Age, Biography and Wiki

Nelsan Ellis was born on 30 November, 1978 in Harvey, Illinois, U.S., is an American actor (1978–2017). Discover Nelsan Ellis's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 38 years old?

Popular As N/A
Occupation Actor
Age 38 years old
Zodiac Sign Sagittarius
Born 30 November 1978
Birthday 30 November
Birthplace Harvey, Illinois, U.S.
Date of death 8 July, 2017
Died Place New York City, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 30 November. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 38 years old group.

Nelsan Ellis Height, Weight & Measurements

At 38 years old, Nelsan Ellis height is 1.78 m .

Physical Status
Height 1.78 m
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Not Available
Sibling Not Available
Children 2

Nelsan Ellis Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Nelsan Ellis worth at the age of 38 years old? Nelsan Ellis’s income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. He is from United States. We have estimated Nelsan Ellis's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income Actor

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Timeline

1978

Nelsan Ellis (November 30, 1978 – July 8, 2017) was an American actor.

1997

In 1997 he graduated from Thornridge High School in Dolton, Illinois.

He joined the United States Marine Corps at the age of 17, but quit not long afterward.

Following this, Ellis attended Illinois State University.

2000

In 2000, at the age of 22, he was accepted for enrollment at the Juilliard School, where he befriended Rutina Wesley, later a colleague in the series True Blood.

Ellis began his acting career in the early 2000s, with a role in the short film Lost.

2004

Ellis earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Juilliard in 2004.

2005

In 2005, he starred in the television film Warm Springs. From 2005 to 2006, he played the recurring role of Carter Howard in the television series The Inside. He followed this up with guest roles in Veronica Mars and Without a Trace, both in 2007.

2007

In mid-2007, Ellis was cast as Lafayette Reynolds in the pilot for True Blood, as a short-order cook at Merlotte's Bar & Grill, a drug dealer, a member of Jason Stackhouse's road crew, and Tara Thornton's cousin.

The pilot was shot in the early summer of 2007 and was officially ordered to series in August.

Production on the series began later that fall.

In casting Lafayette Reynolds, Alan Ball had concerns because the character's homosexuality would be a dominating trait.

He said "you don't want to bring in someone who's going to play that in a phony way".

Nelsan Ellis said that it took him a few episodes to find the character.

Ellis has said that he based many of Lafayette's mannerisms on his mother and his sister, and that the costuming also helped him to get into character.

He told The Philadelphia Inquirer:

"I have more makeup on than any of the females in the cast. Once they get me with the fake eyelashes and the eye makeup, I listen to some Rihanna and I'm there."

2008

He achieved critical acclaim for his portrayal of Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO television series True Blood (2008–2014), for which he won a Satellite Award from the International Press Academy, among other accolades.

True Blood premiered on September 7, 2008, and concluded on August 24, 2014, comprising seven seasons and 80 episodes.

In 2008, Ellis received a Satellite Award from the International Press Academy for best supporting actor in a television series for his role as Lafayette Reynolds.

Ellis also performed in several feature films; his early roles include The Express: The Ernie Davis Story (2008) and The Soloist (2009).

2009

In 2009, he was nominated for a Scream Award for Best Supporting Actor.

2010

He portrayed Eddie Sweat in the Disney sports drama Secretariat (2010), was Martin Luther King Jr. in Lee Daniels's The Butler (2013), and was Bobby Byrd in the 2014 James Brown biopic Get on Up.

His final acting role was in True to the Game, which was released posthumously.

Ellis was born in Harvey, Illinois, near Chicago, the son of Jackie Ellis and Tommie Lee Thompson.

When Ellis and his siblings were young, their mother, a single parent after her divorce, broke down after the death of her brother.

Ellis and his siblings became wards of the state, and later were raised in Bessemer, Alabama, by their maternal grandmother.

He was diagnosed with dyslexia in second grade.

In Alabama, Ellis attended Jess Lanier High School for a year and transferred to McAdory High School.

He moved back to Illinois at age 15, where he lived with his maternal aunt.

In 2010, he portrayed Eddie Sweat in the Disney sports drama Secretariat.

2011

In 2011, he won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in True Blood.

2012

In 2012, Ellis was cast as Martin Luther King Jr. in a supporting performance in Lee Daniels' The Butler.

The Butler received mostly positive reviews from critics, with a 71% rating on the film critic aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 171 reviews.

The following year, Ellis joined the cast of Get on Up, a biographical drama film about the life of singer James Brown.

He portrayed Bobby Byrd, Brown's longtime friend.

Get on Up was met with positive reviews from critics.

2016

He also starred as Shinwell Johnson in Elementary from 2016 to 2017, and played a variety of guest roles on television.''

In addition to his television work, Ellis appeared in several feature films throughout his career.

From 2016 to 2017, Ellis starred as Shinwell Johnson in the TV series Elementary. His character dies near the end of Season 5.