James Nelson-Joyce

Nelson-Joyce was born to a working-class family from Walton, Liverpool.[3] He left school without qualifications,[1] not realising at the time that he was dyslexic,[2] however, following advice from his English Teacher, Miss Griffiths,[4] who recognised his potential for acting,[1] encouraging him to study at the The City of Liverpool College.[5]

Nelson-Joyce's first notable role in 2017, was playing the teenage gang member James Yates,[4] who provided the gun that killed 11-year-old Rhys Jones in the ITV Liverpool based drama Little Boy Blue.[1][6] In 2019, James was the lead in the Lena Headey directed BAFTA Nominated short film The Trap.[4]

In 2020, he co-starred with Maisie Williams in the Lena Headey directed music video Miracle by Madeon.[7]

In 2021, he starred in six episodes of the BBC Bristol based crime comedy series The Outlaws,[8] in a cast that included Christopher Walken, Stephen Merchant and Eleanor Tomlinson.[2] The same year, He worked with Stephen Graham and Sean Bean,[1] playing bullying convict Johnno in the Jimmy McGovern directed BBC prison drama Time.[8] James Nelson-Joyce is known for playing the tough guy or villainous characters.[3]

In 2023, he continued in this role as Brian Reader in 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery series The Gold, also starring Hugh Bonneville, Dominic Cooper, Charlotte Spencer, Jack Lowden, Tom Cullen, and Emun Elliott.[9] and in the Sky Max 1980's British family gangster series A Town Called Malice as an enemy of the Lord family.[4] The same year, he made a very brief appearance in Guy Ritchie's The Covenant alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Alexander Ludwig.[4] In October 2023, James shot the feature film Reputation, playing the lead role of Wes.[10]

• James Nelson-Joyce at IMDb
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