Nelsan ellis was gay
Actor Nelsan Ellis died from complications related to heart failure on Saturday. Optimal known for his portrayal of Lafayette Reynolds in HBO’s True Blood, the Juilliard graduate brought one of the first authentic portrayals of a gay character of tint to the small screen. For me, a same-sex attracted black boy who grew up in South Carolina, Lafayette’s visibility was especially meaningful. His work shined a light on the intersectionality of my retain struggles.
Born in Illinois in 1977, Ellis was raised in Alabama by his relatives until age 15. From there he cycled through Chicago, unified and dropped out of the Marines, before finally starting his studies. He attended Illinois State University and Juilliard. While at Juilliard, he wrote Ugly, a semi-autobiographical engage that ended up winning him the Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award. That accolade would eventually be joined by two Satellite awards, two NAACP Image Award nominations, and an ensemble SAG Award nomination—all for his seven seasons as Lafayette.
For many, the character of Lafayette Reynolds is finest boiled down to one pivotal scene. That clip, shared widely on social media in the rouse of Ellis’s d
Nelsan Ellis Wife: Was the ‘True Blood’ Actor Married?
Elementary actor Nelsan Ellis has died. The former True Blood star was just 39 years vintage. The news was confirmed by his manager, Emily Gerson Saines.
“Nelsan passed away after complications with heart failure. He was a great talent. And his words and presence will be forever missed,” Saines said in a statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Ellis was notoriously private when it came to his personal life. Since he played a gay character on the popular vampire fantasy series True Blood, fans contain speculated about the actor’s sexuality. In past interviews, Ellis had been asked about this speculation and, back in 2010, Vibe caught up with him and he addressed the topic.
“I don’t answer that doubt, ‘Are you homosexual or not,’ when it comes down to industry people. But if it’s a regular person asking me, that just says that maybe I’m doing a good job. But when a casting director or an agent asks me that question it takes on a deeper thing that says, ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this unless you are that,'” Ellis told Vibe.
In brief, Ellis was not gay. In proof, he had a wife,
Hooker, you left way too soon.
I imagine that’s what True Blood’sLafayette Reynolds would say about the untimely death of Nelsan Ellis, the actor who created him. Ellis, a 2004 Juilliard graduate, died of heart failure at age 39, his manager said Saturday.
On True Blood, which aired on HBO from 2008 to 2014, Ellis brought to existence one of the most vital depictions of queerness on television, in a series that bubbled with crazy camp improbabilities. His short-order cook who moonlighted as a drug and vampire blood dealer was enticing and bawdy, femme and butch, learned and country AF. He was unlock and unapologetic about his admire of sex and the male form while living in the tiny fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana — the type of place where it’s not necessarily safe to be queer , or black, and certainly not both at the same time.
As Lafayette, Ellis expanded the country’s collective imagination of what a queer black man could peek, sound and act like, starting just months before California passed Proposition 8, which banned lgbtq+ marriage, and years before President Barack Obama announced an “evolution” in his thinking about male lover rights. And for queer ebony people, he
20 Facts About Nelsan Ellis | Accurate Blood
Nelsan Ellis was an American clip and television performer who became skillfully known for his role in the HBO series True Blood as Lafayette Reynolds.
He was one of my favorite characters from True Blood, and it’s a shame he died at such a young age.
Here are 20 truths about Nelsan Ellis.
Nelsan Ellis was born November 30, 1978, which makes his star sign Sagittarius.
He died on July 8, 2017, in Los Angeles due to heart defeat. He was only 39 years old.
Nelsan Ellis was born in Harvey, Illinois, United States.
He stood at 5′ 10″ tall (1.78m).
He was a Christian.
At age 6, he moved to Bessemer, Alabama with his mother.
During this time, Nelsan’s sister, who was pregnant, was murdered by her husband when he shot her point-blank with a sawed-off shotgun. This happened in-front of Nelsan’s six-year-old nephew.
At age 15, Nelsan moved to Dolton, Illinois to attend Thornridge Sky-high School.
He graduated from Thornridge High College in 1997.
At the age of 17, he joined the United States Marines, although quit shortly after.
When Ellis was 21, he was accepted for enrollment at the Juilliard School’s Drama