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Nelsan Ellis

Nelsan Ellis

Actor · Died July 8, 2017, aged 39 · Harvey, Illinois, USA

Nelsan Ellis (born c. 1978) was an award-winning American film and television actor and playwright, perhaps best known as Lafayette Reynolds on HBO's True Blood. He died on July 8, 2017, in Los Angeles, California, from complications with heart failure at the age of 39. Description above from the Wikipedia article Nelsan Ellis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. ​

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 30, 1977
Died
July 8, 2017 (aged 39)
From
Harvey, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
16 on MovieCove · 19 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Down 23% in 30 days

What are Nelsan Ellis' films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
37%
Bonds
29%
Society
17%
Power
8%
Survival
8%
Morality
2%
Prejudice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 8 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 7 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 1 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 5

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

5 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 3 of 5 analyzed roles.

Ally
3 of 5
Hero
1 of 5
Trickster
1 of 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Hopeful
4
Melancholic
4
Triumphant
3
Contemplative
3
Other
8

How their films linger

Bittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Nelsan Ellis' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Nelsan Ellis' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

19 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • True to the Game(2017)

    as Tyrik

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Little Boxes(2016)

    as Mack

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Roxanne Roxanne(2017)

    as Mr. Lester

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Stanford Prison Experiment(2015)

    as Jesse Fletcher

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Get on Up(2014)

    as Bobby Byrd

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Gods Behaving Badly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Dionysus

  • The Butler(2013)

    as Martin Luther King Jr.

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Reluctant Fundamentalist(2012)

    as Wainwright

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Elementary(2012)

    Show 12 episodes · as Shinwell Johnson

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The Help(2011)

    as Henry The Waiter

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Secretariat(2010)

    as Eddie Sweat

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Page 36 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Story

  • The Soloist(2009)

    as David Carter

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Express(2008)

    as Will Davis, Jr.

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • True Blood(2008)

    Show 80 episodes · as Lafayette Reynolds

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • The Inside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 13 episodes · as Carter Howard

  • Warm Springs(2005)

    as Roy Collier

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Veronica Mars(2004)

    Show 1 episode · as Apollo Bukenya

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Without a Trace(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Luol Nimieri

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 96th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 19 titles from 2002 to 2017; peak year 2014.

Biggest box office

Secretariat (2010)

$60M worldwide

Highest rated

The Express (2008)

Midcredits 87th

Most popular right now

Elementary (2012)

Film career

20022017

Peak 2014 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting18 of 19: 18 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score81stDirecting1 of 19: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting1 of 19: 0 only writing, 1 with another role

By decade

2000s7 · acting2010s12 · 11 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 6th · top billed in 0% of 11 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Nelsan Ellis' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 75th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · actor

True to the Game (2017)

87th percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Help (2011)

Midcredits 98th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the acting 76/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 56. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Nelsan Ellis' work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles44–80 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles10–60 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles29–92 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles42–67 · median 45 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles41–79 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.