Nicholas was born in Las Vegas, Nevada to Marla Nicholas, a school administrator and dancer. He has Irish, German, Australian and 1/4 Italian ancestry. Nicholas has an older brother, Tim Scarne, who is a DJ and 5 other siblings.
Nicholas is known for his roles in Rookie of the Year (1993), A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995), and American Pie (1999). He appeared in the first three films of the American Pie franchise as the character Kevin Myers and played Frank Sinatra, Jr. in the Showtime movie Stealing Sinatra as well as a role in Halloween: Resurrection.