Nick Sandow (born August 3, 1966) is an American character actor, writer, producer and director, best known for his role as Joe Caputo in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). Of Italian descent, Sandow grew up in the Italian neighborhood of Van Nest in the Bronx.He moved to Manhattan around age 19 to study acting under William Esper Studio in the Two-Year Professional Actor Training Program and work in theater. Sandow made his debut appearing in an episode of television series Law & Order in 1992 and worked as a bartender while taking small acting jobs in New York City. He appeared in a number of films, such as Grind (1997), A Brooklyn State of Mind (1998), Return to Paradise (1998) and On the Run (1999). Sandow performed in the 1999 off-Broadway production of Halfway Home. He played mobster Henry Hill in the 2001 made-for-television crime drama film, The Big Heist. Sandow guest-starred on New York Undercover, Third Watch, NYPD Blue, Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, How to Make It in America and Blue Bloods. He began his directing career in theater on Off-Off-Broadway directing Dark Yellow, Chicken and From Riverdale to Riverhead. In 2011 he directed the immigrant drama film, Ponies based on play with the same name. In 2013, Sandow was cast in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black, as prison administrator Joe Caputo, was originally supposed to have been for a handful of episodes for the show's first season. Instead, his role was expanded during the second season, and Sandow was made a series regular with the start of the third season. He received three Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series with the cast. In 2015 he wrote, directed and acted in The Wannabe. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and later got a wider release. In 2017 he received News and Documentary Emmy Awards nomination for producing the documentary series, Time: The Kalief Browder Story. In 2021 he was regular cast member in the short-lived CBS crime drama series, Clarice.
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 3, 1966 (60)
- The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
- Actor, also director, producer and writer
- 40 on MovieCove · 59 credits in all
What are Nick Sandow's films like?
Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 14
Light 3 · Serious 7 · Dark 4
Grounded 12 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 5 · Charged 7 · Intense 2
A split, not a type: Steady 10 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1
Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 7 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 3
Resolved 8 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 2
Roles they play
- Threshold guardianas Ravitch in Return to Paradise (1998)
- Tricksteras Joe Caputo in Orange Is the New Black (2013)
- Shadowas Hank in The Unheard (2023)
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet9
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous7
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Nick Sandow's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 28 of their 40 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).
Subscription and free streaming for Nick Sandow's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
59 credits, 40 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Spinning Gold(2023)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
The Unheard(2023)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Clarice(2021)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows
Teenage Bounty Hunters(2020)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
Social Distance(2020)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all shows
Stella's Last Weekend(2018)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
FBI(2018)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all shows
Cabaret Maxime(2018)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Patti Cake$(2017)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows
The Wannabe(2015)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Houses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Meadowland(2015)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
All Roads Lead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Orange Is the New Black(2013)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
The Cold Lands(2013)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Ponies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
The Sitter(2011)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Unforgettable(2011)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows
Blue Bloods(2010)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all showsBobby Cassidy: Counterpuncher (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Mercy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Nurse Jackie(2009)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
The Hungry Ghosts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Frame Of Mind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
The Lovebirds(2007)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
New Amsterdam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
The Accidental Husband(2008)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Resurrecting the Champ(2007)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Six Degrees(2006)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows
The Collection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Connie and Carla(2004)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
CSI: Miami(2002)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows
Swimfan(2002)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Plan B (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows
New Port South(2001)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Dust(2001)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
The Big Heist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Seven and a Match(2001)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
The Day the Ponies Come Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Uninvited (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Third Watch(1999)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
On the Run (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Living Out Loud(1998)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Return to Paradise(1998)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
No Looking Back(1998)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
A Brooklyn State of Mind(1998)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
One Night Stand(1997)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Grind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Arresting Gena (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
No Exit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Hand Gun(1994)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
Due South (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Law & Order(1990)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all showsVivien & the Florist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 95th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 58 titles, 57 of them dated from 1990 to 2023; peak year 1998.
Biggest box office
Swimfan (2002)
Highest rated
TIME: The Kalief Browder Story (2017)
Most popular right now
Orange Is the New Black (2013)
Film career
Peak 1998 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1998Screen debut· Return to Paradise
- 2021Career best· Clarice
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Nick Sandow's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 40th percentile, the median of all 24; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up9
- 50th to 74th11
- 25th to 49th11
- Below 25th9
Shape of the crowd
16 of their 40 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved3
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic3
- Crowd Pleaser16
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed15
Reviewers score the acting 67/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Nick Sandow's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Nick Sandow work with?
People who share at least 2 of Nick Sandow's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jenner Furst shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Jenner FurstShared titles: Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story (2018), TIME: The Kalief Browder Story (2017), The Wannabe (2015)See all 3 shared titles with Jenner Furst
- Bruno de AlmeidaShared titles: Cabaret Maxime (2018), The Lovebirds (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Bruno de Almeida
- Edward BurnsShared titles: The Fitzgerald Family Christmas (2012), No Looking Back (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Edward Burns
Writers
- John FreyShared titles: Cabaret Maxime (2018), The Lovebirds (2007)See all 2 shared titles with John Frey
- Julia Willoughby NasonShared titles: Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story (2018), TIME: The Kalief Browder Story (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Julia Willoughby Nason
Actors
- John VentimigliaShared titles: Cabaret Maxime (2018), The Cold Lands (2013), The Lovebirds (2007)See all 3 shared titles with John Ventimiglia
- Michael ImperioliShared titles: Cabaret Maxime (2018), The Wannabe (2015), The Lovebirds (2007)See all 3 shared titles with Michael Imperioli
- Danielle BrooksShared titles: Social Distance (2020), Orange Is the New Black (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Danielle Brooks
- Heather BurnsShared titles: Social Distance (2020), The Fitzgerald Family Christmas (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Heather Burns
Editors
- Pedro RibeiroShared titles: Cabaret Maxime (2018), The Lovebirds (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Pedro Ribeiro
Producers
- Lana BarkinShared titles: Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story (2018), TIME: The Kalief Browder Story (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Lana Barkin
- Michael GasparroShared titles: Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story (2018), The Wannabe (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Gasparro
