Elimu Nelson

Actor · Born July 6, 1973 (53) · Orange, New Jersey, USA

Elimu (pronounced E-lee-moo meaning knowledge and education in Swahili) has had a passion for the fine arts since his early childhood, particularly in acting. Born in Orange, NJ and raised in Milton, Massachusetts, Elimu excelled in basketball and soccer at an early age. He received numerous scholarship offers while in high school and opted to attend Syracuse where he was the first walk on to play the first half of a game in Syracuse history. Elimu graduated from Syracuse with a Bachelor's of Science in Speech Communication, with a concentration on African American Studies and Spanish. Widely known for his role as heartthrob Dru Hilton in the hit film Love Don't Cost A Thing, additional television roles include Modern Family, Castle, House Of Lies, Criminal Minds, Hit The Floor, The Shield and Private Practice. In 2013 Elimu starred in the award-winning indie feature film, Things Never Said, opposite Starz' 'Power' star Omari Hardwick. That same year, he also had a starring role in the Lifetime movie Dear Secret Santa. Elimu also wrote, produced, and co-starred in the short film, Doorways, which showed at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Additionally, he co-starred in the horror movie Bleed,(2016) directed by the late Tripp Rhame, along with a well-known ensemble cast consisting of 90210's Michael Steger, Fresh Off the Boat's Chelsey Crisp and TMNT: Out of The Shadows' Brittany Ishibashi. 2018 was a rewarding year for Elimu as he secured guest starring roles on The Young & The Restless, Now We're Talking, ABC's hit show, Station 19 and landed a heavy recurring role on the NBC Pilot Suspicion (aka No Way Back) starring Derek Luke. 2019 is proving to be advantageous as well. Elimu picked up a strong supporting lead role in Charles Murray's award-winning indie feature #Truth, and a scene stealing guest starring role on the hit ABC show, The Rookie starring Nathan Fillion. Destined for a future of success in his craft, Elimu is just scratching the surface of what the future has in store. He currently resides in Los Angeles, CA and is an avid student of boxing (training 4-6 days a week) at the esteemed Wildcard Boxing Gym. When not on set, you will find Elimu attending various charitable events, mentoring youth at his basketball clinics or his most favorite thing to do, spending time with his son.

What are Elimu Nelson's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy2 titles51^st

Drama2 titles70^th

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight

Survival

37%

Bonds

33%

Self

16%

Power

11%

Society

4%

Romantic love3 Survival2 Self-worth2 Trauma2

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films

ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

Earnest

Tone · Sincerity

ironicearnest

Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 5

Serious

Tone · Weight

lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 2

Grounded

Tone · Style

naturalisticheightened

Grounded 5 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Charged

Feel · Intensity

gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 5 · Intense 0

Shifting

Feel · Swings

steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs

Feel · Humor

noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0

Slow burn

Demand · Pace

slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Casual

Demand · Attention

casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Affecting

Demand · Emotional cost

easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2

Resolved

Demand · Resolution

resolvedambiguous

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.

Ally

2 of 3

Shadow

1 of 3

Shadowas Ronnie in Things Never Said (2013)
Allyas Dave in Bleed (2016)
Allyas Lamar Walters in Forever (2024)

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm

2

Hopeful

2

Tense

2

Melancholic

2

Romantic

2

Other

6

How their films linger

Hopeful4 Bittersweet2 Unsettling2

How their films end · 1 with a twist

Happy1
Bittersweet3
Tragic1
Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Elimu Nelson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 23 of their 27 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (11).

Also on these channels

Fox Nation1 title, show their title on Fox Nation
Howdy1 title, show their title on Howdy
Lifetime Movie Club1 title, show their title on Lifetime Movie Club
MovieSphere+1 title, show their title on MovieSphere+
Shout! TV1 title, show their title on Shout! TV
Sony Pictures Core1 title, show their title on Sony Pictures Core

Subscription and free streaming for Elimu Nelson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

34 credits, 27 with a MovieCove page.

Forever(2024)
as Lamar Walters
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Shatter Belt(2023)
Show 1 episode · as Vance
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all shows
9-1-1: Lone Star(2020)
Show 1 episode · as Matt
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
#truth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
as Detective Ford
Good Trouble(2019)
Show 3 episodes · as Detective Briggs
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows
Station 19(2018)
Show 1 episode · as Liam
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows
The Resident(2018)
Show 1 episode · as Wes Gibson
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Web Cam Girls(2017)
as Detective Rhodes
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Rx (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
as Rob
Bleed(2016)
as Dave
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
My Favorite Five(2015)
as Peter (Sex)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Dear Secret Santa(2013)
as Chris
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Things Never Said(2013)
as Ronnie
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
House of Lies(2012)
Show 2 episodes · as Kevin
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows
Happy Endings(2011)
Show 1 episode · as Fireman
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows
Fugue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
as Terry
Whatever She Wants (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
as Gregory
Modern Family(2009)
Show 1 episode · as Officer Clemons
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Castle(2009)
Show 1 episode · as Frank Patchett
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
The Starter Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Show 1 episode · as Foz
Private Practice(2007)
Show 1 episode · as Greg O'Brien
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows
The Hard Easy(2006)
as Stephen McKinley
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
'Til Death(2006)
Show 1 episode · as Rick
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all shows
Criminal Minds(2005)
Show 1 episode · as Det. Bowie
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
Love Don't Cost a Thing(2003)
as Dru Hilton
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
as Nikko
The Shield(2002)
Show 1 episode · as Derrick Tripp
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
When Billie Beat Bobby(2001)
as Basketball Brother
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Love & Sex(2000)
as Jerome Davis
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Angel(1999)
Show 1 episode · as Ernesto
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
V.I.P. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Show 1 episode · as Reggie
Arli$$(1996)
Show 1 episode · as D'Agostino Mills
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all shows
Pacific Blue(1996)
Show 1 episode · as Jamal Rasheed
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows
JAG(1995)
Show 1 episode · as Pvt. William Clauson
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 72^nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 34 titles from 1995 to 2024; peak year 2002.

Biggest box office

Love & Sex (2000)

$580K worldwide

Highest rated

Forever (2024)

Midcredits 80^th

Film career

19952024

Peak 2002 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

2000Screen debut· Love & Sex

By role

only this rolewith another role

Acting34 of 34 · 55^th

By decade

1990s5 · acting2000s12 · acting2010s14 · acting2020s3 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Elimu Nelson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 40^th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 45^th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

45^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

55^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

46^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 27 titles, by percentile

75^th and up8
50^th to 74^th7
25^th to 49^th8
Below 25^th4

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 27 titles are Mixed.

Universally Loved4
Universally Panned1
Cult Classic1
Crowd Pleaser8
Mixed13

Most divisive · actor

My Favorite Five (2015)

82^nd percentile spread · 31% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Forever (2024)

Midcredits 80^th · 74% liked

Reviewers score the acting 67/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 37. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Elimu Nelson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Elimu Nelson's MovieCove titles; Charles Murray shares the most, 2.

Charles Murray2 titles See all 2 shared titles with Charles Murray