Nelsan Ellis
| Nelsan Ellis | |
|---|---|
 Ellis in June 2009 |
|
| Born | c. 1978 Harvey, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor/Playwright |
| Years active | 2002–present |
Nelsan Ellis (born c. 1978) 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.
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[edit] Early and personal life
Ellis was born in Harvey, Illinois.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]
[edit] 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 Academy for best supporting actor in a television series for his role as Lafayette Reynolds in HBO's True Blood.[4]
- 2009 – NewNowNext Awards "Brink of Fame: Actor" award.[5]
- 2009 – Ewwy Award for "Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" for True Blood.
[edit] Nominations
- 2009 - Scream Award for "Best Supporting Actor" for True Blood.[6]
- 2011 - NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" for True Blood.
[edit] Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Lost | Hoffa | Short film |
| 2005 | Warm Springs | Roy Collier | TV movie |
| Trespass | Trespass | ||
| 2008 | The Express | Will Davis, Jr. | |
| 2009 | The Soloist | David Carter | |
| Talent | Titus | ||
| 2010 | Secretariat | Eddie Sweat | |
| 2011 | The Help | Henry the Waiter | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | The Inside | Carter Howard | 13 Episodes |
| 2007 | Veronica Mars | Apollo Bukenya | Episode: "I Know What You'll Do Next Summer" |
| Without a Trace | Deng Nimieri | Episode: "Lost Boy" | |
| 2008–Present | True Blood | 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 Nominated for a Scream Award for best supporting actor |
[edit] References
- ^ "'True Blood' actor Nelsan Ellis credits Thornridge teachers with on- and off-screen success." Retrieved on 2009-7-9.
- ^ Sharp, Dave."'True Blood's' Lafayette a glamorously shady character", "The Birmingham News", 2009-08-09. Retrieved on 2009-08-09.
- ^ Nelsan Ellis on True Blood’s Season of the Witches, Lafayette’s Mohawk, and Dodging the Marines. Retrieved on 2011-7-7.
- ^ "2008 13th Annual SATELLITE Awards Nominees". Retrieved on 2008-12-15.
- ^ "NewNowNext Awards: Who Won?". Retrieved on 2009-05-023.
- ^ "Scream 2009 Best Supporting Actor". Retrieved on 2009-09-01.
