Tommy Nelson (actor)

(Redirected from Thomas Daniel Nelson)


Thomas Daniel Nelson (born December 7, 1997) is an American actor. He is best known for his performances as Neil in the biopic My Friend Dahmer and Russell in The Cat and the Moon.

Tommy Nelson
Nelson in 2017
Born
Thomas Daniel Nelson

(1997-12-07) December 7, 1997 (age 26)
OccupationActor
Years active2006–present
Spouse
  • (m. 2023)

Career

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Nelson's film debut came in 2006 playing Edward Jr. Age 6–7 in Robert De Niro's, The Good Shepherd. In 2012, he played Nickleby, a Khaki Scout, in the coming-of-age film Moonrise Kingdom. Since then, he has transitioned into maturer roles beginning with his portrayal of Neil in My Friend Dahmer. He starred as Russell [1] in the drama film The Cat and the Moon, alongside his Dahmer costar Alex Wolff.

Outside of film, he has made guest appearances on television shows such as Gotham, Better Call Saul, and FBI.

During May to August 2019 he appeared alongside Taylor Hanks in the one-act play Fucknut (happy new year) written by Ryan Sans at Dixon Place[2] and 13th Street Repertory Theatre.[3]

Personal life

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Nelson was born in West Haven, Connecticut, and attended West Haven High School.[4] He played guitar in jazz band and was actively involved in theatre including productions of The Drowsy Chaperone[5] and The Laramie Project.[6] In 2015 he was the recipient of the Connecticut Association of Schools Fine Arts Award for the Music/Theatre Division.[7]

A Philadelphia Eagles fan, he played football during his senior year.[8] Growing up, his favorite player was Brian Dawkins.

From September 2015 to December 2017, he attended the Film, Television, Voice-overs, & Commercial Acting (FTVC) Pace University School of Performing Arts program.[9] He left in January 2018 to focus on acting.

Despite having naturally brown hair, Nelson admitted in an interview with BUILD Series that he kept his hair blonde and adopted the wardrobe of his character from The Cat and the Moon (joggers, sweatshirt, and a gold chain) for six months after filming ended.[10] This can be seen in his appearance on Better Call Saul.

Nelson began dating Alexanna Brier, [11] his Sour Honey co-star, in 2023. They married on September 11 of that year.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2006 The Good Shepherd Edward Wilson Jr. - Age 6-7
2007 The Ten Noah Jennings
And Then Came Love Horatio
Then She Found Me Jimmy Ray
2008 Quid Pro Quo Young Isaac Knott
2009 Offspring Luke Carey
2010 Meek's Cutoff Jimmy White
2011 The Woman Walter Uncredited
2012 Moonrise Kingdom Nickleby
2013 Mastodon Dan Short
2014 Night Has Settled Nick
2015 Solo Clay Short
2016 Barry Buzz
2017 My Friend Dahmer Neil Davis
2019 The Cat and the Moon Russell
2024 Sour Honey Rocky Short

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2006 Rescue Me Kid on Bus Episode: "Sparks"
2007 Dirty Sexy Money Young Brian Darling Sr. Episode: "Pilot"
Law & Order: Criminal Intent Clay Darren Jr. Episode: "Courtship"
2008 The Prince of Motor City Malcolm Television Film
2009 Possible Side Effects Ben Collins Television Film
2011 Mildred Pierce Newsboy Television Mini-Series "Part 1" & "Part 2"
2014 Boardwalk Empire Ned Episode: "Cuanto"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Gregory Miller Episode: "Producer's Backend"
2017 The Path Brian Episode: "Why We Source"
Gotham Brant Jones Episode: "A Dark Knight: A Day in the Narrows"
2018 Blindspot Cameron Episode: "Warning Shot"
Better Call Saul Rocco Episodes: "Quite a Ride" & "Piñata"
2019 FBI Ivan Childress Episode: "An Imperfect Science"
2022 The Righteous Gemstones Young Junior Marsh Episode: "I Speak in the Tongues of Men and Angels"
2024 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Travis Butler Episode: "Truth Embargo"

References

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  1. ^ "Film Review: 'The Cat and the Moon'". variety.com. October 24, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  2. ^ "Fucknut (happy new year) and Birds and Shit. A Night of one acts". dixonplace.org. May 17, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  3. ^ "Rogue Theater Presents... Fucknut (Happy new Year) By: Ryan Sans". dm.bpt.me. August 1, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  4. ^ "CAS Arts Awards Recipients". whhs.whschools.org. February 23, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  5. ^ "West Haven High School Theatre students prepare for Thursday's opening of 'The Drowsy Chaperone'". nhregister.com. April 28, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  6. ^ "West Haven High's fall play, 'The Laramie Project,' is serious stuff'". nhregister.com. November 20, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  7. ^ "Fine Arts students' work recognized at local exhibits, ceremonies". whschools.org. May 7, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  8. ^ "Tom Nelson 14-15 Varsity Football". maxpreps.com. November 27, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  9. ^ "Alumni, Faculty, & Student News". pace.edu. December 15, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  10. ^ "Tommy Nelson Kept Dressing As His Villainous Character In "The Cat and the Moon" Even After Wrapping". youtube.com. October 24, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  11. ^ "Alexanna Brier - IMDb". imdb.com. October 10, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
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