Thomas Daniel Nelson (born December 7, 1997) is an American actor. He is best known for his performances as Neil in the biopic ''

My Friend Dahmer ''My Friend Dahmer'' is a 2012 graphic novel and memoir by artist John "Derf" Backderf about his teenage friendship with Jeffrey Dahmer, who later became a serial killer. The book evolved from a 24-page, self-published version by Backderf in 20 ...

'' and Russell in '' The Cat and the Moon''.

Career

Nelson's film debut came in 2006 playing Edward Jr. Age 6–7 in Robert De Niro's, '' The Good Shepherd''. In 2012, he played Nickleby, a Khaki Scout, in the

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

film ''

Moonrise Kingdom ''Moonrise Kingdom'' is a 2012 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson, written by Anderson and Roman Coppola, and starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, ...

''. Since then, he has transitioned into maturer roles beginning with his portrayal of Neil in ''My Friend Dahmer''. He starred as Russell in the

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film ''The Cat and the Moon'', alongside his ''Dahmer'' costar Alex Wolff. Outside of film, he has made guest appearances on television shows such as '' Gotham'', ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–201 ...

'', and ''

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

''. During May to August 2019 he appeared alongside Taylor Hanks in the one-act play ''Fucknut (happy new year)'' written by Ryan Sans at Dixon Place and 13th Street Repertory Theatre.

Personal life

Nelson was born in

West Haven, Connecticut West Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located on the coast of Long Island Sound. The city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, South Central Connecticut Planning Region. At the 2 ...

, and attended West Haven High School. He played guitar in jazz band and was actively involved in theatre including productions of ''The Drowsy Chaperone'' and ''The Laramie Project''. In 2015 he was the recipient of the Connecticut Association of Schools Fine Arts Award for the Music/Theatre Division. A

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

fan, he played football during his senior year. Growing up, his favorite player was Brian Dawkins. From September 2015 to December 2017, he attended the Film, Television, Voice-overs, & Commercial Acting (FTVC)

Pace University Pace University is a private university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, United States. It was established in 1906 as a business school by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace. Pace enrolls about ...

School of Performing Arts program. He left in January 2018 to focus on acting. Despite having naturally brown hair, Nelson admitted in an interview with BUILD Series that he kept his hair blonde and adopted the wardrobe of his character from ''The Cat and the Moon'' (joggers, sweatshirt, and a gold chain) for six months after filming ended. This can be seen in his appearance on ''Better Call Saul''. Nelson began dating Alexanna Brier, his ''Sour Honey'' co-star, in 2023. They married on September 11 of that year.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Thomas Daniel Living people 21st-century American male actors Male actors from Connecticut American male child actors American male film actors 1997 births