American actor Nelsan Ellis was well-known for his portrayal of ‘Lafayette Reynolds’ in the dark fantasy horror series ‘True Blood’. For his role in the program, Ellis received two Satellite Awards, one Ewwy Award, and one NewNowNext Award. In Robert Doherty’s procedural drama series ‘Elementary,’ he portrayed Shinwell Johnson, one of the main protagonists. Ellis was also an integral component of the mid-2000s American crime drama television series ‘The Inside’. Ellis had appeared in numerous feature films over the course of his fifteen-year acting career. He portrayed ‘Eddie Sweat’ in the biographical athletics drama film ‘Secretariat’ and ‘Martin Luther King, Jr. in the historical drama film ‘The Butler’. Despite his professional success, the actor had a troubled personal life. Raised by a single mother in destitution, he became an alcoholic, which ruined his life and ultimately led to his untimely death. He portrayed ‘Tyrik’ in his final film, ‘True to the Game’, which was released after his death.
Nelsan Ellis’s Career
In 2002, Nelsan Ellis debuted in the entertainment industry with a role in the short film ‘Lost’. Three years passed before he appeared as ‘Roy Collier’ in the television movie ‘Warm Springs’. He was offered the role of ‘Carter Howard’ in the American crime drama television series ‘The Inside’. Between 2005 and 2006, Ellis appeared in twelve episodes of the program. Guest-starred on ‘Veronica Mars’ and ‘Without a Trace’ as well.
In 2008, Ellis was offered a role that would later establish his acting credentials. The producers of the American dark fantasy horror television series ‘True Blood’ approached him to portray the part of ‘Lafayette Reynolds’. Ellis portrayed a fast-food cook who is also a narcotics dealer.
His character was initially killed at the beginning of the second chapter; however, the character’s notoriety compelled the producers to revive him, and he went on to become a series regular. According to him, he had to put on a lot of makeup to portray his bisexual character. It took him several episodes to fully grasp his character.
Ellis garnered the Satellite Award for the best-supporting actor from the International Press Academy in 2008, and the NewNowNext Award the following year. In addition, he received the Satellite Award for ‘Best Cast – Television Series’ as well as the Ewwy Award for best-supporting actor in a drama series.
Ellis portrayed ‘Eddie Sweat’ in the biographical athletics drama film ‘Secretariat’. The film was based on the life of the 1973 Triple Crown-winning racehorse Secretariat and starred John Malkovich and Diane Lane, among others. Alongside Riz Ahmed and Kate Hudson, he appeared in the 2012 political suspense film The Reluctant Fundamentalist. He portrayed ‘Martin Luther King, Jr. in the American historical drama film ‘The Butler’. Ellis appeared as ‘Jesse Fletcher’ in the 2015 thriller film ‘The Stanford Prison Experiment’.
Robert Doherty’s procedural drama series ‘Elementary’ featured Nelsan Ellis as one of the series’ principal protagonists. Dr. Watson’s former patient, an ex-convict and gang member Shinwell Johnson was portrayed by this actor. Between 2016 and 2017, Ellis participated in the program’s fifth season. Just before his death, Ellis had completed working in two films, ‘True to the Game’ and ‘Roxanne Roxanne’, which were released posthumously.
Nelsan’s Personal Life
Nelsan Ellis was born on November 30, 1977, in Harvey, Illinois, to Tommie Lee Thompson and Jackie Ellis. Ellis and his siblings were reared by their single mother after his parent’s divorce. He attended Jess Lanier High School and McAdory High School prior to enrolling at Dolton’s Thornridge High School.
The Juilliard School awarded him a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2004. He also graduated from Illinois State University. He was married and had two children, a son named Breon Ellis and an infant daughter at the time of his untimely demise.
Nelsan Ellis’s Death
Prior to his demise, Ellis struggled with alcoholism and was attempting to overcome his drinking problem. His family reported that he was suffering from alcohol withdrawal syndrome. On July 8, 2017, he perished of heart failure at the Woodhull Medical Center in New York; he was only 39 years old.
Estimated Net Worth
The estimated net worth of American actor Nelsan Ellis is $3 million. Born on November 30, 1978 in Hilton Harvey, Illinois, he received training at the Juilliard School in New York City and spent several years as a stage actor before achieving breakthrough success on television in 2008, when he secured the role of Lafayette Reynolds on the popular HBO vampire series True Blood.