In 2009, he was nominated for a Scream Award for “Best Supporting Actor” for True Blood.In 2012, Ellis was cast as Martin Luther King, Jr. in a supporting performance in Lee Daniels’ The Butler. The pilot was shot in the early summer of 2007 and was officially ordered to series in August. In 2014, the film had a rating of 80% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 150 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10.The Curate feature allows you to create custom lists for your school, organization, business or personal use. The Butler received mostly positive reviews from critics, with a 71% rating on the film critic aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 171 reviews.On October 21, 2013, Ellis joined the cast of Get on Up, a biographical drama film about the life of singer James Brown. He is also survived by his siblings Lakeeia Thomson, Tommie Lee Thompson, Babon Ellis, Maurice Turne, Tianna Thompson, Shaentika Beard and Yvonne Ellis and aunt Tartheaia Thompson. Nelsan Ellis says that it took him a few episodes to find the character. Nelsan Ellis (November 30, 1977 – July 8, 2017) was an American film and television actor and playwright.He played Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO series True Blood and Bobby Byrd in the 2014 James Brown biopic Get on Up. He portrayed In Alabama, Ellis attended Jess Lanier High School for a year and transferred to In 2000, at the age of 22, he was accepted for enrollment at the Ellis began his acting career in the early 2000s, with a role in the I have more makeup on than any of the females in the cast. Ellis later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Juilliard in 2004.In 2007, Ellis was cast as Lafayette Reynolds in the pilot for True Blood, as a short order cook at Merlotte’s, a drug dealer, a member of Jason Stackhouse’s road crew, and Tara Thornton’s cousin. Nelsan Ellis (November 30, 1977 – July 8, 2017) was an American actor and playwright.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. Following this, Ellis attended Illinois State University.In 2000, at the age of 22, he was accepted for enrollment at Juilliard, where he befriended True Blood colleague Rutina Wesley. 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. When Ellis and his siblings were younger, their mother, a single parent after her divorce from her husband, broke down over the death of her brother. Once they get me with the fake eyelashes and the eye makeup, I listen to some Rihanna and I'm there.Ellis has also performed in several feature films; his early roles include In Alabama, Ellis attended Jess Lanier High School for a year, then transferred to McAdory High School. He made his 3 million dollar fortune with The Help, The Butler, True Blood. Ellis says 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.The series premiered on September 7, 2008, and concluded on August 24, 2014, comprising seven seasons and 80 episodes. Nelsan Ellis' Tragic Final Instagram Posts.
Siblings Tianna Thompson, Lakeeia Thomson, Yvonne Ellis, Shaentika Beard, Alice Nellis (Sisters), Tommie Lee Thompson, Maurice Turne, Babon Ellis (Brothers) In his famous role as Lafayette on the HBO blockbuster vampire saga 'True Blood', Nelsan Ellis is undeniably charismatic and entertaining, the series premiered in the from 2008 to 2014 and was already a certified and award-winning hit. Ellis is survived by his grandmother, Alex Brown; his father, Tommie Lee Thompson; and his son, Breon Ellis. Former True Blood star Nelsan Ellis' family says his heart failure death was brought on by alcohol withdrawal.
... Nelsan was a gentle, generous and kind soul. Production on the series began later that fall.In casting, Alan Ball had concerns that the character’s homosexuality would be a dominating trait, “because you don’t want to bring in someone who’s going to play that in a phony way”. The 39-year-old actor died on Saturday at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. He moved back to Illinois at age 15, where he lived with his maternal aunt, and in 1997 he graduated from Thornridge High School in Dolton, Illinois.He joined the United States Marines at the age of 17, but quit not long afterwards. In addition to his television work, Ellis appeared in several feature films throughout his career. He portrayed Bobby Byrd, Brown’s long-time friend. Ellis was born in Harvey, Illinois, near Chicago. Nelsan Ellis played lovable character Lafayette on the HBO vampire series 'True Blood.' The actor is married to Tiffany Snow, his starsign is Sagittarius and he is now 41 years of age. They were then raised in Bessemer, Alabama, by their grandmother.