Tim Blake Nelson

Early life

Nelson was born to a Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Ruth Nelson (née Kaiser), a noted Tulsa social activist and philanthropist, and Don Nelson, a geologist and wildcatter. His maternal uncle is businessman George Kaiser.

His maternal grandparents Herman Geo. Kaiser and Kate Kaiser, daughter of businessman Max Samuel, were from Germany, and left Germany shortly before World War II. They moved to Britain in 1938, where Nelson's mother was born, and immigrated to the United States in 1941. His father's family were Russian-Jewish emigrants.

Nelson attended the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain Resort Arts and Conference Center in Lone Wolf, Oklahoma.

Nelson is a 1982 graduate of Holland Hall School in Tulsa, 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. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa society. He won the Workman/Driskoll award for excellence in classical studies. He graduated from Juilliard in 1990, a member of Group 19.

Career

Nelson's debut play, Eye of God, was produced at Seattle Repertory Theatre in 1992. The Grey Zone premiered at MCC Theater in New York in 1996, where his 1998 work Anadarko was produced. He was a co-star of the sketch comedy show The Unnaturals, which ran on HA! (later CTV, and would turn into Comedy Central) between 1989 and 1991, alongside Paul Zaloom, John Mariano and Siobhan Fallon Hogan.

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 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. 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, Minority Report, Syriana and Lincoln. He also appeared in Marvel Comics adaptations The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, and Captain America: Brave New World.

Nelson narrated the 2001 audiobook At the Altar of Speed: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. He appeared on stage extensively off-Broadway in New York at theatres including Manhattan Theater Club, Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Class Company, Soho Repertory Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, and Central Park's Open Air Theater in the Shakespeare plays Richard III, Troilus and Cressida, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

He has directed film versions of his plays The Grey Zone and 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 (2009). He directed the 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). Nelson is on the boards of directors of The Actors Center in New York City and the Soho Rep Theatre.

Nelson guest-starred on the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation season 10 episode "Working Stiffs". In the episode "My Brother's Bomber" (aired September 29, 2015) of the PBS investigative series Frontline, he talked about the loss of his friend David Dornstein in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

In 2018, Nelson played the title character in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, a western anthology film by Joel and Ethan Coen, after receiving the original script 16 years prior, in 2002. The film was released on Netflix on November 16, after a limited theatrical run, and received positive reviews, 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, though his role was ultimately cut out of the film.

Playwright

Nelson's play Socrates opened at The Public Theater in 2019, starring Michael Stuhlbarg. It was favorably received by numerous publications, including the New York Times.

Personal life

Nelson resides in New York City with his wife, Lisa Benavides, and their three sons. One of his sons is Henry Nelson, a film director who directed Asleep in My Palm. 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. Nelson currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Bryn Mawr College, the school from which his mother Ruth Nelson graduated in 1958.

Works

Film

Television

Plays written

• Eye of God (1992)
• The Grey Zone (1996)
• Anadarko (1998)
• Socrates (2019)
• And Then We Were No More (2025)

Novels

• City of Blows (2023)
• Superhero: A Novel (2025)

Video games

Music videos

References

References

1. (October 5, 2021). "Tim Blake Nelson reflects on his most memorable roles, from 'Buster Scruggs' to 'Watchmen'".
2. "Feature Article and Interviews - THE GREY ZONE (2001)". Aboutfilm.com.
3. Bloom, Nate. (February 2, 2012). "Jewish stars: Whales, ghosts and 'Smash'". [[Cleveland Jewish News]].
4. 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.
5. "Star's Talents Return to Tulsa".
6. Tulsa Historical Society, [http://www.tulsahistory.org/hof/nelson.html 1999 Hall of Fame Inductee: Ruth K. Nelson] {{webarchive. link. (January 26, 2009, tulsahistory.org; accessed June 14, 2017.)
7. Sherrow, Rita. "Native Tulsan Featured in Miniseries: Tim Nelson Makes Leap From Shakespeare to 'Dead Man's Walk'".
8. Bloom, Nate. (August 6, 2015). "Celebrity jews". jweekly.com.
9. 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. 15), Rostock: Hinstorff, 2022, page as indicated behind the footnote sign. ISBN 978-3-356-02380-0.
10. Stated on ''[[WTF with Marc Maron]]'', December 3, 2018
11. (October 26, 2002). "The Grey Zone". NPR.
12. "Blunt Review: Film Reviews, Celebrity Interviews, Music Reviews with Web Celeb Emily Blunt".
13. (April 3, 2013). "Jonathan Valania: O Brother Who Art Thou? A Q&A With Actor/Writer/Director Tim Blake Nelson".
14. "People adapt to 'Grey Zone' Jewish workers in Nazi camp". The Washington Times.
15. Oklahoma Arts Institute, [http://oaiquartz.com/alumni/listing.cfm Alumni Listing] {{webarchive. link. (August 25, 2007)
16. Singer, Mark. (April 8, 2019). "Tim Blake Nelson, Classics Nerd, Brings "Socrates" to the Stage".
17. 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).
18. [http://www.juilliard.edu/alumni/reflections_0603.html] {{webarchive. link. (December 19, 2010)
19. (February 5, 2015). "The Unnaturals - TV Series - 1989". hollywood.com.
20. Romney, Jonathan. [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/may/19/culture.features "The Coen brothers: Double vision"], ''The Guardian'', May 19, 2000.
21. Laman, Lisa. (2025-02-15). "Captain America: Brave New World Star Tim Blake Nelson Once Played Another Marvel Villain You Forgot About".
22. "Roger Ebert's Film Festival - Filmmaker Guests".
23. "My Brother's Bomber". pbs.org.
24. Giroux, Jack. (July 9, 2017). "'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs' Cast Includes James Franco, Tim Blake Nelson, Zoe Kazan, and More". [[/Film]].
25. Chu, Henry. (August 31, 2018). "Coen Brothers Confirm Theatrical Release for 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs'". Variety.
26. (November 8, 2018). "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)". [[Fandango Media]].
27. "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Reviews". [[CBS Interactive]].
28. Kit, Borys. (January 6, 2023). "Tim Blake Nelson Joins Denis Villeneuve's 'Dune: Part 2' (Exclusive)".
29. Sharf, Zack. (March 4, 2024). "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'".
30. (April 17, 1989). "Tim Blake Nelson's New Play Reveals How Socrates Predicted Donald Trump—And the Tyranny of Democracy.".
31. Collins-Hughes, Laura. (June 2, 2019). "Review: In 'Socrates,' a Brainy Tribute to a Prickly Provocateur". The New York Times.
32. Grobar, Matt. (December 1, 2021). "Tim Blake Nelson To Produce & Star In 'Asleep In My Palm', His Son Henry's Feature Directorial Debut".
33. Murphy, Jennifer. (April 11, 2017). "McFarlin Fellows Dinner: An Evening with Tim Blake Nelson".
34. "Ruth Nelson Obituary (1935 - 2023) - Tulsa, OK - Tulsa World".
35. "Board of Trustees".
36. Galuppo, Mia. (2024-08-07). "Tim Blake Nelson on Becoming a Veteran Boxer in 'Bang Bang' and Returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe".
37. Grobar, Matt. (2024-07-29). "Tim Blake Nelson, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, Lois Smith, Anna Chlumsky & More To Star In Drama 'On The End' From Filmmaker Ari Selinger".
38. Maglio, Tony. (May 13, 2025). "FX Sets Premiere Dates for ‘The Bear’ Season 4, ‘Alien: Earth’ and Sterlin Harjo’s ‘The Lowdown’".
39. (May 5, 2023). "billy woods & Kenny Segal - Soft Landing (Official Video)".
40. (May 26, 2023). "billy woods & Kenny Segal - Babylon by Bus feat. ShrapKnel (Official Video)".
41. (August 2, 2023). "Armand Hammer - Trauma Mic feat. Pink Siifu (Official Video)".
42. (June 7, 2024). "Shrapknel "Deep Space 9 Millie Pulled A Pistol" [OFFICIAL VIDEO]".