Tuesday, April 08, 2014

The Curious Case Of Judd Nelson

This past weekend on Twitter I noted that Judd Nelson had just attached himself to a new movie. It marked a milestone for Judd because it will be his 100th acting credit. That is a big deal and I thought it worthy in of itself to Tweet, but it occurred to me as I was typing my 140 characters that something was missing. I asked followers to see if they could name even ten of Judd Nelson's movies. Sure, you can look it up, but can you name 10 movies or combination of television and movie credits? I can't. The thing is, all of us know the name Judd Nelson. If I say the name to you, chances are your first response is going to be Breakfast Club. It would be mine, even though it is not the Judd movie I have seen the most. I actually have seen Making The Grade more frequently but I blame that on no cable and a dearth of videotapes from which to choose one weekend when I was younger. Making The Grade got extensive play. It was his first movie and off the top of my head I think Breakfast Club was his third. It is really unusual for someone to be a name everyone knows and can for sure name a big role but no others. It is even more surprising when you realize he has 99 other titles from which to choose.

Part of the problem was his fast rising star and I think in the past decade his lack of notable work is the result of him being a true pain to work with because he thinks he is Judd Nelson of Breakfast Club fame and not Judd Nelson, actor who has a bunch of roles nobody remembers.

65 comments:

Cleodacat said...

I had such a crush on him back in the "Breakfast" days. I know, showing my age.

FSP said...

Bigfoot Wars!

Count Jerkula said...

New Jack City, how can you forget that.

Billionaires Boys Club, that was forgettable.

And wasn't he in the Brooke Shields sitcom, with the Estrogen fueled Carrot Top, not the one hopped up on Test.

Wasn't Making the Grade also Dice Clay's film debut?

I attribute Judd not reaching the heights projected to cocaine and narcissism. No clue if I'm right, that is just my guess.

bored soccer mom said...

I share a birthday with him. That's about my interest.

Although I love the breakfast club.

Count Jerkula said...

P.S. Holy shit FSP, that is the most disturbing avatar ever. I think I would rate that worse than Harry's naked old lady, w/ the tube sock titties.

Kelly said...

Don't forget St Elmo's Fire!

Violet said...

It might also be because hot stud Judd Nelson is sadly no longer quite such a hot stud (maybe i should realise that 30 years was a long time ago). He was my bad boy crush.

Unknown said...

This 'curious case' sound like a lot of others in hollywood.

New Life and Attitude said...

I think the sitcome was called Suddenly Susan.

Is it bad that I actually really liked Billionaire Boys Club? Or is it worse that I remember it?

Oopsy_Daisy said...

He was on that Brooke Shields show forever.

New Life and Attitude said...

So to sum it up, so far we have:

1. Breakfast Club
2. Making the Grade
3. New Jack City
4. St. Elmo's Fire
5. Suddenly Susan
6. Bigfoot Wars

Only 94 more to go.

Unknown said...

Suddenly Susan was my first thought, which I guess shows my age. Didn't he get replaced because he was such a jerk on that show? He's one of these that talks career, family values, even religion in interviews, yet he has a bad reputation. For being a tool, drinks, uses drugs, bad cable movies sometimes for the money, & dates pron stars.

Now! said...

I love New Jack City. Great film. Wesley Snipes was another guy whose career didn't pan out, but he has hella charisma in that movie.

auntliddy said...

Yeah, i heard too he is unreliable drunk. You can be a drunk in show biz, or druggie, thats ok , but! Ya gotta show up!!! ( see: sheen, charlie). No matter what spaceship he is disembarking from, he shows up.

megan00m said...

Breakfast club, st. Elmos fire, relentless, caroline in the city, new jack city
Got 5 with no lookups or comment reading!

Gayeld said...

@Anda marie. Are we taking Judd or Charlie Sheen? ;-)

FSP said...

LOL@ tube sock titties.

Pen-a-lope said...

I must admit I remember him in some ghost ship horror flick.

parissucksliterally said...

he was quite the coke addicted prick from what I rememebre from 80's gossip.

St Elmo's Fire was not mentioned in the post? um, hello?

parissucksliterally said...

New Fucking Jack City! AWESOME movie!

"Am I my brother's keeper?"

Wen said...

Geez Enty? - Why such hate for Judd?

Count Jerkula said...

@Wen: Judd probably wouldn't share his blow with Fugazi Enty, or turned her down for sex.

NaughtyNurse said...

I still love him!

Leekalicious said...

@Cleo Totally. He was a definitely a little hottie in those days.

TalksTooMuch said...

Zactly, psl! St. Elmo's Fire was Judd Nelson at his sweetness peak

TalksTooMuch said...

No! I've gotten them mixed up! That was Emilo (Emilioooo!!) Estevez's and the boiled cabbage guy's peak sweetness. But Judd Nelson was still awesome in that. Fave Demi Moore movie too

Dianne P said...

I kind of went to the same college as him. We only overlapped for a year or so. I never knew his name, but a couple of years after I graduated a friend mentioned that he was in a movie. I didn't recognize the name, but she said, "Remember the time we went to the dining center, and there was a girl in front of us with pigtails? Then she turned around and it was a guy in lipstick and a dress? That's Judd Nelson."

I can tell you, he was really cute when he wasn't in lipstick and a dress (this was just a prank, he wasn't cross-dressing).

Apparently the year after I graduated he starred in a Moliere play at school and brought the house down. He left before graduating and the rest is history--a promising early career and then...whatever.

He's probably a pretty smart guy--I'm surprised he doesn't seem to have rounded out his life with anything else.

PghGirl said...

Loved making the grade. I believe Dan Schneider who is in a bunch of the Nick blinds was acting in it too.

Unknown said...

Talent, beauty, even money only get you so far if you don't work at it.

delete account said...

Three words--Billionaire Boys Club.
:-)
I LOVED that movie (it was a TV miniseries). Judd is spectacular in it, absolutely chilling as the real life killer Joe Hunt. I have it on DVD and his performance is still incredible even after almost 30 years.

parissucksliterally said...

TTM - right? He was SO hot in St Elmo's Fire!!!

Beetlejuice said...

He was in a few movies where he was a writer and drowned or drowned someone. Maybe?

rolotomassi said...

Pen-a-lope, omg, "Lost Voyage" -I was sick & whatever channel w/1000 commercials for ProActive played it 3x & I cldn't find clicker-I think my mate hid it cuz i'd bn such a whiner.

FSP said...

@Ray - Cabin by the Lake

Seven of Eleven said...

@Ray, Cabin by the Lake! He drowns women and then does their laundry.

Jason Blue Eyes said...

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Betches!

megan00m said...

Omg! Voice on the original transformers cartoon movie!

Tara said...

Jason Blue Eyes and I had the same role!

lazyday603 said...

His reputation as a feminine hygiene product keeps him from better getting roles. That and the lack of discernible acting talent

MovingOn said...

Am I the first to mention that film gem "From the Hip"?

Although Breakfast Club and NJC are the best.

Pen-a-lope said...

@Scarlett Thank you that was it.

D Brown said...

He is easy. Let's try Michael Madsen (approximately 70 movies since 2010 alone).

Marie Lexingdale said...

I was gonna mention that one!

Marie Lexingdale said...

I bet he could Hoover piles of coke with his nostrils. He was so hot though.

Anonymous said...

@ pghgirl me too! I own it and watch it still to this day at least once or twice a year and I'm 43. I soooo wanted to be Jonna Lee when I was a teen. The "real" Palmer Woodrow (Dana Olsen) always had me in stitches. And YES I still always picture "that" Dan Schneider when I see the related blinds. Such a shame. He was so adorkable in that movie. Who would have thought!?

nurysp said...

breakfast club *swoons*

its on netflix now

how GORGEOUS was molly ringwald in that
her hair makeup outfit. breathtaking

thats a great costume for holloween
claire and john

discoflux said...

@FSP - The suits for the Bigfoot creatures in Bigfoot Wars were done here in Houston and Mr. Disco and I helped make them!

MrX22 said...

He was in Fandango which is a great film.

AKM said...

Lindsey's (Courtney Thorne-Smith) ex-husband on "Two and a Half Men."

FSP said...

Get outta town @disco!

Jessie said...

I watched The Breakfast Club for the first time in 2008 and had such a crush on Bender. And then I Googled him and was so disappointed.

Leekalicious said...

@discoflux That is too cool!

Andy said...

I could give a shit about 'The Breakfast Club.' He was all kinds of awesome in 'New Jack City' and had great chemistry with Ice-T.

Steampunk Jazz said...

@Seven, I love Cabin on the Lake. Its one of my Favorite bad movies featuring water. my other water fave is Lake Placid. Oliver Platt and Betty White tear that movie up! :-D

Cake said...

Anyone else see Fandango? Loved that movie.

Purbear said...

I am surprised no one's mentioned Relentless; he is creepy as hell in that.

I could be wrong, but I thought he left Suddenly Susan bc David Strickland committed suicide.

RowdyRodimus said...

He was also (And his most important role to me)Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime in the original animated Transformers: The Movie. His character is the stereotypical coming of age/Heroes Journey type story, an impulsive, reckless youth as Hot Rod, literally causing the death of Optimus Prime during his battle with Megatron.

As Prime dies he passes the Matrix of Leadership (not that crap cube from the Bay movies) to Ultra Magnus (voiced by Robert Stack) who tentatively accepts it with the words "I'm just a soldier" as Prime utters his last few words "One day an Autobot will rise from our ranks to light our darkest hour".

Magnus proves his words are true as he is incapable of using the Matrix during a battle on the planet Junk, himself being "destroyed" (he got better once the Junkions put him back together) However, the Matrix was lost to Galvatron (voiced by Leonard Nimoy), the reformatted Megatron. However, during the climatic battle against the Destroyer, Unicron (voiced by Orson Welles, Hot Rod regains the Matrix and as he takes it, a blue glow surrounds him, he grows taller, stronger and the voice of Optimus Prime comes from within the Matrix "Arise Rodimus Prime". Rodimus uses the combined power of the Primes that have come before him and now reside within the Matrix to destroy Unicron and end the threat that had been foretold in the Covenant of Primus. However, the Matrix is drained of it's power, a hollow shell. For now. The battle has been won, however, the war against the Decepticons will go on until the day all are one.

Hey TTM: Who would think I could use this here, huh? lol
(Spoilers: Some of this may be referenced in Transformers: Age of Extinction. However, Bay would NEVER allow canon to come between him and a bad story with lots of boom boom explody things._

TalksTooMuch said...

Rowdy, you know I thought of you as soon as I saw this post! Nice to see you post, boo

Sprink said...

@New Life--is it bad that I also really liked Billionaire Boys Club, I also remember it, AND I remember the promos for it used the Pet Shop Boys' song Opportunities.

At the time, it all seemed super cool...

Sprink said...

I paid money to see From the Hip in a movie theatre.

Sprink said...

@Cake--yes, I saw Fandango. I think it was slightly too old for me, but I liked it.

Haven't thought about that film in ages, and have now gone on google/wiki expedition to eventually learn these two fun facts:

Kevin Reynold's father was the president of Baylor and Suzy Amis married Sam Robards (making her Lauren Bacall's daughter-in-law once).

mw7060a said...

Judd Nelson was also in the Hallmark Channel's tv movie, "Cancel Christmas". They always show Christmas-themed movies in Nov/Dec. Gets me in the Christmas mood.

di butler said...

Two Cabin By The Lakes, Two Jay & Silent Bobs, Can't believe no one mentioned this- Boondock Saints 2, and one that is really obscure-Phineas and Ferb.

He's a dick, but not the worst, by far.

Unknown said...

wasn't there a blind about him and Wesley (Cary Elwes) making a movie and they were both drunk and surly and uncooperative? One of them wouldn't shave either, IIRC

Unknown said...

Wow. Why such hate on Judd? He's made some stinkers, sure, but he's also made a lot of great movies, too. He's a great actor.

As far as the rumors of coke addiction and generally being an asshole, I'm not sure where that's coming from. He has a reputation now of being quite lovely to work with. During the Breakfast Club, however, he was apparently very method (Stella Adler training) so being method as Bender - yeah, wouldn't always be pleasant to be around.

He actually left 'Suddenly Susan' after the actor who played Todd died (he had committed suicide). Judd said he didn't feel right going on with the show without him. So he wasn't fired, he left. That was very sad. And, yes, I'm old enough to remember when that all happened.

So, anyway, yeah, okay, I love Judd Nelson so I had to defend him. :)

PS - 'Making the Grade' wasn't his first movie. His first movie was some little known bizarro film called 'Rock and Roll Hotel'. https://vimeo.com/52114217

Cheers!

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