James Nelson-Joyce
{{Short description|English actor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = James Nelson-Joyce
| image = James Nelson-Joyce - Soccer Aid for Unicef 2025.jpg
| caption = Nelson-Joyce, Soccer Aid for Unicef 2025
| birth_place = Orrell Park, Liverpool, Merseyside, England
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|32|2022|05|27}}
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 2013–present
}}
James Nelson-Joyce (born 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 Nest (2020), Time (2021), The Outlaws (2021), Industry (2022), The Gold (2023), A Town Called Malice (2023), Guy Ritchie's The Covenant (2023), Reputation (2024), Bird (2024), This City Is Ours and A Thousand Blows (both 2025).
Early life
Nelson-Joyce was born to a working-class family from Walton, Liverpool.{{Cite news |title=James Nelson-Joyce on playing Bez in the new Happy Mondays film: "He couldn't believe I was a Scouser!" |first=Elizabeth |last=Aubrey |date=8 June 2021 |work=NME |url=https://www.nme.com/features/tv-interviews/james-nelson-joyce-time-bez-happy-mondays-2962498 |access-date=14 May 2023}} He left school without qualifications, not realising at the time that he was dyslexic,{{Cite web |title=James Nelson-Joyce Interview |first=Lawrence |last=Saunders |date=28 July 2021 |publisher=YM Liverpool |url=https://ymliverpool.com/time-star-james-nelson-joyce-interview/46158 |access-date=14 May 2023}} but followed advice from his English teacher, Miss Griffiths,{{Cite web |title=Anon Fashion Magazine in Exclusive conversation with James Nelson Joyce for Feb22 Issue No. 45. |publisher=Anon Fashion Magazine |url=https://www.anonfashionmag.com/post/cover-story-with-james-nelson-joyce|date=22 February 2022}} who recognised his potential for acting,{{Cite news |title=Scouse actor's chance encounter with Stephen Graham in Nando's that changed his career |first=Charlotte |last=Hadfield |date=27 May 2021 |newspaper=Liverpool Echo |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/scouse-actors-chance-encounter-stephen-20694563 |access-date=14 May 2023}} encouraging him to study at The City of Liverpool College.{{Cite web |title=Spotlight: Mr James Nelson-Joyce |work=therakishgent.co.uk |url=https://www.therakishgent.co.uk/pages/spotlight-mr-james-nelson-joyce |date=13 June 2021}}
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.{{Cite web |title=7 Questions with… Time's James Nelson-Joyce: 'A family friend of mine was Britain's most wanted man' |author=Becky Gamester-Newton |work=bt.com |url=https://www.bt.com/tv/drama/james-nelson-joyce-time-bbc |date=3 June 2021}} In 2019, Nelson-Joyce 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.{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrob8fwgoeo |people=Madeon, Maisie Williams, James Nelson-Joyce (as James Joyce) |title=Madeon - Miracle (Official Video) |medium=YouTube |date=29 July 2020 |access-date=15 May 2023}}
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.{{Cite web |title=Meet the cast of Time |author=Flora Carr |url= https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/time-bbc-cast-characters/ |work=radiotimes.com |date=10 June 2021}} 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,{{Cite news |last=Fletcher |first=Alex |title=The Gold: Everything you need to know about BBC One's true story heist drama |url=https://www.bt.com/tv/drama/the-gold-bbc-release-date-true-story-hugh-bonneville-dominic-cooper|work=bt.com |date=1 February 2023}} and in the Sky Max 1980s 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, Nelson-Joyce filmed the lead role in the British indie crime feature Reputation, as drug dealer Wes.{{Cite web|title=Reputation (2024) |url= https://filmfreeway.com/ReputationFilm |work=filmfreeway.com |date=2024}} The film premiered at the BIFA-qualifying Spirit of Independence Film Festival in 2024 and received strong reviews.{{cite web |last1=Haldon |first1=Kevin |title='Reputation' Review (2024) |url=https://www.nerdly.co.uk/2024/09/04/spirit-of-independence-film-festival-2024-reputation-review/ |publisher=Nerdly}}{{cite web |last1=Gaskell |first1=Darren |title=Spirit of Independence 2024: Reputation |url=https://warped-perspective.com/2024/10/spirit-of-independence-2024-reputation/ |publisher=Warped Perspective}}{{Cite web |last=Rebecca |first=Film Carnage- |date=2024-11-05 |title=Review: Reputation |url=https://filmcarnage.com/2024/11/05/review-reputation/ |access-date=2025-02-07 |publisher=Film Carnage |language=en}}
In 2025, he secured a main role as boxer Edward 'Treacle' Goodson, working alongside Stephen Graham in A Thousand Blows, and a main role as gangster Michael Kavanagh working alongside Sean Bean in This City Is Ours.{{Cite web|title= Who is James Nelson-Joyce? Meet This City Is Ours and A Thousand Blows star |url= https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/james-nelson-joyce-profile-instagram-explained/ |author=David Craig |work=radiotimes.com |date=24 March 2025 |access-date=25 March 2025}}
The same year, Nelson-Joyce was named as one of the cast in the 7th season of Charlie Brooker's British anthology sci-fi future technology based television series Black Mirror in the episode "Plaything".{{Cite web|title="Nothing is as it seems": Why Black Mirror's series 7 is the most "mind-expanding" watch yet |url=https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/lifestyle/a64184139/black-mirror-series-7/ |author= Bethan Rose Jenkins|publisher=Good Housekeeping |date=14 March 2025 |access-date=14 March 2025}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable"
! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |
| rowspan="3"|2019
|Money Shot |Sean |rowspan="3"|Short films |
| Bee
|Bradley |
| The Trap
|Joe |
| rowspan="2"|2020
|Taxi Driver |
| Brothers by Blood
|Leonard |Originally known as The Sound of Philadelphia |
| 2021
|Eyeholes |Mac |Short film |
| rowspan="3"|2023
|Jack 'Jack Jack' Jackson |
| Safe
|Daz |Short film |
| The Trap
|Joe |Feature-length version of the 2019 short film |
| rowspan="3"|2024
|Bird |Skate |
| Ryan Can't Read
|Tyrone |Short film |
| Reputation
|Wes |
| {{TableTBA}}
|Amazing Grace |Karl |Post-production |
=Television=
| class="wikitable"
! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |
| 2013
|Benny |Series 11; episode 12: "Early Retirement" |
| rowspan="2"|2014
|Frankie Macfarland |Series 28; episode 30: "The Lies We Tell" |
| Cilla
|Degsy |Mini-series; episodes 1 & 2 |
| 2015
|Franny Lowry |Series 1; episode 4 |
| rowspan="2"|2016
|Vera |Jason McNeive |Series 6; episode 3: "The Moth Catcher" |
| Mount Pleasant
|Liam |Series 6; episodes 2–4 & 6–10 |
| 2017
|James Yates |Main role; mini-series; all 4 episodes |
| rowspan="3"|2019
|Ryan |Mini-series; episode 2 |
| The Rook
|Henry Hylton Foster |Episode 2: "Chapter 2" |
| World on Fire
|Tony |Series 1; episode 5 |
| rowspan="3"|2021
| Innocent |Aaron Holmes |Series 2; episodes 3 & 4 |
| Time
|Johnno |Series 1; episodes 1–3 |
| The Outlaws
|Spider |Series 1; episodes 1–6 |
| rowspan="2"|2022
|Greg Gallagher |Series 1; episodes 4 & 5 |
| Industry
|Jamie Henson |Series 2; episodes 4 & 6 |
| rowspan="3"|2023
|The Family Pile |Greg |Main role; episodes 1–6 |
| The Gold
|Brian Reader |Series 1; episodes 2, 3 & 6 |
| A Town Called Malice
|Barney |Episodes 1 & 3 |
| 2024
|Preston 'Pez' Pierce |Supporting role; series 6; episodes 1–3 |
| rowspan="4" |2025
|Edward 'Treacle' Goodson |Main role; episodes 1–6 |
| This City Is Ours
|Michael Kavanagh |Main role; episodes 1–8 |
| Black Mirror
|DCI Kano |Series 7; episode 4: "Plaything" |
| Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes
|Firearms officer Charlie 2 |Mini-series; episode 3 |
=Music videos=
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Instagram}}
- {{IMDb name}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson-Joyce, James}}
Category:21st-century British actors
Category:English male film actors
Category:English male television actors