Judd Nelson
Judd Nelson | |
|---|---|
| File:JohnBenderTBC.JPG Nelson as John Bender in The Breakfast Club | |
| Born | Judd Asher Nelson |
Judd Asher Nelson (born November 28, 1959 in Portland, Maine) is an American actor and writer. He is best known for playing the rebellious John Bender in 1985 cult classic The Breakfast Club.
Early life
Nelson was born in Portland, Maine to Jewish American parents Leonard Nelson (an attorney) and Merle (an attorney and Maine state legislator); he has two sisters, Eve and Julie. He went to school at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, and studied at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, leaving part way through his sophomore year. He subsequently moved to Manhattan where he studied with Stella Adler.
Career
Nelson was one of the 1980s "Brat Pack", starring in such films as Joel Schumacher's St. Elmo's Fire and John Hughes' The Breakfast Club, as well as providing the voice of Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime in Transformers: The Movie. He was an enormously popular personality during the "Brat Pack" era. It is for his roles in St. Elmo's Fire and The Breakfast Club that he is best known.
Following his starring role in The Breakfast Club, Nelson's career failed to take off in a big way, as several of his films, including Blue City (co-starring Breakfast Club alumna Ally Sheedy) and From the Hip, performed poorly at the box office. His career lost momentum for a time, and in the 1990s he appeared in urban-themed dramas such as New Jack City and Light It Up.
However, in 1996 he received a starring role on the NBC television sitcom Suddenly Susan, which saw enormous success for a four-season run. Nelson made a cameo appearance in the 2001 film, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back; the film's writer and director, Kevin Smith, had been a long time fan of Nelson and the "Brat Pack" movies. Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, Nelson mostly appeared in television roles and lower-budget films, although he also acts on stage.
Judd Nelson also recently appeared in the television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as a friend of a murder victim.
Private life
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Nelson has dated Faye Resnick, as well as American actress Shannen Doherty. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
Nelson has no children but, for many years, had a dog named Tallulah Bighead (deceased).
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
| 2007 | Netherbeast Incorporated | Steven P.D. Landry |
| 2007 | A Single Woman | Jewish reporter |
| 2007 | Little Hercules in 3-D | Kevin |
| 2006 | Black Hole | Eric |
| 2006 | Nevermore | Jonathon Usher |
| 2001 | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back | Chief of Police |
| 1999 | Light It Up | Ken Knowles |
| 1997 | Steel | Nathaniel Burke |
| 1994 | Airheads | Jimmie Wing |
| 1991 | New Jack City | Nick Peretti |
| 1991 | The Dark Backward | Marty Malt |
| 1989 | Relentless | Arthur 'Buck' Taylor |
| 1987 | From the Hip | Robin 'Stormy' Weathers |
| 1986 | Transformers: The Movie | Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime |
| 1986 | Blue City | Billy Turner |
| 1985 | St. Elmo's Fire | Alec Newbary |
| 1985 | The Breakfast Club | John Bender |
| 1985 | Fandango | Phil Hicks, Groover |
| 1984 | Making the Grade | Eddie Keaton |
1986, Judd Nelson portrayed Joe Hunt in the NBC miniseries, Billionaire Boys Club. A group of rich kids banded together in a get rich quick scheme that didn't turn out exactly as planned. Ron Levin, a con artist who tricked the BBC out of $4,000,000 was one of the people murdered by the Billionaire Boys Club, in attempts to fund raise from the deceased persons' estates.
External links
- Breakfast Club cast interview at the Chicago Tribune (February 17, 1985)
- Collection of interviews
- Judd Nelson at IMDb