If you grew up watching late-2000s comedies and Disney and Nickelodeon sitcoms, there is a good chance you have seen Nate Hartley on screen even if his name did not stick at the time. Searches for nate hartley movies usually come from that exact moment of recognition: a familiar face pops up in a rewatch, and you want the full list of where else he has appeared. This guide to nate hartley movies is a nostalgia trip through his on-screen career, built from his public acting credits, so you can place every role and plan your next rewatch with confidence.
Nate Hartley is a working screen actor whose credits stretch from mid-2000s network sitcoms through feature comedies and into long-running modern sitcoms. His filmography is a useful map of an entire era of American television comedy, because he kept showing up in the shows that defined it. Rather than a single breakout that overshadowed everything else, his career is a steady run of guest spots, recurring roles, and supporting film parts, and that is exactly what makes a rewatch fun: he turns up in places you forgot.
Nate Hartley Movies and the Shape of His Career
When people search for nate hartley movies, they are usually trying to answer a simple question: which films was he actually in? The headline answer is the 2008 comedy Drillbit Taylor, where he played Wade, one of the three high-school students who hire a bargain bodyguard played by Owen Wilson. The film was produced by Judd Apatow, and it remains the most widely remembered entry in his film work, because it captured a very specific moment in studio comedy: the awkward, quotable, slightly scruffy teen comedy of the late 2000s.
Around the same period, Hartley also appeared in two other feature comedies that fans of the era will recognize instantly. In Role Models, the David Wain comedy starring Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott, he played a member of the live-action role-playing group at the center of the film’s most memorable set piece. In The Great Buck Howard, he appeared opposite John Malkovich in a comedy about a fading mentalist and his young assistant. Taken together, these three films show a performer who was a natural fit for ensemble comedy, the kind of actor who could land a joke without needing to carry the whole scene.
His later film work moved into independent features and smaller productions, including Dirty Girl, The Space Between, South Dakota, and Like.Share.Follow. These roles show a different side of his range, with more dramatic and character-driven material alongside the comedy. For anyone working through nate hartley movies, though, the late-2000s trio is the natural starting point, because those films are the ones most likely to be streaming on a service you already have.
Early Television Roles and the Nickelodeon Years
Before his feature run, Hartley built his resume the classic way: guest spots on established sitcoms. His earliest screen credit came as a guest star on The Bernie Mac Show, one of the defining family sitcoms of its era. From there he landed a recurring role on the Nickelodeon series Unfabulous, where he played Mitch, a character remembered by fans of the show as a recurring presence in the school hallways and storylines of the series.
He also appeared on iCarly, another Nickelodeon hit, and those two credits alone place him squarely in the network’s golden run of live-action teen sitcoms. If you are revisiting those shows now, keep an eye out for him in the background of school scenes and in guest appearances; part of the fun of this kind of nostalgia trip is spotting a familiar face before the credits confirm it.
For viewers building a watchlist, the early television run is best approached as a sampler rather than a marathon. Watch an episode of Unfabulous, then an episode of iCarly, and you will get a clear sense of the lane he worked in: quick comic timing, a slightly offbeat energy, and an ability to fit into an existing ensemble without throwing it off balance.
The Disney Years: Zeke and Luther, Hannah Montana, and JONAS
Hartley’s Disney run is where his television career found its steadiest home. His most substantial Disney credit is Zeke and Luther, the Disney XD skateboarding sitcom, where he played the recurring character Ozzie across many episodes. Ozzie was an awkward, memorable presence in the show’s world, and the role gave Hartley the kind of week-to-week visibility that guest spots never provide. If you only watch one of his television roles in full, this is the one that rewards the time, because a recurring character lets you see how a performer builds a joke across episodes rather than in a single scene.
He also appeared on Hannah Montana, the Disney Channel phenomenon, and on JONAS, the Jonas Brothers sitcom, where he played Carl. These appearances matter for nostalgia viewers because they place him inside the two biggest Disney television machines of the era at once: the Miley Cyrus-led hit and the Jonas Brothers vehicle. Together with Zeke and Luther, they form a tidy Disney trilogy for a weekend rewatch.
Another credit from this period is Rita Rocks, the family sitcom where he appeared in a guest capacity. It is a useful reminder that his television work was never confined to a single network or audience: he moved between Disney, Nickelodeon, and network sitcoms with ease, and that mobility is part of why his filmography feels so wide.
Later Television: The Goldbergs, CSI, and Guest Spots
As his career continued, Hartley’s credits expanded into acclaimed procedurals and long-running sitcoms. He appeared on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a rare non-comedic outing that showed he could hold his own in a straight drama format. He also appeared on Perception, the TNT drama, and on the truTV comedy Those Who Can’t.
His longest-running later credit is The Goldbergs, where he played Dan Morse across many episodes, with additional appearances on the spin-off Schooled as the same character. For modern sitcom fans, this is probably the most accessible entry point: The Goldbergs streams widely, the episodes are short, and his recurring presence means you do not have to hunt for a single guest appearance. If you are introducing a friend to his work, start with The Goldbergs, then go backward to Drillbit Taylor.
Other later credits include New Girl, Best Friends Forever, NTSF:SD:SUV, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. None of these are roles that define his career on their own, but together they show a working actor who stayed active across two decades of television, moving between comedy and drama and between broadcast, cable, and streaming-era productions.
Nate Hartley Movies and TV Shows at a Glance
The table below collects his best-known screen credits in one place, so you can use it as a checklist for your rewatch. It focuses on the titles most viewers are searching for, rather than every single credit, and it separates film work from television work for easy planning.
| Title | Type | Role | Why viewers remember it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drillbit Taylor (2008) | Film | Wade | His best-known film role, in a Judd Apatow-produced comedy |
| Role Models (2008) | Film | Role-playing group member | The live-action role-playing set piece |
| The Great Buck Howard (2008) | Film | Teenage kid | Acting opposite John Malkovich |
| Dirty Girl (2010) | Film | Charlie | Independent coming-of-age drama-comedy |
| Zeke and Luther | TV series | Ozzie | Recurring Disney XD role across many episodes |
| Hannah Montana | TV series | Aaron | Guest spot on a Disney Channel phenomenon |
| JONAS | TV series | Carl | Guest spot on the Jonas Brothers sitcom |
| Unfabulous | TV series | Mitch | Recurring Nickelodeon role |
| iCarly | TV series | Jeb | Guest spot on a Nickelodeon hit |
| The Goldbergs | TV series | Dan Morse | Long-running recurring sitcom role |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | TV series | Brian Lister | A straight dramatic guest appearance |
| The Bernie Mac Show | TV series | Samuel | His earliest screen credit |
A Nostalgia Watch Order for New Fans
If you are new to his work, the best order is chronological by feeling rather than by strict date. Start with Drillbit Taylor, because it explains why his name comes up in the first place. Then watch an episode or two of Zeke and Luther to see him as a recurring television character. Then sample The Goldbergs for his later sitcom work. That three-stop tour of nate hartley movies and television covers film, youth television, and adult sitcom work in a single weekend.
For deeper fans, the second tier is where the fun lives. Track down his Unfabulous episodes, his Hannah Montana appearance, and his JONAS guest spot, and watch them back to back. You will notice how consistent his comic register is across networks: he plays the slightly off-center friend, the kid with the odd line reading, the character who makes a scene funnier just by standing in it. That consistency is a skill, and it is why casting directors kept calling.
Finally, round out the trip with his dramatic and independent work: CSI for the procedural turn, and Dirty Girl or The Space Between for the independent-film side. These are not nostalgia comfort watches in the same way, but they complete the picture of a performer whose career was never just one thing.
How to Find These Titles
Streaming availability changes constantly, so check the major services before you settle in. Drillbit Taylor, Role Models, and The Goldbergs tend to rotate between subscription services and rental stores, while Disney and Nickelodeon titles appear on their respective streaming homes. If a title is not on a service you already pay for, a digital rental is usually the cheapest route for a single rewatch. You can also explore other cast guides on this site, such as the Chuck TV show cast nostalgia guide and the Shameless TV show actors list, for more rewatch ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Nate Hartley best known for?
His best-known role is Wade in the 2008 comedy Drillbit Taylor, followed by his recurring television role as Ozzie on Zeke and Luther and as Dan Morse on The Goldbergs. Fans of Nickelodeon also know him from Unfabulous and iCarly.
What movies has Nate Hartley been in?
His feature credits include Drillbit Taylor, Role Models, The Great Buck Howard, Dirty Girl, The Space Between, South Dakota, Like.Share.Follow., and Behaving Badly. The late-2000s comedies are the most widely watched, while the later titles lean independent and character-driven.
Which TV shows has Nate Hartley appeared on?
His television credits span The Bernie Mac Show, Unfabulous, iCarly, Hannah Montana, JONAS, Zeke and Luther, Rita Rocks, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Perception, Those Who Can’t, New Girl, The Goldbergs, Schooled, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, among others.
Is Nate Hartley still acting?
His public credits extend into recent years, including appearances on The Goldbergs and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and his listed credits also include writing and directing work. For the latest credits, check a public filmography database, since new guest appearances are added as they air.
Why Searches for Nate Hartley Movies Keep Growing
Searches for nate hartley movies tend to spike whenever a familiar title returns to a streaming service or a sitcom rewatch goes viral. A viewer spots a familiar face in an old episode, searches for nate hartley movies to place it, and ends up down a rabbit hole of late-2000s comedies and Disney sitcoms. That pattern repeats because his career touches so many different shows: a fan of one series rarely knows the full list until they look it up.
A complete guide to nate hartley movies is useful precisely because his work is spread out. No single streaming service holds all of it, and no single show tells the whole story. Fans comparing nate hartley movies and television appearances often start with Drillbit Taylor, then discover Zeke and Luther, then find The Goldbergs, and each discovery adds a piece to the picture. Whenever nate hartley movies trend online, it is usually because one of those pieces has resurfaced, and new viewers want the full map. Keep this guide as your nate hartley movies watchlist, and the next rewatch will be much easier to plan.
Conclusion
A trip through nate hartley movies and television shows is really a trip through two decades of American screen comedy, from Nickelodeon and Disney sitcoms to studio comedies and long-running network hits. Start your nate hartley movies watchlist with Drillbit Taylor, spend time with Zeke and Luther and The Goldbergs, and fill in the gaps with his guest spots, and you will have a complete picture of a steady, versatile working actor. For more cast guides, see the Mat Fraser actor movies and TV shows list, and enjoy the rewatch.