About
Judd Asher Nelson (born November 28, 1959) is an American actor. His roles include Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime in The Transformers: The Movie, John Bender in The Breakfast Club, Alec Newbury in St. Elmo’s Fire, Alex in Cybermutt, Joe Hunt in Billionaire Boys Club, Nick Peretti in New Jack City, Billy Beretti in Empire, and Jack Richmond in the television series Suddenly Susan.
Nelson was born in Portland, Maine, the son of Merle (née Royte), a court mediator and former member of the Maine House of Representatives, and Leonard Nelson, a corporate lawyer. He grew up in a Conservative Jewish home, although his family did not keep kosher. His father 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 Waynflete School. While at St Paul’s School, an Episcopalian school, he started embracing his Jewish identity after experiencing antisemitism. He studied at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, leaving during his sophomore year. He subsequently moved to Manhattan to study acting with Stella Adler.
Nelson began acting in the mid-1980s, starring in Making…
Born On This Day
Bio and photo via Wikipedia, used under Creative Commons licensing.