Born in Prague; David arrived in Canada with his parents at the age of two, after the communist occupation of what was then Czechoslovakia. The Nykls arrived in Victoria, BC. In his senior year of high school, he directed and produced his first play. He attended the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where he took literature, theatre, and acting classes and graduated with a degree in arts.
David worked in the Vancouver Theatre scene and initiated a small collective known as Ironworks Productions. He toured Europe with Ironworks and returned to Prague. David found himself involved in theatre, film and commercial work. He co-founded Prague's best-known english language theatre company, Misery Loves Company, with Richard Toth and Ewan McLaren. David was involved in productions as an actor, director, producer and artistic director.
David returned to Vancouver where he began working as a full-time actor in television, commercials, and film.
