadi suffered an injury. He later married Brenda Lyon, the unit nurse who cared for him, just three weeks after they met. The couple has a daughter named Meghan.
