Elimu Nelson (pronounced Ee-lii-muu, meaning knowledge and education in

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

) is an American actor. His latest film in which he has a major role is '' Love Don't Cost a Thing''. He has had supporting roles in movies such as ''

Dance Flick ''Dance Flick'' is a 2009 American musical comedy film directed by Damien Dante Wayans in his directorial debut and written by and starring many members of the Wayans family. The film was set for release in the United States on February 6, 2009, an ...

'', ''

Love & Sex ''Love & Sex'' is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Valerie Breiman. It stars Famke Janssen and Jon Favreau. Plot When her rather explicit article on oral sex is rejected, magazine journalist Kate Welles is told by her e ...

'', ''The Hard Easy,'' and ''Unspeakable''. He has made television guest-starring appearances on '' Pacific Blue'', ''

Undressed ''Undressed'' is an American anthology series that aired on MTV from July 26, 1999, to September 5, 2002. The series was created and executive produced by British director Roland Joffé. Synopsis The series follows the relationships (both rom ...

'', '' JAG'', ''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy i ...

'' and '' City of Angels'' and the TNT feature ''

Passing Glory ''Passing Glory'' is a 1999 basketball-drama film produced for TNT, written by Harold Sylvester, and directed by Steve James. It is based on a true story. This movie stars Andre Braugher, Rip Torn, and Sean Squire, and features a speaking rol ...

''.

Early life

Nelson was born in

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange (known simply as Orange) is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 34,447, an increase o ...

of African American descent, but raised in

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Milton is an immediate southern suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Milton is located in the relatively hilly ...

. The elder of two, he excelled in basketball and soccer at an early age. Elimu attended Milton High School and graduated in 1991. Elimu then graduated from

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

with a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication, with a concentration in African American Studies and Spanish. After graduation he made his way to Los Angeles after a brief stint in NYC. Upon arriving in LA he hit the ground running with some commercial work and guest appearances on television shows such as: '' Pacific Blue'', ''

'', '' JAG'', ''

'' and '' City of Angels''. He also guest starred in ''

The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...

'' as Derrick Tripp. He is currently working on future projects and living in Burbank, CA.

Filmography

*''

'' (1999) (TV)...Touché *''

'' (2000)...Jerome Davis *''What About Your Friends: Weekend Getaway'' (2002)...Nikko *''

'' (2002)...Derrick Tripp *'' Love Don't Cost a Thing'' (2003)...Dru Hilton *''The Hard Easy'' (2005)...Stephen McKinley *''

Final Destination 3 ''Final Destination 3'' is a 2006 American supernatural horror film produced and directed by James Wong, who co-wrote it with Glen Morgan. It is a standalone sequel to ''Final Destination 2'' (2003) and the third installment in the ''Final D ...

'' (2006) *'' Private Practice'' (2007) (TV)...Greg O'Brien - In Which Sam Receives an Unexpected Visitor... *''Unspeakable'' (2007)...Neal Knox *''

'' (2009)...Prison Guard * Fugue (2010)...Terry *'' The Game'' (2012) (TV)...Adisa Edwards - The Black People Episode *''

My Favorite Five My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Market ...

'' (2015)...Peter *''

Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American television sitcom, created by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, that aired on ABC for 11 seasons from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. The series follows the lives of three diverse but interrelated fa ...

'' (2015) (TV)...Officer Clemons - ''

The Big Guns "The Big Guns" is the twelfth episode of the sixth season of the American sitcom ''Modern Family'', and the series' 132nd episode overall. It originally aired on January 14, 2015. The episode was written by Vali Chandrasekaran and directed b ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Elimu Living people American male actors Basketball players from Essex County, New Jersey Guards (basketball) Actors from Orange, New Jersey Sportspeople from Orange, New Jersey Syracuse Orange men's basketball players American men's basketball players 1973 births 20th-century American sportsmen