Born the same week that Tootsie, Gandhi and ET earned top spots at the box office, it’s no coincidence that Nicki Clyne finds ongoing inspiration in Mahatma Gandhi’s life, that she’s convinced life exists outside our current definition, and that she’s never felt quite right about Dustin Hoffman. Nicki later grew to be directly influenced by the enchanting talents of Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz and by the unparalleled independence and cool expressed through her favorite orphan, Punky Brewster. Nicki can still be seen clicking the heels of her mismatched Converse when she finds herself in regrettable situations.
Since childhood, and with the same intensity she has since employed fighting Cylons in all out space-battle, Nicki attempted to fit the square shape in the square hole, the circle shape in the circle hole and, on occasion, the square shape in the circle hole. It was this diligence and focus that taught her to never give up on her dreams, to believe in herself, and that, if it came to it, she could always solve the Rubik’s cube by simply peeling off the stickers.
Nicki’s first brush with success came after winning top prize at her Kindergarten Pet Show, where she proudly demonstrated her lop eared bunny’s uncanny ability to “skateboard” - in other words, be pulled, unamused, by a little neon harness. But the showmanship didn’t stop there: there were school plays, backyard dance performances, dress-up days, and impromptu postmodern performance art (a unique craft her mother never fully appreciated and often confused for temper tantrums). Along with her love of performing, her love of winning has blossomed into a healthy competitive spirit that comes out mostly at dance parties and in discussions about anything she thinks she knows anything about.
Growing up, Nicki pursued her myriad interests – from horseback riding to the bass guitar, from photography to boys’ ice hockey – with an equally short attention span. As soon as one sports season ended, another quickly took its place, and if Physics was too hard, there was always Musical Theater. But her curiosity and exuberant nature never failed to keep her engaged as she explored different areas of study, including philosophy, psychology, religion, ethics, art, media, and more. Eventually she achieved the awareness that how she lived her life was more important that what she knew or managed to accomplish.
Ultimately, Nicki found her true passion lay in understanding and upholding the human experience - in every medium. Acting is one such venue - a means to explore the nature of our common struggles, while hopefully inspiring critical thought and compassion in the process. As well, Nicki is highly involved in humanitarian endeavors and community initiatives. Instead of feeling there is “no place like home,” she now feels like there is “no place like now.”
