Nicholas Saputra

It was also Indonesia's submission to the 76th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

The film was Indonesia's submission to the 79th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

Nicholas Saputra Schubring (born 24 February 1984) is an Indonesian actor and film producer.

He first rose to prominence as Rangga in the 2002 hit film Ada Apa dengan Cinta?, a role he reprised in Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? 2 in 2016.

An inexperienced actor without any history in the entertainment industry, Saputra landed the lead role at his very first audition at age 17, to play in Rudy Soedjarwo's cult classic romance blockbuster Ada Apa dengan Cinta? opposite actress Dian Sastrowardoyo, which was released in 2002.

For his performance in the film as Rangga, an indifferent and aloof student who caught up in romance with the most popular girl in high school, he earned his first Citra (the Indonesian equivalent to the Oscars) nomination in Indonesian Film Festival for Best Leading Actor.

The film also catapulted him to stardom in both Indonesia and Malaysia.

Saputra recalls of his career beginnings:

''Being an actor is never my dream, actually.

The offer came when I was in high school, and I was simply testing the water, thinking that I got nothing to lose.''

In 2003, Saputra was cast as a violinist in Biola Tak Berdawai, written and directed by Sekar Ayu Asmara.

The film had its world premiere at the Cairo International Film Festival, where it secured a Best New Director award and Naguib Mahfouz prize for Best Screenplay.

For his performance in the film, Saputra was awarded Best Actor at the 2003 Bali International Film Festival.

He has since established himself as one of Indonesia's most acclaimed actors with two Citra Award wins for Best Actor as the titular character in Riri Riza's Gie in 2005 and Best Supporting Actor in Edwin's Aruna & Her Palate in 2018.

Nicholas Saputra is also known as an activist dedicated to environmental and conservation issues as well as children's rights.

He has served as the executive producer and producer of several environmental films through his production company Tanakhir Films.

Saputra landed another lead role in Joko Anwar's 2005 romantic comedy Janji Joni as a roll film delivery man, playing opposite Mariana Renata, which won him Most Favorite Actor award at the 2005 MTV Indonesia Movie Awards and Best Actor award at the 2007 Indonesian Movie Awards.

The film was screened in the Sydney Film Festival and Pusan International Film Festival.

That same year, he starred as a Chinese Indonesian activist Soe Hok Gie in the biographical film Gie, directed by Riri Riza.

His performance as Soe Hok Gie was critically acclaimed; he won Citra Award for Best Leading Actor at the 2005 Indonesian Film Festival, two Best Actor awards at the 2005 Indonesian Movie Awards and 2006 Bandung Film Festival, and Most Favorite Actor award at the 2006 MTV Indonesia Movie Awards.

Saputra made his first television appearances on Channel V Asia, hosting such segments as The Ticket and Screentime in 2007, and became the co-presenter at the 2007 Asian Film Awards alongside Lee Byung Hun and Daniel Wu.

He played in Riri Riza's 3 Hari Untuk Selamanya that same year.

The film won Best Direction at the 2008 Brussels International Independent Film Festival and Best Indonesian Film Award at the 2007 Jakarta International Film Festival, while Saputra was nominated for Best Actor award at the 2008 Indonesian Film Festival and won Best Leading Actor at the 2009 Guardians e-Awards.

In 2008, Saputra starred in omnibus film Cinta Setaman, and reunited with Dian Sastrowardoyo in two films; a short musical film adapted from the epic Mahabharata Drupadi, and 3 Doa 3 Cinta, respectively.

He was appointed as a jury member of the Best Asian Film competition in the 2008 Singapore International Film Festival, and as French Film Ambassador for the 2009 French Film Festival in Indonesia.

He once again became co-presenter at the 2009 Asian Film Awards alongside Chie Tanaka.

Saputra became a sportcaster for Malaysian TV station TV3 in 2011.

That same year, he starred in director Riri Riza's environmental documentary The Magic Kakaban.

He next starred in two indies in 2012 and 2013, respectively; Edwin's Postcards from the Zoo which had its premiere at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, and Mouly Surya's What They Don't Talk About When They Talk About Love as a deaf man who falls in love with a blind girl.

The latter became the first Indonesian title that notched a nomination for World Cinematic Drama in the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and it received NETPAC Award at the 2013 International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Saputra embarked on the film production for the first time as an executive producer alongside director Riri Riza in 2013 for Sokola Rimba, which tells the story of activist Butet Manurung who teaches Orang Rimba people, based on a book with the same title.

It won Best Film at the 2013 Maya Awards.

That same year, Saputra co-founded production company Tanakhir Films focusing on documentaries and environmental films, and next co-starred in his first production Cinta Dari Wamena, a story about an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign in Wamena.

In 2019, Saputra was named a UNICEF Indonesia Goodwill Ambassador.

Nicholas Saputra was born to a German father and an Indonesian-Javanese mother.

After graduating from SMA Negeri 8 Jakarta high school, Saputra continued his study in University of Indonesia.

He was named as one of valedictorians in high school.

He holds a degree in architecture from University of Indonesia.

Nicholas Saputra started his career in fashion industry as a runway model and has appeared in magazine's covers when he was in high school.

He was scouted by a teen magazine while playing baseball in Gelora Bung Karno Stadium when he was fifteen.