Which actor plays Nicholas Van Orton in Fincher's The Game?

Michael Douglas plays Nicholas Van Orton in David Fincher's The Game.

Nicholas is a wealthy San Francisco investment banker whose emotional reserve and rigid control make him an unusual thriller protagonist. On his 48th birthday, his estranged younger brother Conrad, played by Sean Penn, gives him a voucher for a mysterious experience organized by Consumer Recreation Services.

Douglas's performance anchors the film as Nicholas struggles to determine whether he is being manipulated, robbed, hunted, or psychologically tested. The character's fear is intensified by the memory of his father, who died by suicide on his own 48th birthday. That personal history gives the elaborate mystery more weight than a simple chase plot.

The Game was released in 1997, between Fincher's Se7en and Fight Club. It is sometimes confused with Fincher's later films because the director repeatedly explored paranoia, hidden systems, and characters losing control. However, Nicholas Van Orton belongs specifically to The Game, while the film's other major roles include Conrad and Christine, played by Deborah Kara Unger.