Judd Nelson

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Judd Nelson
Jeanmarie Simpson and Judd Nelson.jpg
Judd Nelson with Jeanmarie Simpson
Born Judd Asher Nelson
(1959-11-28) November 28, 1959 (age 65)
Portland, Maine, United States
Alma mater Haverford College
Occupation Actor, producer, screenwriter
Years active 1983–present
Height 5'10" (1.78 m)

Judd Asher Nelson (born November 28, 1959) is an American actor, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for his roles as John Bender in The Breakfast Club, Alec Newbary in St. Elmo's Fire, Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime in The Transformers: The Movie and Transformers: Animated, Nick Peretti in New Jack City, Billy Beretti in Empire, and Jack Richmond in Suddenly Susan.[1][2]

Early life

Nelson was born in Portland, Maine, the son of Merle (née Royte), a court mediator and former member of the Maine state legislature, and Leonard Nelson, a corporate lawyer. His family is Jewish,[3] and his father was the first Jewish president of the Portland Symphony Orchestra.[4][5][6] He has two sisters, Eve and Julie. He went to school at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, and Waynflete School in Portland, Maine, and studied at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, leaving during his sophomore year. He subsequently moved to Manhattan to study acting with Stella Adler.[1][2]

Career

1980s

Nelson began acting in the mid-1980s, starring in Making the Grade (1984) and Fandango (1985), the latter in which he starred opposite a young Kevin Costner. It was his roles in John Hughes's The Breakfast Club (1985) and Joel Schumacher's St. Elmo's Fire (1985) - and his affiliation with the Brat Pack - that made Nelson a star (along with Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy). The St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion) music video - also directed by Joel Schumacher - reached #1 in the USA (1985) written by David Foster and John Parr and performed by John Parr; Nelson appears in the video.[7] A subsequent article in New York magazine, which focused primarily on the success of these films, resulted in the term "Brat Pack" being coined.[8]

In 1986 Nelson provided the voice of Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime in The Transformers: The Movie and teamed up with Breakfast Club alumna Ally Sheedy for a third time in Blue City. He also provided narration for Bill Couturie's Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam, a critically acclaimed war documentary that featured a cast including Tom Berenger, Robert De Niro, Willem Dafoe, and Matt Dillon. Film critic Roger Ebert praised the documentary, and it maintains a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[7][9] He starred opposite Burt Reynolds in the ABC Afterschool Special Shattered If Your Kid's On Drugs, which also featured Megan Follows and Dermot Mulroney. 1987 saw him starring in the Bob Clark courtroom comedy From the Hip, which co-starred John Hurt and Elizabeth Perkins; he also provided a stand-out performance in Billionaire Boys Club, a courtroom thriller based on actual events; his performance earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Mini-Series.[7] In the Fall of 1988 he played Konstantin in Chekhov's The Seagull directed by Charles Marowitz at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, earning praise as did the entire production.[10] Nelson closed the 1980s with the William Lustig thriller, Relentless (1989), in which he plays a Los Angeles serial killer being hunted by two cops (Robert Loggia and Leo Rossi); he provided a cameo in the Adam Rifkin road film Never on Tuesday (1989) along with Nicolas Cage, Cary Elwes, Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen; and appeared in Tommy Chong's Far Out Man (1989) with Rae Dawn Chong and C. Thomas Howell.[11][12]

Key TV roles in the 1980s included Moonlighting (1986) - episode Camille - in which he played a police officer opposite Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis.

1990s

Nelson began 1990s with a starring role opposite Max von Sydow in the World War II drama Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990); the film focused on the horror of the Hiroshima bombing; it co-stars Mako Iwamatsu and Pat Morita. In the Fall of 1990 he appeared on stage in Chicago and New York in Jules Feiffer's Carnal Knowledge with Jon Cryer.[13] He then worked for a second time with Adam Rifkin, this time starring in The Dark Backward (1991) with Bill Paxton; this quirky comedy also featured fellow actor Rob Lowe, as well as Lara Flynn Boyle, James Caan, and Wayne Newton; Nelson plays the worst comedian in stand-up comedy history. In 1991, he had a starring role in the Mario Van Peebles-directed New Jack City, an urban gangster film with Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Vanessa A. Williams, and Chris Rock; the film was a commercial success.[14] He then had a special guest appearance in the popular HBO TV series Tales from the Crypt - on the episode What's Cookin (1992) - with Christopher Reeve and Meat Loaf, followed by a starring role with Richard Jordan in the thriller Primary Motive (1992), and a similar role in Entangled (1993) opposite Pierce Brosnan, which was set in Paris.

In 1994 Nelson appeared with Steve Buscemi, Chris Farley and Adam Sandler in the comedy Airheads, with Gina Gershon in the psychological thriller Flinch, and with then partner Shannen Doherty in the thriller Blindfold: Acts of Obsession; he further wrote, produced, and starred in the thriller Every Breath in which he co-starred with Joanna Pacula. He headlined the Australian thriller, Blackwater Trail (1995), with Peter Phelps before receiving a starring role on the NBC television sitcom Suddenly Susan (1996), which saw success for a four-season run; this was followed by a starring role in the Shaquille O'Neal movie Steel (1997); the film also starred Annabeth Gish and Richard Roundtree (Steel was a commercial flop). Nelson wrapped up the 1990s with another urban gangster thriller, Light It Up (film) (1999), which featured an ensemble cast including R&B singer/actor Usher Raymond (in his first leading role), Rosario Dawson, Forest Whitaker, and Vanessa L. Williams; he also played Alan Freed in the latter's life story, Mr. Rock 'N' Roll: The Alan Freed Story (1999) opposite Mädchen Amick and Paula Abdul.[7][15]

2000s

In the 21st century, Nelson has appeared in such TV series as The Outer Limits (2000), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2006), CSI: NY (2007), Las Vegas (2007), Eleventh Hour (2008) as a psychologist researching soldiers returning from Iraq who suffer from Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Psych (2010), and a recurring role in Two and a Half Men (2010) with Charlie Sheen.

Films have included the Psychological thriller Cabin by the Lake (2000), its sequel Return to Cabin by the Lake (2001), and a cameo appearance in the 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back; the film's writer/director, Kevin Smith, had been a long-time fan of Nelson and the "Brat Pack" films.[16] In 2002 he co-starred with Lauren Holly in Santa, Jr. and reprised his role as John Bender in an episode of Family Guy (2007). Later, Nelson reprised his role of Rodimus Prime in Transformers Animated (2009) and appeared in The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009), the latter with Julie Benz, Billy Connolly, Sean Patrick Flanery, and Peter Fonda.

He portrayed Father Charley Lock on Brookwood Sleazebags (2010), a pilot he did for HBO.[7][17] In 2012, Nelson played the role of Headmaster Nash in the live-action feature film Bad Kids Go to Hell, based on the best-selling graphic novel of the same name. The same year, Nelson co-wrote and starred in the short film The Spin Room: Super Tuesday. Nelson reprised his role as Rodimus in Transformers: Animated and voiced Ben 10,000 and Eon in Ben 10 Omniverse.

In 2013 Nelson authored four books released on Kindle: "The Power of Speech", "Nine of Diamonds", "The Gig" and "Water Music".

Nelson played a pivotal role in the final season of Nikita.[18]

Popular culture

Nelson is frequently mentioned in relation to the 1980s due to the popularity of his early films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire (1985).[citation needed] Nelson appeared at the 2010 Academy Awards to pay tribute to the late John Hughes along with other cast members of Hughes' films.[19]
The character of Nelson Muntz on Matt Groening's animated series The Simpsons was said to be named after Nelson in honor of his portrayal of John Bender in The Breakfast Club.

As of 2015, Nelson is starring alongside Zimbabwean actress Chloe Traicos in the comedy The Death and Life of Johnny G. While Nelson had the experience the prior year of a fake news story claiming his death, this film is about an aging star who deliberately fakes his own death to gain publicity.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1982 Rock 'n' Roll Hotel Rocker Johnny
1984 Making the Grade Eddie Keaton
1985 The Breakfast Club John Bender Won - MTV Movie Silver Bucket of Excellence Award
1985 St. Elmo's Fire Alec Newbary
1985 Fandango Phil Hicks, Groover
1986 The Transformers: The Movie Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime Voice
1986 Blue City Billy Turner
1986 From the Hip Robin 'Stormy' Weathers
1989 Relentless Arthur 'Buck' Taylor
1990 Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes Pete Dunham Television movie
1991 New Jack City Nick Peretti
1991 The Dark Backward Marty Malt
1992 Primary Motive Andrew Blumenthal
1993 Conflict of Interest Gideon
1993 Entangled David
1994 Every Breath Jimmy Writer, producer
1994 Hail Caesar Prisoner One
1994 Airheads Jimmie Wing
1994 Flinch Harry Mirapolsky
1994 Blindfold: Acts of Obsession Dr. Jannings Television movie
1994 Caroline at Midnight Phil Gallo
1995 Circumstances Unknown Paul Kinsey Television movie
1995 Blackwater Trail Matt
1996 For a Few Lousy Dollars Hitman
1997 Steel Nathaniel Burke
1999 Mr. Rock 'n' Roll: The Alan Freed Story Alan Freed Television movie
1999 Light It Up Ken Knowles
2000 Endsville Rufus the Buck-Toothed Sluggard
2000 Falcon Down Harold Peters
2000 Cabin by the Lake Stanley Television movie
2000 The Spiral Staircase Phillip Warren Television movie
2000 The New Adventures of Spin and Marty: Suspect Behavior Jack Hulka Television movie
2001 Strange Frequency Martin Potter Television movie
2001 Lost Voyage Aaron Roberts Television movie
2001 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Sheriff
2001 Return to Cabin by the Lake Stanley Television movie
2001 Dark Asylum Quitz
2001 The Cure for Boredom Max
2002 Cybermutt Alex Television movie
2002 Deceived Jack Jones
2002 Santa Jr. Darryl Bedford Television movie
2003 White Rush Brian Nathanson
2004 Ray Music Producer
2005 Lethal Eviction Shep
2005 The Lost Angel Father Brian
2005 Three Wise Guys George Television movie
2006 Black Hole Eric Television movie
2007 Netherbeast Incorporated Steven P.D. Landry
2007 Nevermore Jonathon Usher
2007 The Kidnapping Glen Television movie
2008 The Caretaker Ella's dad[20]
2008 Infected Malcolm Burgess Television movie
2008 The Day the Earth Stopped Charlie
2009 Dirty Politics Billy
2009 A Single Woman Jewish reporter
2009 Little Hercules in 3-D Kevin
2009 The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day Concezio Yakavetta
2010 The Terror Experiment (Fight or Flight) Agent Wilson
2010 Endure Emory Lane
2010 Mayor Cupcake Donald Maroni
2011 Cancel Christmas Santa / Chris Frost Television movie
2012 Bad Kids Go to Hell Headmaster Nash
2013 Last Chance Holiday Glenn Cartwell
2013 Down and Dangerous Charles Nominated - Maverick Movie Award
2014 Nurse 3D Dr. Morris
2014 Bigfoot Wars Dr. Smith
2014 Private Number Sheriff Stance
2016 Billionaire Boys Club Ryan Hunt Filming
2017 Cojot Narrator In development

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1986 Moonlighting Policeman Episode: "Camille"
1987 Billionaire Boys Club Joe Hunt 2 episodes
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
1992 Tales from the Crypt Gaston Episode: "What's Cookin'"
1996–1999 Suddenly Susan Jack Richmond 71 episodes
2000 The Outer Limits Harry Longworth Episode: "Something About Harry"
2006 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Mick Sheridan Episode: "Time of Your Death"
2007 Las Vegas Ollie Episode: "Fleeting Cheating Meeting"
2007 CSI: NY Cigarette Company Executive Episode: "The Ride In"
2006 Family Guy John Bender Episode: "Meet the Quagmires"
2009 Phineas & Ferb The Guru Episode: "Bubble Boys"
2009 Transformers Animated Rodimus Prime Episode: "TransWarped Part 1"
2010 Psych Dr. Steven Reidman Episode: "Death Is in the Air"
2010 Two and a Half Men Chris 2 episodes
2013–2014 Ben 10: Omniverse Eon/Ben 10,000 5 episodes
2013 Nikita Ronald Peller 2 episodes
2015–present Empire Billy Beretti 4 episodes

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Nelson, Judd, Biography: True Story Website [accessed 20.04.12]
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nelson, Judd, Internet Movie Database [accessed 20.04.12]
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Film Reference.com.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Nelson, Judd, The Internet Movie Database [accessed] 20.04.12
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Ebert, Roger, Rotten Tomatoes Websire [accessed] 20.04.12
  10. ↑ Sullivan, Dan, Los Angeles Times, STAGE REVIEW : 'Seagull' Is a Flight of Caring, Knowing October 10, 1988
  11. ↑ Rifkin, Adam, Never on Tuesday, The Internet Movie Database [accessed] 20.04.12
  12. ↑ Cong, Tommy, Far Out Man, The Internet Movie Database [accessed] 29.12.12
  13. ↑ Theatre World 1990-1991, edited by John Willis. p. 61
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Steel, Rotten Tomatoes [accessed] 20.04.12
  16. ↑ Steve Spears, 'That's Mr. Nelson to you' in the Tampa Bay Times, November 28, 2006.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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