Nathan Fielder, whose full name is Nathan Joseph Fielder, was born on May 12, 1983, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, director, television producer, and filmmaker. He is the co-creator and host of Nathan for You (2013–2017) and the creator of the HBO series The Rehearsal (2022–present). He also co-created The Curse (2023–2024) with Benny Safdie and starred in the series alongside Emma Stone. His television work combines scripted situations, interactions with real people, documentary techniques, and comedy based on awkward social encounters. In 2026, he received a Peabody Award as part of the production team behind the second season of The Rehearsal. That same year, he made his feature-length directorial debut with You Can See Everything, a documentary about convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, co-directed with Lance Oppenheim.

Early Life and Family

Nathan Fielder was born on May 12, 1983, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His father, Eric Fielder, and his mother, Deb Fielder, worked in social services. He grew up in Vancouver in a Jewish family.

During his childhood, Fielder became interested in comedy and performance. His early influences included television comedy, improvisational theater, and performers who used uncomfortable situations or unexpected responses as part of their humor.

He attended Point Grey Secondary School in Vancouver. During his high school years, he participated in the school's improvisational comedy group.

Among the other students involved in improvisational comedy were Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who later worked in film and television as actors, screenwriters, and producers.

Fielder's school improvisation team placed third in a Canadian national high school improvisation competition.

University Education and Comedy Training

After graduating from high school, Nathan Fielder enrolled at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.

He studied business and graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

His business education later became part of the fictional professional identity he used in Nathan for You, where he presented himself as a business consultant offering unconventional advice to small businesses.

Following university, Fielder briefly worked in the financial sector before deciding to pursue comedy professionally.

He moved to Toronto and enrolled at Humber College, where he studied comedy writing and performance.

In 2006, he received the Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award, presented to emerging Canadian comedians.

Early Television Career

Nathan Fielder began working in Canadian television during the mid-2000s.

He worked as a writer and segment producer for Canadian Idol, the Canadian version of the televised singing competition.

He subsequently joined This Hour Has 22 Minutes, a Canadian television program combining political satire, comedy sketches, and interviews.

His recurring segment, Nathan on Your Side, presented him as a consumer affairs reporter investigating problems encountered by members of the public and local businesses.

Rather than using conventional reporting methods, Fielder introduced unusual questions, proposed unconventional solutions, and placed interview subjects in situations that produced unexpected reactions.

The segment used real people and documentary-style filming, an approach he developed further in his later television projects.

After his work in Canada, Fielder began working on American television productions. He contributed to Important Things with Demetri Martin, a Comedy Central series created by Demetri Martin.

He also worked as an actor and writer on Jon Benjamin Has a Van, a comedy series starring H. Jon Benjamin that aired on Comedy Central in 2011.

Nathan for You (2013–2017)

In 2013, Nathan Fielder and Michael Koman created Nathan for You, which premiered on Comedy Central on February 28, 2013.

The series featured Fielder portraying a business consultant who offered unusual marketing strategies to small businesses.

He presented his ideas to real business owners, who participated in elaborate promotional projects intended to attract customers or solve commercial problems.

Although the situations were designed for comedy, the businesses and many of the people appearing in the program were real.

Fielder frequently presented his proposals in a serious manner, even when they involved complicated arrangements or unlikely commercial strategies.

The series incorporated footage of planning sessions, interactions with business owners, the implementation of marketing ideas, and the consequences of those experiments.

One early episode involved creating a staged video in which a pig appeared to rescue a baby goat from drowning. The video was produced to promote a petting zoo and circulated online before viewers learned that it had been created for the television program.

Other episodes involved unusual advertising campaigns, unconventional product sales, and businesses attempting to attract customers through elaborate publicity schemes.

The Dumb Starbucks Project

One of the best-known projects associated with Nathan for You was Dumb Starbucks, a temporary coffee shop opened in Los Angeles in February 2014.

Nathan Fielder created the project by reproducing the visual identity and product naming conventions of Starbucks, adding the word "Dumb" before the company's name and the names of its drinks.

The shop offered products such as Dumb Espresso and Dumb Cappuccino. It also reproduced elements of Starbucks's familiar interior design and branding.

Fielder described the project as a parody and argued that its use of the existing brand was connected to artistic expression.

The store attracted substantial public attention, with some observers initially speculating that it was an independent art project or an attempt to criticize the coffee chain.

Fielder subsequently revealed that the project had been created for Nathan for You.

The temporary shop was closed by local health authorities because it lacked the necessary permit to operate as a food establishment.

Summit Ice and Holocaust Education

In 2015, Nathan Fielder established Summit Ice Apparel, a clothing brand introduced during the third season of Nathan for You.

The project began after Fielder learned about connections between a clothing manufacturer whose products he wore and Holocaust denial.

He developed Summit Ice as an alternative clothing brand intended to support Holocaust education.

The company sold jackets and other clothing items and directed proceeds toward the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre.

Although introduced within a comedy series, Summit Ice continued operating as a real business after the episode aired.

Fielder later discussed the company's fundraising activities and its support for educational programs addressing antisemitism and the Holocaust.

The project also appeared in the second season of The Rehearsal, where Fielder revisited questions surrounding the distribution and presentation of the original television episode.

Finding Frances and the End of Nathan for You

Nathan for You ran for four seasons between 2013 and 2017.

The series concluded on November 9, 2017, with an extended episode titled Finding Frances.

In the episode, Nathan Fielder assisted Bill Heath, an elderly former television actor, in attempting to locate a woman named Frances with whom Heath had been romantically involved decades earlier.

The investigation led Fielder and Heath through interviews, archival research, travel, and attempts to reconstruct events from Heath's past.

As the search progressed, the episode also examined Heath's recollections and Fielder's involvement in the investigation.

Finding Frances departed from the usual small-business format and placed greater emphasis on documentary storytelling and the personal circumstances of the people involved.

In 2018, Fielder confirmed that Nathan for You would not return for a fifth season.

Who Is America? and Directing Work

In 2018, Nathan Fielder worked as a director on Who Is America?, a political satire series created by and starring Sacha Baron Cohen.

The series featured Cohen portraying fictional characters who interacted with politicians, public figures, and other participants.

Fielder directed material for the program, including its second episode.

In 2019, he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series for his work on Who Is America?.

His directing work on the program continued his involvement in productions combining planned scenarios with the reactions of real participants.

How To with John Wilson (2020–2023)

Nathan Fielder served as an executive producer of How To with John Wilson, a documentary comedy series created by filmmaker John Wilson.

The program premiered on HBO in October 2020 and ran for three seasons until September 2023.

In each episode, Wilson explored an everyday subject through footage recorded in New York City and conversations with people he encountered.

Episodes began with practical questions, such as how to make small talk or cover furniture, before developing into broader observations about personal relationships and city life.

Fielder worked with Wilson and other members of the production team on the series.

In 2024, How To with John Wilson received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special, with Fielder included among the nominated executive producers.

The Rehearsal (2022–Present)

In 2022, Nathan Fielder created The Rehearsal, an HBO television series that premiered on July 15, 2022.

He served as the program's creator, director, writer, executive producer, and principal on-screen participant.

The series explored whether rehearsing complicated social situations in advance could help people prepare for difficult decisions and conversations.

Production involved constructing detailed replicas of real locations, employing actors to portray people involved in participants' lives, and repeating conversations under different conditions.

Fielder developed elaborate rehearsal environments intended to reproduce events that participants expected to face outside the production.

The program combined documentary footage, planned scenarios, scripted performances, and the reactions of real participants.

The Rehearsal: First Season

The first season of The Rehearsal followed several experiments involving difficult conversations and personal decisions.

In the opening episode, Nathan Fielder helped a participant named Kor Skeete prepare to reveal to a friend that he had lied about his educational qualifications.

The production recreated the setting in which the conversation would occur and used actors to simulate possible reactions.

Later episodes centered on a woman named Angela, who participated in an extended experiment intended to simulate raising a child.

The production created a house and employed child actors of different ages to represent the passage of time.

Fielder became increasingly involved in the simulated family arrangement, while the series examined the difficulties of separating staged situations from personal relationships.

The first season consisted of six episodes and concluded in August 2022.

The Rehearsal: Second Season and Aviation Safety

The second season of The Rehearsal premiered on April 20, 2025, and consisted of six episodes.

In this season, Nathan Fielder investigated communication difficulties between commercial airline pilots and first officers.

The program examined whether differences in authority, personality, and professional expectations could discourage cockpit crew members from expressing concerns during flights.

Fielder constructed rehearsal environments intended to recreate interactions between pilots and copilots.

The experiments included simulated flight situations, interviews, actors portraying aviation personnel, and staged interactions intended to examine communication patterns.

The series also explored aviation training practices and the role of communication in flight safety.

As part of the production, Fielder undertook flight training and obtained the qualifications needed to serve as a pilot of a Boeing 737 under the conditions documented in the series.

The season concluded with footage of Fielder piloting a Boeing 737 aircraft.

The second season received a Peabody Award in the Entertainment category at the 2026 awards. The award recognized the series' treatment of aviation safety and communication through documentary comedy.

At the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards, Fielder received nominations for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the episode Pilot's Code.

The Curse (2023–2024)

In 2023, Nathan Fielder co-created The Curse with filmmaker and actor Benny Safdie.

The series was produced for Showtime with the involvement of A24. It premiered in November 2023 and concluded in January 2024.

Fielder played Asher Siegel, a property developer and television personality married to Whitney Siegel, portrayed by Emma Stone.

Asher and Whitney attempt to build environmentally sustainable housing while developing a television series about their projects.

Benny Safdie portrayed Dougie Schecter, a television producer involved in the couple's reality television project.

The story examines the couple's marriage, their relationships with residents of Española, New Mexico, and the influence of their television production on their personal lives.

The series includes elements of psychological drama, dark comedy, and satire concerning reality television and property development.

Fielder contributed to the writing and directing of the series and served as an executive producer.

Film Acting Career

Alongside his television work, Nathan Fielder appeared in several films and television movies.

In 2015, he played Joshua in The Night Before, a Christmas comedy starring Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Anthony Mackie.

In 2017, he appeared as Stu Ruckman in Tour de Pharmacy, an HBO television comedy directed by Jake Szymanski.

The film used the format of a sports documentary to satirize doping in professional cycling.

Its cast included Andy Samberg, Orlando Bloom, John Cena, Daveed Diggs, and Freddie Highmore.

That same year, Fielder portrayed Kyle Vogt in The Disaster Artist, directed by James Franco.

The film dramatized the production of The Room, the 2003 film directed by Tommy Wiseau.

Fielder also provided the voice of Justin in the animated and live-action film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021), directed by Dean Fleischer Camp.

You Can See Everything (2026)

In 2026, Nathan Fielder made his feature-length directorial debut with You Can See Everything, a documentary film co-directed with Lance Oppenheim.

The film focuses on Elizabeth Holmes, the founder and former chief executive officer of the health technology company Theranos.

Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors after making misleading claims about the company's blood-testing technology.

The documentary project began in 2023, approximately 34 days before Holmes was scheduled to begin serving her federal prison sentence.

Holmes and her partner Billy Evans invited Fielder and the filmmakers into their home to document their lives.

Fielder stayed at the family's California property during part of the filming, while the production team recorded conversations and everyday interactions.

The filmmakers continued working on the project over approximately three years.

As the filming progressed, Fielder questioned Holmes's explanations of the events surrounding Theranos and examined the relationship between the people being filmed and those making the documentary.

The film includes direct documentary footage alongside staged elements and other techniques that examine how events and personal accounts are presented on screen.

You Can See Everything was first screened at the 2026 Telluride Film Festival and subsequently appeared at the New York Film Festival.

Distributed by A24, it was released in United States theaters on October 16, 2026.

The documentary runs approximately 174 minutes. Fielder and Oppenheim were also among its producers.

Comedy Style and Filmmaking Methods

Nathan Fielder's television projects frequently place him in situations where he presents unusual proposals with a serious expression and restrained delivery.

His productions often involve real people who are responding to circumstances created or arranged by the filmmaking team.

In Nathan for You, the starting point was a commercial problem presented by a real business owner. In The Rehearsal, participants rehearsed situations they expected to encounter in their personal or professional lives.

These projects combine planned production methods with interactions whose outcomes cannot be fully determined in advance.

Fielder has also used detailed replicas of buildings, actors portraying real individuals, and repeated versions of conversations to explore the differences between rehearsal and actual experience.

In The Curse and You Can See Everything, he further examined subjects involving television production, personal representation, and the relationship between participants and filmmakers.

Personal Life

Nathan Fielder married Sarah Ziolkowska, a children's librarian, in 2011.

The couple divorced in 2014.

Fielder has generally kept his personal relationships outside his professional work private.

Awards and Nominations

2026 – Peabody Awards, Entertainment Category – The Rehearsal, Season Two (with the production team)
2025 – Primetime Emmy Awards, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, Nomination – The Rehearsal, Pilot's Code
2025 – Primetime Emmy Awards, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, Nomination – The Rehearsal, Pilot's Code (with co-writers)
2024 – Primetime Emmy Awards, Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special, Nomination – How To with John Wilson (executive producer)
2019 – Writers Guild of America Award, Comedy/Variety Sketch Series – Nathan for You (with the writing team)
2019 – Primetime Emmy Awards, Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series, Nomination – Who Is America?
2014 – Canadian Comedy Award, Best Performance by a Male in Television – Nathan for You
2006 – Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award

Films and Television Series

As Actor, Presenter, and On-Screen Participant

2026 – You Can See Everything (Himself; Documentary Film)
2023–2024 – The Curse (Asher Siegel; Television Series)
2022–2025 – The Rehearsal (Himself; Television Series)
2021 – Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (Justin; Voice Performance, Film)
2017 – The Disaster Artist (Kyle Vogt; Feature Film)
2017 – Tour de Pharmacy (Stu Ruckman; Television Film)
2015 – The Night Before (Joshua; Feature Film)
2013–2017 – Nathan for You (Himself; Television Series)
2011 – Jon Benjamin Has a Van (Actor and Writer; Television Series)
2010 – Important Things with Demetri Martin (Actor; Television Series)
2008–2009 – This Hour Has 22 Minutes (Correspondent and Comedian; Television Series)

As Creator, Writer, Director, and Producer

2026 – You Can See Everything (Co-Director and Producer; Documentary Film)
2023–2024 – The Curse (Co-Creator, Writer, Director, and Executive Producer)
2022–2025 – The Rehearsal (Creator, Writer, Director, and Executive Producer)
2020–2023 – How To with John Wilson (Executive Producer)
2018 – Who Is America? (Director)
2013–2017 – Nathan for You (Co-Creator, Writer, Director, and Executive Producer)
2011 – Jon Benjamin Has a Van (Writer)
2007–2009 – This Hour Has 22 Minutes (Writer and Correspondent)
2007 – Canadian Idol (Writer and Segment Producer)

Source: Biyografiler.com