Tim Blake Nelson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tim Blake Nelson
Nelson at the 2016 Fantastic Fest
Born	Timothy Blake Nelson (1964-05-11) May 11, 1964 (age 61) Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Education	Brown University (BA) Juilliard School (GrDip)
Years active	1989–present
Spouse(s)	Lisa Benavides ​ (m. 1994)​
Children	3

Timothy Blake Nelson (born May 11, 1964) is an American actor, director, and writer. He is known as a "modern character actor," which means he is skilled at playing a wide variety of unique and interesting characters.

You might recognize him from some of his famous roles. He played Delmar O'Donnell in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), Dr. Pendanski in Holes (2003), and Dr. Jonathan Jacobo in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004). He also played Samuel Sterns in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a character who later becomes the supervillain The Leader.

More recently, he starred as the main character in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) and played Looking Glass in the TV series Watchmen (2019). Besides acting, Nelson also directs movies and has written plays and a novel.

Early Life and Education

Nelson was born into a Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His mother, Ruth Nelson, was a well-known social activist in Tulsa. His father, Don Nelson, was a geologist and a wildcatter (someone who drills for oil in areas not known to have any).

His mother's parents were from Germany and left just before World War II. They moved to Great Britain, where Nelson's mother was born, and then came to the United States in 1941. His father's family were Russian-Jewish immigrants.

Nelson graduated from Holland Hall School in Tulsa in 1982. He then went to Brown University, where he studied classics. After Brown, he studied acting at the famous Juilliard School and graduated in 1990.

Career

Acting in Movies and TV

Nelson with Ahna O'Reilly in 2012

Nelson has appeared in many movies, TV shows, and plays. One of his most famous roles was Delmar in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? The movie is loosely based on Homer's ancient Greek poem, the Odyssey. The directors, the Coen brothers, said Nelson was the only person on set who had actually read the poem. He even sang "In the Jailhouse Now" for the movie's soundtrack, which won a Grammy Award.

He has played memorable supporting characters in many other films. These include Holes, Minority Report, Syriana, and Lincoln. He has also appeared in several movies based on Marvel Comics, including The Incredible Hulk and Fantastic Four. He returned to his role as Samuel Sterns in Captain America: Brave New World.

In 2018, Nelson played the title character in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, a western movie by the Coen brothers. He had received the script for his part 16 years earlier, in 2002. His performance in the film was highly praised by critics.

On television, he played Wade Tillman, also known as Looking Glass, in the HBO series Watchmen. He has also guest-starred in shows like Modern Family and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and has done voice work for the animated show Big City Greens.

Directing and Writing

Nelson is also a talented director and writer. He has directed several films, including O, which is a modern version of Shakespeare's play Othello set in a high school.

He also directed movies based on his own plays, such as Eye of God and The Grey Zone, a drama about the Holocaust. For his directing, he has won several awards at film festivals. In 2023, he published his first novel, called City of Blows.

Personal Life

Nelson lives in New York City with his wife, Lisa Benavides, and their three sons. One of his sons, Henry Nelson, is a film director.

In 2009, the University of Tulsa made him an honorary member of the Phi Beta Kappa society, a prestigious academic honor society.

Selected Filmography

This is a list of some of Tim Blake Nelson's most well-known movies and TV shows.

Key

Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Tim Blake Nelson para niños