JUDD NELSON
Name: Judd Asher Nelson
Born: 28 November 1959 Portland, Maine, United States
Judd Asher Nelson (born November 28, 1959) is an American actor. He was perhaps
best known for playing the rebellious John Bender in the 1985 cult classic The
Breakfast Club.
Nelson was born in Portland, Maine, the son of Merle, a court mediator and
former member of the Maine state legislature, and Leonard Nelson, an attorney
who was the first Jewish president of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. He
has two sisters, Eve and Julie. He went to school at St. Paul's School in
Concord, New Hampshire, and studied at Haverford College in Pennsylvania,
leaving part way through his sophomore year. He subsequently moved to Manhattan
where he studied with Stella Adler.
Nelson was one of the 1980s "Brat Pack", starring in such films as Joel
Schumacher's St. Elmo's Fire and John Hughes' The Breakfast Club (which was his
most popular role as rebel "John Bender"), as well as providing the voice of Hot
Rod/Rodimus Prime in Transformers: The Movie. He also starred in a film titled
Making the Grade and co-starred alongside a young Kevin Costner in the road-rip
movie Fandango (1985 film). He starred in a play called Temple with Ron Rifkin
in New York in 1988.
Following his starring role in The Breakfast Club, Nelson's career failed to
take off in a big way, as several of his films, including Blue City (co-starring
Breakfast Club alumna Ally Sheedy) and From the Hip, performed poorly at the box
office, and he played a serial killer in Relentless. His career lost momentum
for a time, and in the 1990s he appeared in urban-themed dramas such as New Jack
City and Light It Up. However, in 1996 he received a starring role on the NBC
television sitcom Suddenly Susan, which saw enormous success for a four-season
run. Nelson made a cameo appearance in the 2001 film, Jay and Silent Bob Strike
Back; the film's writer and director, Kevin Smith, had been a long time fan of
Nelson and the "Brat Pack" movies. Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, Nelson
mostly appeared in television roles and lower-budget films, although he also
acts on stage.
Nelson also recently appeared in the television show CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation as a friend of a murder victim.
Nelson plays the host in a spoof on Fear Factor in National Lampoon's TV: The
Movie. It's called The Real Fear Factor.
Name: Judd Asher Nelson
Born: 28 November 1959 Portland, Maine, United States
Judd Asher Nelson (born November 28, 1959) is an American actor. He was perhaps
best known for playing the rebellious John Bender in the 1985 cult classic The
Breakfast Club.
Nelson was born in Portland, Maine, the son of Merle, a court mediator and
former member of the Maine state legislature, and Leonard Nelson, an attorney
who was the first Jewish president of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. He
has two sisters, Eve and Julie. He went to school at St. Paul's School in
Concord, New Hampshire, and studied at Haverford College in Pennsylvania,
leaving part way through his sophomore year. He subsequently moved to Manhattan
where he studied with Stella Adler.
Nelson was one of the 1980s "Brat Pack", starring in such films as Joel
Schumacher's St. Elmo's Fire and John Hughes' The Breakfast Club (which was his
most popular role as rebel "John Bender"), as well as providing the voice of Hot
Rod/Rodimus Prime in Transformers: The Movie. He also starred in a film titled
Making the Grade and co-starred alongside a young Kevin Costner in the road-rip
movie Fandango (1985 film). He starred in a play called Temple with Ron Rifkin
in New York in 1988.
Following his starring role in The Breakfast Club, Nelson's career failed to
take off in a big way, as several of his films, including Blue City (co-starring
Breakfast Club alumna Ally Sheedy) and From the Hip, performed poorly at the box
office, and he played a serial killer in Relentless. His career lost momentum
for a time, and in the 1990s he appeared in urban-themed dramas such as New Jack
City and Light It Up. However, in 1996 he received a starring role on the NBC
television sitcom Suddenly Susan, which saw enormous success for a four-season
run. Nelson made a cameo appearance in the 2001 film, Jay and Silent Bob Strike
Back; the film's writer and director, Kevin Smith, had been a long time fan of
Nelson and the "Brat Pack" movies. Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, Nelson
mostly appeared in television roles and lower-budget films, although he also
acts on stage.
Nelson also recently appeared in the television show CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation as a friend of a murder victim.
Nelson plays the host in a spoof on Fear Factor in National Lampoon's TV: The
Movie. It's called The Real Fear Factor.