# James Nelson-Joyce

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 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), Reputation (2024), Bird (2024) and A Thousand Blows (2025).

## 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, 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.
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. 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 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. The film premiered at the BIFA-qualifying Spirit of Independence Film Festival in 2024 and received strong reviews.
In March 2025, 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 an as yet undisclosed episode.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2020 | Brothers by Blood | Leonard |
| 2020 | The Nest | Taxi Driver |
| 2023 | Guy Ritchie's The Covenant | Jack 'Jack Jack' Jackson |
| 2024 | Reputation | Wes |
| 2024 | Bird | Skate |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Shameless | Benny | Episode: "Early Retirement" |
| 2014 | Cilla | Degsy | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Casualty | Frankie Macfarland | Episode: "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 |
| 2024 | Strike | Preston 'Pez' Pierce | Supporting role; 4 episodes |
| 2025 | A Thousand Blows | Edward "Treacle" Goodson | |
| TBA | This City Is Ours | Michael Kavanagh | In production |

### Music videos

| Year | Artist | Track | Notes |
| 2020 | Madeon | "Miracle" | |
| 2020 | Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds | "Blue Moon Rising" | |