Born in British Columbia, Nicholas Lea had intentions of pursuing a showbiz career from childhood. After service in the Canadian Navy, he toured as the lead singer with the band Beau Monde before deciding at age 25 to pursue his dream and act. Training at various venues, Lea began appearing onstage in plays like "At Home" and "For What We Reap". On the big screen, he had bit roles in films like Bob Fosse's "Star 80" (1983) before moving up to supporting roles in the sci-fi sequel "Xtro 2: The Second Encounter" (1991) and "The Raffle" (1994).

But the small screen has offered Lea the best opportunities to date. He has made guest appearances in a number of series, including "The Hat Squad", "Highlander" and "Sliders". For three years (1991-94), Lea played the recurring role of Officer Enrico 'Ricky' Caruso on the ABC drama "The Commish". In the spring of 1994, he appeared in an episode of the cult hit "The X-Files" and the following fall was tapped to play Krycek, the slickly subversive G-man who was briefly partnered with David Duchovny's Fox Mulder. He also starred alongside Sandrine Holt and Ivan Sergei in the TV pilot/remake "John Woo's 'Once a Thief'" (Fox, 1996).