Tim Blake Nelson: Difference between revisions

{{short description|American actor, director and writer (born 1964)}}

| occupation = Actor, director, writer{{flatlist|

Nelson was born to a [[American Jews|Jewish]] family<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aboutfilm.com/features/greyzone/feature.htm|title=Feature Article and Interviews - THE GREY ZONE (2001)|publisher=Aboutfilm.com|access-date=2014-07-July 15, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Bloom|first=Nate|title=Jewish stars: Whales, ghosts and 'Smash'|newspaper=[[Cleveland Jewish News]]|date=February 2, 2012|url=https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/archives/jewish-stars-whales-ghosts-and-smash/article_77b968c0-4dde-11e1-a4ef-0019bb2963f4.html|access-date=April 16, 2018}}</ref> in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]], the son of Ruth Nelson (''[[née]]'' Kaiser),<ref name="TW060509">Michael Smith, [http://www.tulsaworld.com/spot/article.aspx?subjectid=243&articleid=20090506_282_D10_Thenew625933 "Bloomer Sooner: Tulsa native Tim Blake Nelson's roots are showing"], ''[[Tulsa World]]'', May 6, 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishmuseum.net/other/images/muse.pdf|title=Star's Talents Return to Tulsa|access-date=2007-09-September 27, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001110522/http://www.jewishmuseum.net/other/images/muse.pdf|archive-date=October 1, 2011}}</ref> a noted Tulsa social activist and philanthropist, and Don Nelson, a geologist and [[wildcatter]].<ref>Tulsa Historical Society, [http://www.tulsahistory.org/hof/nelson.html 1999 Hall of Fame Inductee: Ruth K. Nelson] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126213615/http://www.tulsahistory.org/hof/nelson.html|date=2009-01-January 26, 2009}}, tulsahistory.org; accessed June 14, 2017.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/native-tulsan-featured-in-miniseries-tim-nelson-makes-leap-from/article_26a35455-cdb7-5ad9-853d-b7abf7c4a7cf.html|title=Native Tulsan Featured in Miniseries: Tim Nelson Makes Leap From Shakespeare to 'Dead Man's Walk'|first=Rita|last=Sherrow}}</ref> His maternal uncle is businessman [[George Kaiser]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jweekly.com/2015/08/06/celebrity-jews0807|title=Celebrity jews|author=Bloom, Nate|date=August 6, 2015|publisher=jweekly.com|access-date=April 16, 2018}}</ref>

His maternal grandparents Herman Geo. Kaiser and Kate Kaiser, daughter of businessman [[Max Samuel]], were from Germany, and escaped the [[Nazi]]s shortly before [[World War II]]. They moved to Britain in 1938,<ref name="Heinsohn 2022">Ulf Heinsohn, ''Max Samuel: a real mentsh, inventor, self-made-man / Menschenfreund, Erfinder, Selfmademan'', Scott Galliart (trlr.), Stiftung Begegnungsstätte für jüdische Geschichte und Kultur in Rostock / Max-Samuel-Haus (ed.), (= Schriften aus dem Max-Samuel-Haus; vol.&nbsp;15), Rostock: Hinstorff, 2022, page as indicated behind the footnote sign. ISBN 978-3-356-02380-0.</ref>{{rp|96seq.}} where Nelson's mother was born,<ref name="Heinsohn 2022" />{{rp|87seq.}}<ref>Stated on ''[[WTF with Marc Maron]]'', December 3, 2018</ref> and immigrated to the United States in 1941.<ref name=NPRgrey>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1152404|title=The Grey Zone|publisher=NPR|date=2002-10-October 26, 2002|access-date=2014-07-July 15, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bluntreview.com/reviews/blake.htm|title=Blunt Review: Film Reviews, Celebrity Interviews, Music Reviews with Web Celeb Emily Blunt|access-date=2007-09-September 27, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002031656/http://www.bluntreview.com/reviews/blake.htm|archive-date=October 2, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/o-brother-who-art-thou-a-_b_3001892|title=Jonathan Valania: O Brother Who Art Thou? A Q&A With Actor/Writer/Director Tim Blake Nelson|website=HuffPost|date=April 3, 2013-04-03|access-date=July 1, 2013-07-01}}</ref> His father's family were [[Russian Jews|Russian-Jewish]] emigrants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WT&p_theme=wt&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F6F9FF3E0B2D6ED&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=People adapt to 'Grey Zone' Jewish workers in Nazi camp|work=The Washington Times|access-date=2014-07-July 15, 2014}}</ref>

Nelson attended the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at [[Quartz Mountain Resort Arts and Conference Center]] in [[Lone Wolf, Oklahoma|Lone Wolf]], Oklahoma.<ref>Oklahoma Arts Institute, [http://oaiquartz.com/alumni/listing.cfm Alumni Listing] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825111930/http://www.oaiquartz.com/alumni/listing.cfm|date=2007-08-August 25, 2007|accessdate=January 21, 2009}}</ref>

Nelson is a 1982 graduate of [[Holland Hall School]] in Tulsa,<ref name="TW060509"/> and a graduate of [[Brown University]], where he was a classics major as well as senior orator for his class of 1986. At Brown, he studied under philosopher [[Martha Nussbaum]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/15/tim-blake-nelson-classics-nerd-brings-socrates-to-the-stage|title=Tim Blake Nelson, Classics Nerd, Brings "Socrates" to the Stage|last=Singer|first=Mark|magazine=The New Yorker|date=April 8, 2019-04-08|access-date=April 10, 2019-04-10|issn=0028-792X}}</ref> He is a member of the [[Phi Beta Kappa Society]]. He won the Workman/Driskoll award for excellence in classical studies.<ref>Kari Molvar, [https://web.archive.org/web/20011226063441/http://brownalumnimagazine.com/storydetail.cfm?ID=61 "Q&A: Tim Blake Nelson"], ''Brown Alumni Magazine'' (March/April 2001).</ref> He graduated from [[Juilliard]] in 1990, a member of [[List of Juilliard School people|Group 19]].<ref>[http://www.juilliard.edu/alumni/reflections_0603.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219080312/http://www.juilliard.edu/alumni/reflections_0603.html|date=December 19, 2010}}</ref>

Nelson has appeared as an actor in film, TV and theatre. He had a featured role as Delmar in the film ''[[O Brother, Where Art Thou?]]'' According to directors [[Coen brothers|Joel and Ethan Coen]], he was the only one in the cast or crew who had read [[Homer]]'s ''[[Odyssey]]'', a story upon which the film is loosely based.<ref>Romney, Jonathan. [http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,1083527,00.html "The Coen brothers: Double vision"], ''The Guardian'', May 19, 2000.</ref> He sang "[[In the Jailhouse Now]]" on the film's soundtrack (which received a [[Grammy]] Award for Album of the Year]] in 2002). He has had a number of supporting performances in feature films such as ''[[Holes (film)|Holes]]'', ''[[Minority Report (film)|Minority Report]]'', ''[[Syriana]]'' and ''[[Lincoln (film)|Lincoln]]''. He also appeared in [[Marvel Comics]] adaptations ''[[The Incredible Hulk (film)|The Incredible Hulk]]'' and ''[[Fantastic Four (2015 film)|Fantastic Four]]''. He portrayed Ralph Myers in the drama/legal drama ''[[Just Mercy]]'' (2019).

He has directed film versions of his plays ''[[The Grey Zone]]'' and ''[[Eye of God (film)|Eye of God]]'' (for which he received an [[Independent Spirit Awards]] nomination for the [[Someone to Watch Award]]), and directed two of his original screenplays: ''Kansas'' (1998) and ''[[Leaves of Grass (film)|Leaves of Grass]]'' (2009). He directed the film ''[[O (2001 film)|O]]'', based on ''[[Othello]]'' and set in a modern-day high school. For ''Eye of God'', he received the Tokyo Bronze Prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival (1997) and the American Independent Award at the Seattle International Film Festival (1997); for ''O'', the Best Director Award at the Seattle International Film Festival (2001); and for ''The Grey Zone'', the National Board of Review's Freedom of Expression Award (2002). Holocaust film historian [[Rich Brownstein]], in his 2021 book "[[Holocaust Cinema Complete: A History and Analysis of 400 Films, with a Teaching Guide]]," regards [[The Grey Zone]] as the finest Holocaust film ever made. Nelson is on the boards of directors of The Actors Center in New York City and the Soho Rep Theatre.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Roger Ebert's Film Festival - Filmmaker Guests|url=http://archive.ebertfest.media.illinois.edu/thirteen/bios.html|website=archive.ebertfest.media.illinois.edu|access-date=May 26, 2020}}</ref>

In 2018, Nelson played the title character in ''[[The Ballad of Buster Scruggs]]'', a western [[anthology]] film by [[Coen brothers|Joel and Ethan Coen]],<ref name="balladcast">{{cite news |last=Giroux |first=Jack |url= http://www.slashfilm.com/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-cast-includes-james-franco-tim-blake-nelson-zoe-kazan-and-more/ |title='The Ballad of Buster Scruggs' Cast Includes James Franco, Tim Blake Nelson, Zoe Kazan, and More |work=[[/Film]] |date=July 9, 2017 |access-date=November 22, 2018}}</ref> after receiving the original script 16 years prior, in 2002. The film was released on Netflix on November 16, after a limited theatrical run,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/coen-brothers-the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs-theatrical-release-venice-film-festival-1202923156/|title=Coen Brothers Confirm Theatrical Release for 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs'|last=Chu|first=Henry|date=August 31, 2018|work=Variety|access-date=November 22, 2018}}</ref> and received positive reviews,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_ballad_of_buster_scruggs/ | title = The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) | work = [[Rotten Tomatoes]] | date = 8 November 8, 2018 | publisher = [[Fandango Media]] | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181118010027/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_ballad_of_buster_scruggs/ | archive-date = November 18, 2018 | access-date = November 22, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs | title = The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Reviews | work = [[Metacritic]] | publisher = [[CBS Interactive]] | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181107001228/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs | archive-date = November 7, 2018 | access-date = November 22, 2018 }}</ref> with many highlighting Nelson's performance and his overall segment. He portrayed Ralph Myers in the drama/legal drama ''[[Just Mercy]]'' (2019). In January 2023, he joined the cast of ''[[Dune: Part Two]]''.,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/dune-part-2-casts-time-blake-nelson-1235292182/ |title=Tim Blake Nelson Joins Denis Villeneuve's 'Dune: Part 2' (Exclusive) |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |last=Kit |first=Borys |date=January 6, 2023 |access-date=January 6, 2023}}</ref> though his role was ultimately cut out of the film.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharf |first=Zack |date=March 4, 2024 |title=Denis Villeneuve Cut Two Actors From 'Dune 2' and One of Them Is 'Heartbroken'; No Deleted Scenes Will Be Released: 'When It's Not in the Movie, It's Dead' |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/dune-2-cut-actors-deleted-scenes-released-stephen-mckinley-henderson-1235929610/ |access-date=March 26, 2024 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

Nelson's play ''Socrates'' opened at [[The Public Theater]] in 2019, starring [[Michael Stuhlbarg]].<ref name="Schilling Review">{{cite magazine |last1=Schilling |first1=Mary Kay |title=Tim Blake Nelson's New Play Reveals How Socrates Predicted Donald Trump—And the Tyranny of Democracy. |url=https://www.newsweek.com/2019/05/03/tim-blake-nelson-1398692.html |access-date=13 May 13, 2019 |magazine=Newsweek |date=April 17, 1989}}</ref> It was favorably received by numerous publications, including the ''New York Times''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/16/theater/socrates-public-theater-review.html|title=Review: In 'Socrates,' a Brainy Tribute to a Prickly Provocateur|last=Collins-Hughes|first=Laura|date=June 2, 2019-06-02|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-06-June 16, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Nelson resides in New York City with his wife, Lisa Benavides, and their three sons.<ref name="TW060509"/> One of his sons is Henry Nelson, a film director who directed ''[[Asleep in My Palm]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2021/12/asleep-in-my-palm-tim-blake-nelson-to-produce-star-in-son-henrys-feature-1234882488/ |title=Tim Blake Nelson To Produce & Star In 'Asleep In My Palm', His Son Henry's Feature Directorial Debut |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |first=Matt |last=Grobar |date=December 1, 2021 |access-date=October 23, 2024}}</ref> On May 8, 2009, he was inducted as an honorary member of the [[University of Tulsa]]'s Beta of Oklahoma chapter of the [[Phi Beta Kappa]] national collegiate honor society.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://orgs.utulsa.edu/spcol/?p=4805|title=McFarlin Fellows Dinner: An Evening with Tim Blake Nelson|last=Murphy|first=Jennifer|date=2017-04-April 11, 2017|website=From McFarlin Tower|language=en-US|access-date=November 20, 2019|archive-11date=June 10, 2021|archive-20url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610111957/http://orgs.utulsa.edu/spcol/?p=4805|url-status=dead}}</ref> Nelson currently serves on the Board of Trustees of [[Bryn Mawr College]], the school from which his mother Ruth Nelson graduated in 1958.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ruth Nelson Obituary (1935 - 2023) - Tulsa, OK - Tulsa World |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/tulsaworld/name/ruth-nelson-obituary?id=38789187 |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=Legacy.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Board of Trustees |url=https://www.brynmawr.edu/about-college/college-leadership/board-trustees |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=www.brynmawr.edu |language=en}}</ref>

| ''KanasKansas''

| ''[[O (2001 film)|O]]''

| rowspan="34"|2017

| rowspan="65"|2021

| Also executive producer

| rowspan="23"| 2023

| Coy (voice)

| ''[[Dune:Bang Part Two]]Bang''

| rowspan="2" | 2025

|'' {{Pending film|[[Captain America: Brave New World]]''}}

| [[Leader (character)|Samuel Sterns / Leader ]]

| {{TableTBAPending film|On The End}}

| Chief Humphrey Magillahorn / [[Donald Sterling]] / TV<br>PBS Executive / XXX Film Director (voice)

| Episode: "The Race Is On"