[2] Distinguishing himself on the Shakespearean stage alongside the Redgrave family, Laurence Olivier and Peter O'Toole.

In addition he played R Austin Freeman's Doctor Thorndyke on BBC Radio in Mr. Pottermack's Oversight, in 1963.

American audiences first saw Nicholls in the company of Ronald Reagan, Richard Todd and Patricia Neal in The Hasty Heart (1949).

[3] He made his television debut in 1949[4] and continued with steady work as an actor for the rest of his life, including the film A Man For All Seasons (1966).

[5] In the television series The Champions,[4] he played the role of W.Lawrence Tremayne, the overseer of three top secret agents.