Quick Facts
Biography
James Nelson-Joyce (born 1988 or 1989) is an English actor, known for playing the tough guy or villainous characters, who has had roles in Mount Pleasant (2016), Little Boy Blue (2017),The Trap (2019), The Nest (2020, Time (2021), The Outlaws (2021), Industry (2022), The Gold (2023), A Town Called Malice (2023), Guy Ritchie's The Covenant (2023).
Early life
Nelson-Joyce was born to a working-class family from Walton, Liverpool. He left school without qualifications, not realising at the time that he was dyslexic, however, following advice from his English Teacher, Miss Griffiths, who recognised his potential for acting, encouraging him to study at The City of Liverpool College.
Career
Nelson-Joyce's first notable role in 2017, was playing the teenage gang member James Yates, who provided the gun that killed 11-year-old Rhys Jones in the ITV Liverpool based drama Little Boy Blue. In 2019, James was the lead in the Lena Headey directed BAFTA Nominated short film The Trap.
In 2020, he co-starred with Maisie Williams in the Lena Headey directed music video Miracle by Madeon.
In 2021, he starred in six episodes of the BBC Bristol based crime comedy series The Outlaws, in a cast that included Christopher Walken, Stephen Merchant and Eleanor Tomlinson. The same year, He worked with Stephen Graham and Sean Bean, playing bullying convict Johnno in the Jimmy McGovern directed BBC prison drama Time. James Nelson-Joyce is known for playing the tough guy or villainous characters.
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. and in the Sky Max 1980's British family gangster series A Town Called Malice as an enemy of the Lord family. The same year, he made a very brief appearance in Guy Ritchie's The Covenant alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Alexander Ludwig. In October 2023, James shot the feature film Reputation, playing the lead role of Wes.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Bee | Bradley | Short film |
| Money Shot | Sean | Short film | |
| The Trap | Main role | Short film | |
| 2020 | Brothers by Blood | Leonard | |
| The Nest | Taxi Driver | ||
| 2021 | Eyeholes | Mac | Short film |
| 2022 | Safe | Daz | Short film |
| 2023 | Guy Ritchie's The Covenant | Jack 'Jack Jack' Jackson | |
| TBA | Bird | Skate | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Shameless | Benny | S11.E12 “Early Retirement” |
| 2014 | Cilla | Degsy | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Casualty | Frankie Macfarland | S28.E30 “The Lies We Tell” |
| 2015 | No Offence | Franny Lowry | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Mount Pleasant | Liam | 8 episodes |
| 2016 | Vera | Jason McNeive | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Little Boy Blue | James Yates | Main role - all 4 episodes |
| 2019 | The Rook | Henry Hylton Foster | 1 episode |
| 2019 | The Virtues | Ryan | 1 episode |
| 2019 | World on Fire | Tony | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Innocent | Aaron Holmes | 2 episodes |
| 2021 | Time | Johnno | 2 episodes |
| 2021 | The Outlaws | Spider | 6 episodes |
| 2022 | The Responder | Greg Gallagher | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Industry | Jamie Henson | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | The Gold | Brian Reader | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | The Family Pile | Greg | main role - 6 episodes |
| 2023 | A Town Called Malice | Barney | 2 episodes |
Music video
| Year | Artist | Track | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Madeon | Miracle | |
| 2020 | Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds | Blue Moon Rising |