Nelsan Ellis
Encyclopedia
Nelsan Ellis is an award-winning American film and television actor
and playwright
. He is well known for his role as Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO series True Blood
, which he has been playing since 2008.
. When Ellis and his siblings were younger, their mother, a single parent after her divorce from her children's father, broke down over the death of her brother. Ellis and his siblings became wards of state as a result. They were then raised in Bessemer, Alabama
by their grandmother. In Alabama, Ellis attended Jess Lanier High School for a year, then transferred to McAdory High School
. He moved back to Illinois
at 15, where he lived with his maternal aunt, and graduated from Thornridge High School
in Dolton, Illinois
, in 1997.
At 17, Ellis joined the Marines, but quit not long afterwards. At 21, he enrolled in Juilliard, where he befriended True Blood-colleague Rutina Wesley
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
. He is well known for his role as Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO series True Blood
True Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
, which he has been playing since 2008.
Early and personal life
Ellis was born in Harvey, IllinoisHarvey, Illinois
Harvey is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, near Chicago. The population was 30,000 at the 2000 census.Harvey is bordered by Dixmoor, Riverdale and Blue Island to the north, Posen and Markham to the west, South Holland, Phoenix, and Dolton to the east, and East Hazel Crest to the...
. When Ellis and his siblings were younger, their mother, a single parent after her divorce from her children's father, broke down over the death of her brother. Ellis and his siblings became wards of state as a result. They were then raised in Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer is a city outside of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States eight miles west of Hoover. The population was 29,672 at the 2000 Census, but by the 2009 U.S...
by their grandmother. In Alabama, Ellis attended Jess Lanier High School for a year, then transferred to McAdory High School
McAdory High School
McAdory High School is a public high school in McCalla, Alabama, USA. It is operated by the Jefferson County Board of Education. The school is named for the McAdory family that owned the land on which the school was built.-Overview:...
. He moved back to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
at 15, where he lived with his maternal aunt, and graduated from Thornridge High School
Thornridge High School
Thornridge High School is a public high school located in Dolton, Illinois. It was built as part of Thornton Township High Schools District 205. It is sometimes confused with the similar sounding schools in the same district: Thornton Township High School and Thornwood High...
in Dolton, Illinois
Dolton, Illinois
Dolton is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 25,614 at the 2000 census. Dolton is located just west of the expressway Interstate 94 and immediately south of the city limits of Chicago. Its most common ZIP code is 60419....
, in 1997.
At 17, Ellis joined the Marines, but quit not long afterwards. At 21, he enrolled in Juilliard, where he befriended True Blood-colleague Rutina Wesley
Rutina Wesley
Rutina Wesley is an American film, stage, and television actress best known for her role as Tara Thornton on the HBO series True Blood.-Early life:...
.
Awards
- While at Juilliard, Ellis wrote a semi-autobiographical play entitled "Ugly", which was performed at the school and later won the Lincoln Center's Martin E. Segal Award. The play centered around his pregnant sister's murder at the hands of her husband.
- 2008 – Satellite Award from the International Press AcademyInternational Press AcademyThe International Press Academy is a large and diverse association of professional entertainment journalists, representing both domestic and foreign markets in print, television, radio, cable and new media outlets. The academy was founded in 1996 by Mirjana Van Blaricom...
for best supporting actor in a television series for his role as Lafayette Reynolds in HBO's True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
.
- 2009 – NewNowNext AwardsNewNowNext AwardsThe first NewNowNext-Awards were held in 2008 by the gay and lesbian-themed network Logo.- 2008 :The nominees were announced by Cazwell and Amanda Lepore. Hosts were Candis Cayne and Colman Domingo...
"Brink of Fame: Actor" award.
- 2009 – Ewwy Award for "Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" for True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
.
Nominations
- 2009 - Scream Award for "Best Supporting Actor" for True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
. - 2011 - NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" for True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Lost | Hoffa | Short film |
| 2005 | Warm Springs Warm Springs (film) Warm Springs is a 2005 television film about American President Franklin D. Roosevelt's struggle with polio, his discovery of the Warm Springs, Georgia spa resort and his work to turn it into a center for the aid of polio victims, and his resumption of his political career... |
Roy Collier | TV movie |
| Trespass | Trespass | ||
| 2008 | The Express The Express The Express is a 2008 American sports film produced by John Davis and directed by Gary Fleder. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Charles Leavitt from a book titled Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express, authored by Robert C. Gallagher... |
Will Davis, Jr. | |
| 2009 | The Soloist The Soloist The Soloist is a 2009 American/French/British drama film directed by Joe Wright, and starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr. The screenplay by Susannah Grant is based on the book, The Soloist by Steve Lopez... |
David Carter | |
| Talent Talent Talent can refer to:*Talent *Aptitude, a talent is a group of aptitudes useful for some activity, talents may refer to aptitudes themselvesEntertainment*A show-business personality or group of them... |
Titus | ||
| 2010 | Secretariat Secretariat (film) Secretariat is a 2010 biographical film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mayhem Pictures, and directed by Randall Wallace. The film chronicles the life of thoroughbred race horse Secretariat, winner of the Triple Crown in 1973... |
Eddie Sweat Eddie Sweat Edward "Eddie" Sweat was an American groom in Thoroughbred horse racing who was the subject of the 2006 book by Lawrence Scanlan titled The Horse God Built: Secretariat, His Groom, Their Legacy.-Career:... |
|
| 2011 | The Help The Help (film) The Help is a 2011 comedy-drama film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's novel of the same name. The film is about a young white woman, Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, and her relationship with two black maids during Civil Rights era America in the early 1960s... |
Henry the Waiter | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | The Inside The Inside The Inside is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Minear and Howard Gordon and produced by Imagine Television. The Inside follows the work of the FBI's Los Angeles Violent Crimes Unit , a division dedicated to investigating particularly dangerous crimes. The Inside initially... |
Carter Howard | 13 Episodes |
| 2007 | Veronica Mars Veronica Mars Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros... |
Apollo Bukenya | Episode: "I Know What You'll Do Next Summer" |
| Without a Trace Without a Trace Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:... |
Deng Nimieri | Episode: "Lost Boy" | |
| 2008–Present | True Blood True Blood True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana... |
Lafayette Reynolds | Regular Won Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Won Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series Nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Won Ewwy Award for best supporting actor in a Drama series Won NewNowNext Award for Brink of Fame: Actor NewNowNext Awards The first NewNowNext-Awards were held in 2008 by the gay and lesbian-themed network Logo.- 2008 :The nominees were announced by Cazwell and Amanda Lepore. Hosts were Candis Cayne and Colman Domingo... Nominated for a Scream Award for best supporting actor Scream Awards The Scream Awards is an award show dedicated to the horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genres of feature films. Originally only having Scream Queen and Heroic Performance awards for actors, the personnel awards have expanded to include actors and actresses of all three recognized genres. In addition,... |