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Nelsan Ellis

Nelsan Ellis(November 30, 1977 – July 8, 2017)[1]was an American actor. He achieved critical acclaim for his portrayal ofLafayette Reynoldsin theHBOtelevision seriesTrue Blood(2008–2014), for which he won aSatellite Awardfrom theInternational Press Academy,among other accolades.[2]He also starred asShinwell JohnsoninElementaryfrom 2016 to 2017,[3]and played a variety of guest roles on television.[4]

Nelsan Ellis
Ellis in 2009
Born(1977-11-30)November 30, 1977
Harvey, Illinois,U.S.
DiedJuly 8, 2017(2017-07-08)(aged 39)
New York City, U.S.
Education
OccupationActor
Years active2002–2017
Children2

In addition to his television work, Ellis appeared in several feature films throughout his career. He portrayedEddie Sweatin theDisneysports dramaSecretariat(2010), wasMartin Luther King Jr.inLee Daniels'sThe Butler(2013), and wasBobby Byrdin the 2014James BrownbiopicGet on Up.His final acting role was inTrue to the Game,which was released posthumously.[5]

Early life

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Ellis was born inHarvey, Illinois,[6]nearChicago,the son of Jackie Ellis and Tommie Lee Thompson.[7][8]When Ellis and his siblings were young, their mother, a single parent after her divorce,broke downafter the death of her brother. Ellis and his siblings becamewards of the state,and later were raised inBessemer, Alabama,by their maternal grandmother. He was diagnosed withdyslexiain second grade.[9]

In Alabama, Ellis attended Jess Lanier High School for a year and transferred toMcAdory High School.[10]He moved back toIllinoisat age 15, where he lived with his maternal aunt. In 1997 he graduated fromThornridge High SchoolinDolton, Illinois.[11]

He joined theUnited States Marine Corpsat the age of 17.[12]Following this, Ellis attendedIllinois State University.[13]

In 2000, at the age of 22, he was accepted for enrollment at theJuilliard School,[12]where he befriendedRutina Wesley,later a colleague in the seriesTrue Blood.[14]Ellis earned aBachelor of Fine Artsdegree from Juilliard in 2004.[15]

Career

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Ellis began his acting career in the early 2000s, with a role in theshort filmLost.In 2005, he starred in thetelevision filmWarm Springs.From 2005 to 2006, he played the recurring role of Carter Howard in the television seriesThe Inside.He followed this up with guest roles inVeronica MarsandWithout a Trace,both in 2007.

Ellis at the International Comic-Con San Diego withRyan Kwanten,Deborah Ann Woll,Anna Paquin,Rutina Wesley,andStephen Moyerto promoteTrue Bloodin 2011.

In mid-2007, Ellis was cast asLafayette Reynoldsin the pilot forTrue Blood,as a short-order cook at Merlotte's Bar & Grill, a drug dealer, a member ofJason Stackhouse's road crew, andTara Thornton's cousin. The pilot was shot in the early summer of 2007 and was officially ordered to series in August.[16]Production on the series began later that fall.[17]

In casting Lafayette Reynolds,Alan Ballhad concerns because the character'shomosexualitywould be a dominating trait. He said "you don't want to bring in someone who's going to play that in a phony way".[18]Nelsan Ellis said that it took him a few episodes to find the character.[19]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.[18]He toldThe 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.

True Bloodpremiered on September 7, 2008, and concluded on August 24, 2014, comprising seven seasons and 80 episodes.[20][21]In 2008, Ellis received aSatellite Awardfrom theInternational Press Academyfor best supporting actor in a television series for his role as Lafayette Reynolds.[22]In 2009, he was nominated for aScream Awardfor Best Supporting Actor.[23]In 2011, he won theNAACP Image Awardfor Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance inTrue Blood.[24]

Ellis also performed in several feature films; his early roles includeThe Express: The Ernie Davis Story(2008) andThe Soloist(2009). In 2010, he portrayedEddie Sweatin theDisneysports dramaSecretariat.[25]

In 2012, Ellis was cast asMartin Luther King Jr.in a supporting performance inLee Daniels'The Butler.[26][27]The Butlerreceived mostly positive reviews from critics, with a 71% rating on thefilm criticaggregate siteRotten Tomatoes,based on 171 reviews.[28]

The following year, Ellis joined the cast ofGet on Up,abiographicaldrama filmabout the life of singerJames Brown.He portrayedBobby Byrd,Brown's longtime friend.[29]Get on Upwas met with positive reviews from critics.[30]

From 2016 to 2017, Ellis starred asShinwell Johnsonin the TV seriesElementary.[3]His character dies near theend of Season 5.The first episode to air after Ellis' death,the season 6 premiere,ended with the screen "In Memory of Our Friend Nelsan Ellis". His final acting role was inTrue to the Game,which was released posthumously.[5]

Death

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Ellis died at the age of 39 on July 8, 2017, inWoodhull Medical Centerin Brooklyn, New York.[31][32][33]His family released a statement on July 10, 2017, saying that he had an ongoing struggle with drug and alcohol abuse. He had been reluctant to talk to anyone about his addiction because of his sense of shame. In the days prior to his death, Ellis was attempting to withdraw from alcohol on his own; he was hospitalized due to serious complications fromalcohol withdrawal syndrome,which resulted in his death.[34][35][36]Ellis was survived by his son, Breon Ellis.[37]

Awards and nominations

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Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2002 Lost Hoffa Short film
2005 Trespass Donny Short film
2008 The Express: The Ernie Davis Story Will Davis Jr.
2009 The Soloist David Carter
2009 Talent Titus
2010 Secretariat Eddie Sweat
2011 The Help Henry the Waiter
2012 The Reluctant Fundamentalist Wainwright
2013 Page 36 Writer and Director Short film
2013 The Butler Martin Luther King Jr.
2013 Gods Behaving Badly Dionysus
2014 Get On Up Bobby Byrd
2015 The Stanford Prison Experiment Jesse Fletcher
2016 Little Boxes Mack Burns
2017 True to the Game Tyrik Dedicated in his memory
2018 Roxanne Roxanne Mr. Lester Posthumous release

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2005 Warm Springs Roy Collier Television film
2005–2006 The Inside Carter Howard 12 episodes
2007 Veronica Mars Apollo Bukenya Episode: "I Know What You'll Do Next Summer"
2007 Without a Trace Deng Nimieri Episode: "Lost Boy"
2008–2014 True Blood Lafayette Reynolds Regular; 80 episodes
WonSatellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
WonSatellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series
Nominated for aScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
WonEwwy Awardfor best supporting actor in a Drama series
WonNewNowNext Award for Brink of Fame: Actor
Nominated for aScream Award for best supporting actor
2015 RuPaul's Drag Race Himself, Guest Judge Episode: "Conjoined Queens"
2016–2017 Elementary Shinwell Johnson Main character; 11 episodes

References

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  1. ^"Nelsan Ellis".Yahoo! TV. Archived fromthe originalon August 13, 2012.RetrievedMarch 14,2012.
  2. ^Hipes, Patrick (July 10, 2017)."Nelsan Ellis' Family Shares Circumstances Of 'True Blood' Actor's Death – Update".Deadline.RetrievedMarch 21,2018.
  3. ^ab"Why Elementary Went With That Shocking Death".CINEMABLEND.May 8, 2017.RetrievedMarch 21,2018.
  4. ^"'True Blood' Actor Nelsan Ellis Dies at 39 ".EW.RetrievedMarch 21,2018.
  5. ^ab"Actor Nelsan Ellis' final role in upcoming film 'True to the Game' (trailer)".Rolling Out.July 9, 2017.RetrievedMarch 21,2018.
  6. ^Herrmann, Andrew (November 22, 2008)."'True Blood' actor Nelsan Ellis credits Thornridge teachers with on- and off-screen success ".Chicago Sun-Times.Archived fromthe originalon January 6, 2010.RetrievedJuly 9,2009.Ellis, now 30
  7. ^"True Blood actor Nelsan Ellis died due to alcohol-withdrawal complications",Hollywood Reporter
  8. ^"Chicagoan Nelsan Ellis starred in True Blood; dies at 39",Chicago Sun-Times
  9. ^Wallace, Jane."Nelsan Ellis: Actor, Dyslexic".The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity.RetrievedMarch 29,2016.
  10. ^Sharp, Dave (August 9, 2009)."'True Blood's' Lafayette a glamorously shady character ".The Birmingham News.RetrievedAugust 9,2009.
  11. ^Castro, Danilo (July 8, 2017)."Nelsan Ellis Cause of Death: How Did the 'True Blood' Actor Die?".Heavy.RetrievedJuly 21,2017.
  12. ^abGopala, Nisha (July 7, 2011)."Nelsan Ellis on True Blood's Season of the Witches, Lafayette's Mohawk, and Dodging the Marines".RetrievedJuly 7,2011.
  13. ^"National Tournament Results – National Forensic Association".sites.google.
  14. ^"Alumni News".The Juilliard School.May 2008. Archived fromthe originalon November 11, 2011.RetrievedApril 6,2012.
  15. ^"Juilliard School Newsletter".September 6, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon July 18, 2012.RetrievedApril 6,2012.
  16. ^Schneider, Michael (August 9, 2007)."HBO rolls with Ball's 'True Blood'".Daily Variety.RetrievedMarch 20,2008.
  17. ^Mitovitch, Matt Webb (August 10, 2007)."True BloodVampire Saga Tests Positive at HBO ".TV Guide.RetrievedAugust 17,2008.
  18. ^abHiltbrand, David."Actor brings extended life to 'True Blood' character".The Philadelphia Inquirer.Archived fromthe originalon August 9, 2010.RetrievedAugust 20,2010.
  19. ^Rhett, Starrene (June 28, 2010)."Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette) Talks 'True Blood,' Gay Marriage, Tyler Perry".Vibe Magazine.RetrievedAugust 20,2010.
  20. ^"HBO Renews True Blood for Seventh Season".Daily Dead. July 15, 2013.RetrievedJuly 15,2013.
  21. ^The Screen Spy Team (September 3, 2013)."True Blood to End its Run in 2014".Screen Spy.
  22. ^ab"2008 13th Annual SATELLITE Awards Nominees".International Press Academy. Archived fromthe originalon December 18, 2008.RetrievedDecember 15,2008.
  23. ^ab"Scream 2009 Best Supporting Actor"ArchivedSeptember 2, 2009, at theWayback Machine.Retrieved on September 1, 2009.
  24. ^ab"Nelsan Ellis".TV Fanatic.July 9, 2017.RetrievedJuly 21,2017.
  25. ^Patterson, John (November 27, 2010)."Secretariat is simply Seabiscuit reconfigured for the Tea Party set".the Guardian.RetrievedMarch 21,2018.
  26. ^Nordyke, Kimberly (May 7, 2013)."'The Butler' Trailer: Oprah Winfrey Plays 'Proud' Wife to Forest Whitaker (Video) ".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedMay 10,2013.
  27. ^Labrecque, Jeff (May 8, 2013)."'The Butler': The new trailer showcases Oscar-winning actors tackling history – VIDEO ".PopWatch (column).Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedMay 10,2013.
  28. ^"Lee Daniels' The Butler(2013) ".Rotten Tomatoes.August 16, 2013.RetrievedAugust 16,2013.
  29. ^Gallagher, Brian (October 21, 2013)."Nelsan Ellis Joins the James Brown Biopic Get on Up".movieweb.Archived fromthe originalon December 24, 2013.RetrievedDecember 23,2013.
  30. ^"Get on Up (2014)".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedJuly 31,2014.
  31. ^Parker, Ryan (July 8, 2017)."'True Blood' Star Nelsan Ellis Dies at 39 ".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedJuly 8,2017.
  32. ^"True Blood star Nelsan Ellis dies aged 39".BBC.July 8, 2017.RetrievedJuly 9,2017.
  33. ^Calfas, Jennifer (2017)."True Blood Star Nelsan Ellis Dies at 39".Time.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
  34. ^Parker, Ryan (July 10, 2017)."Nelsan Ellis' Family Shares Circumstances of 'True Blood' Actor's Death".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedJuly 10,2017.
  35. ^Gonzalez, Sandra (July 10, 2017)."Nelsan Ellis struggled with addiction before death".CNN.RetrievedJuly 10,2017.
  36. ^Kelley, Seth (July 10, 2017)."Nelsan Ellis' Family Shares Details About 'True Blood' Star's Cause of Death".Variety.RetrievedJuly 21,2017.
  37. ^Parker, Ryan (July 10, 2017)."Nelsan Ellis' Family Shares Circumstances of 'True Blood' Actor's Death????".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedMay 31,2021.
  38. ^Riley, Jenelle."Interview: Sweat and Tears, Too".Backstage.RetrievedAugust 7,2017.
  39. ^"NewNowNext Awards: Who Won?".Retrieved on May 23, 2009.
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