Judd Nelson

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Judd Nelson as John Bender in The Breakfast Club

Judd Asher Nelson (born November 28, 1959 in Portland, Maine) is an American actor and writer. He is best known for playing as the rebellious stoner John Bender in 1985 cult classic "The Breakfast Club".

1 Early life
2 Career
3 Private life
4 Selected filmography
5 External links

[edit] Early life

Nelson was born in Portland, Maine to Jewish American parents Leonard Nelson (an attorney) and Merle (an attorney and Maine state legislator); 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.

[edit] Career

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, as well as providing the voice of Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime in Transformers: The Movie. He was an enormously popular personality during the "Brat pack" era. It is for his roles in "St. Elmo's Fire" and "The Breakfast Club" that he is best known.

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" alumnus Ally Sheedy) and From the Hip, performed poorly at the box office. 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.

[edit] Private life

Nelson has dated Faye Resnick, as well as actresses Kelly Stafford and Shannen Doherty, to whom he was also engaged. He currently lives in Los Angeles. Nelson has no children but a dog named Talula Bighead.

[edit] Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Other notes
2006	Black Hole	Eric
2006	Nevermore	Jonathon Usher
1999	Light It Up	Ken Knowles
1994	Airheads	Jimmie Wing
1991	New Jack City	Nick Peretti	The Dark Backward Marty Malt
1989	Relentless	Arthur 'Buck' Taylor
1987	From the Hip	Robin 'Stormy' Weathers
1986	Transformers: The Movie	Hot Rod (Transformers)/Rodimus Prime
1986	Blue City	Billy Turner
1985	St. Elmo's Fire	Alec Newbary
1985	The Breakfast Club	John Bender
1985	Fandango	Phil Hicks, Groover
1984	Making the Grade	Eddie Keaton