Nelsan Ellis 1977-2017

Nelsan Ellis (November 30, 1977 – July 8, 2017) was an American film and television actor and playwright. He was well known for his role as Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO series True Blood, which he played from 2008 until the series' completion in 2014, and most recently for starring as Bobby Byrd in the James Brown biopic, Get On Up.
Born in Harvey, Illinois, near Chicago, Ellis attended Illinois State University, where he was a National Champion in Duo Interpretation, among other successes, at the National Forensic Association national tournament. and was accepted for enrollment at the Juilliard School's Drama Division when he was 21 (Group 33: 2000–2004) where he befriended True Blood colleague Rutina Wesley. Ellis earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Juilliard in 2004. In 2007, Ellis was cast as Lafayette Reynolds in the pilot for True Blood. The series premiered on September 7, 2008 and concluded on August 24, 2014, comprising seven seasons and 80 episodes. In 2012, Ellis was cast as Martin Luther King, Jr. in a supporting performance in Lee Daniels' The Butler. On October 21, 2013, Ellis joined the cast of Get on Up, a biographical drama film about the life of singer James Brown. He portrayed Bobby Byrd, Brown's long-time friend.

Ellis passed away from complications from heart failure on July 8, 2017, at the age of 39.

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