Tim Blake Nelson

Biography

Timothy Blake Nelson (born May 11, 1964) is an American actor and playwright. Described as a "modern character actor, his roles include Delmar O'Donnell in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), Gideon in Minority Report (2002), Doctor Steve Pendanski in Holes (2003), Doctor Jonathan Jacobo in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), Danny Dalton Jr. in Syriana (2005), Samuel Sterns in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Richard Schell in Lincoln (2012), the titular character of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), and Henry McCarty in Old Henry (2021). He portrayed Wade Tillman / Looking Glass in the HBO limited series Watchmen (2019), for which he received a Critics' Choice Television Awards nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2020.

Nelson's directorial credits include Eye of God (1997), which was nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and an Independent Spirit Award; O (2001), a modern-day adaptation of Othello; and the Holocaust drama The Grey Zone (2001). Eye of God and The Grey Zone were both adapted from Nelson's own plays. Nelson has also co-directed music videos for Billy Woods and Kenny Segal, including "Babylon by Bus" and "Soft Landing." He also co-directed the music video for Armand Hammer feat. Pink Siifu's "Trauma Mic."

Nelson recently published his debut novel, City of Blows (2023), an epic group portrait of four men grappling for control of a script in a radically changing Hollywood.

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CritifyHub Reviews Featuring Tim Blake Nelson

Truth’s Price Tag: The Unyielding Spirit of Kill the Messenger

on Kill the Messenger | Aug 05, 2025

What happens when one journalist’s truth shakes the foundations of power? Kill the Messenger (2014), directed by Michael Cuesta, doesn’t just tell the story of Gary Webb it thrusts you into his relent... Read more

Shadows of Solitude: The Quiet Power of Old Henry

on Old Henry | Jul 18, 2025

In Old Henry (2021), director Potsy Ponciroli crafts a Western that sidesteps the genre’s bombast, opting instead for a meditative exploration of identity and isolation. The film’s strength lies in it... Read more