Alexander MacNicoll

Alexander MacNicoll (born August 1, 1989) is an American actor and producer. He is known for portraying Dr. Van Markus on the NBC medical drama Brilliant Minds (2024–2026) and Luke Holbrook on the Netflix mystery series The Society. He also had a recurring role as Colton on the Amazon comedy-drama Transparent (2014–2019).

Early life and education

He was born and raised in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. He discovered acting during his senior year of high school through a television and media class and by making short films in his English class, later switching to a theater major at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. After graduating, MacNicoll moved to Los Angeles in 2013, working multiple jobs simultaneously including as a server, bartender, dog walker, and security guard while pursuing acting.

His early film work included the Disney sports drama McFarland, USA (2015) as Fitz Mitchell, which was his first SAG job, the football drama My All American (2015) as Mike Campbell, and the science-fiction film The 5th Wave (2016) as Flintstone. On television, he appeared in episodes of Criminal Minds, The Fosters, Bones, and Rizzoli & Isles, before landing a recurring role as Peter Standall on Netflix's 13 Reasons Why (2017–2020). In 2018, he appeared in the science-fiction film A.X.L. as Sam Fontaine, a rival motocross racer.

In 2019, MacNicoll was cast as Luke Holbrook, a former high school quarterback in a relationship with Helena, played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo, in the Netflix mystery series The Society. Created by Christopher Keyser and released on May 10, 2019, the series follows teenagers who return from a canceled school trip to find their Connecticut town completely cut off from the outside world. The series was renewed for a second season in July 2019 but was cancelled on August 21, 2020, due to complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deadline Hollywood reported in 2023 that he had been cast as series regular Dr. Van Markus alongside Zachary Quinto in the NBC medical drama pilot Brilliant Minds. The series inspired by the work of neurologist Oliver Sacks premiered on NBC on September 23, 2024. He plays a medical intern diagnosed with Mirror-Touch Synesthesia, a rare condition causing him to physically experience the sensations of those around him. To prepare, MacNicoll researched the experience of Joel Salinas, a neurologist at NYU Langone Health who lives with the condition, telling NBC Insider: "It was just all about reading up on that and learning about his experience and trying to apply it to my own life." The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on September 22, 2025.

In 2025, Deadline Hollywood reported his casting in the indie horror film Sweetest Day. In March 2026, Deadline reported that he had been cast in Change the Prophecy, a short film from writer and director Lindsay Grossman serving as a television proof-of-concept.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2015 McFarland, USA Fitz Mitchell 2015 My All-American Mike Campbell 2016 The 5th Wave Flintstone 2017 Last Rampage: The Escape of Gary Tison Donnie 2018 A.X.L. Sam Fontaine 2019 All Roads to Pearla Brandon Bell 2019 The Rising Hawk Maksim 2020 Unpregnant Kevin 2020 Valley Girl Brad 2020 No Man's Land Lucas Greer 2021 Heart of Champions John Kimball 2025 The Only Way Out Is Through Evan

Selected Television Year Title Role Network Notes 2014–2019 Transparent Colton Amazon Recurring 2017–2020 13 Reasons Why Peter Standall Netflix Recurring 2019 The Society Luke Holbrook Netflix Main cast 2022 Barry Kyle HBO 2024 Bad Monkey Cody Apple TV+ 2024–2026 Brilliant Minds Dr. Van Markus NBC / Peacock Main cast