Ian Michael Nelson (born April 10, 1995) is an American actor. He played the teen version of werewolf Derek Hale in the television series Teen Wolf, Eric Palmer in the drama film The Judge, and Andy in the Hulu series There's...Johnny!.
Nelson is the son of Mark and Janie Nelson, and the youngest of four children.[2] Nelson attended Forsyth Country Day School in Lewisville, North Carolina.[1] He studied screenwriting at the University of Southern California.[3] Nelson is Jewish.[4]
Nelson first became interested in the performing arts by auditioning for a school musical to impress a girl.[2] He performed in several local shows, including Piedmont Opera's Amahl and the Night Visitors.[2] In addition to acting and singing, he is a dancer, and featured in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on three occasions.[2][5] To further hone his craft, Nelson studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the Stagedoor Manor performing arts school.[2] He also trained under Burgess Jenkins at Jenkins' Actors Group school.[6][1]
His first film role was a non-speaking part as the unnamed tribute from District 3 in The Hunger Games in 2012.[2][3] That was followed by Alone yet Not Alone the following year. The movie, filmed in Virginia and Tennessee, was filmed prior to The Hunger Games.[2] Throughout 2013 and 2014, Nelson appeared in Medeas, The Judge, and The Best of Me.[3] In 2015, he starred in The Boy Next Door as Kevin, the son of Jennifer Lopez and John Corbett.[3] Nelson described the experience as a "great role", stating he really enjoyed the collaboration with director Rob Cohen.[3]
Nelson's first foray into television was in the role of a teen were-wolf Derek Hale in Teen Wolf. He appeared as the teenaged version of Tyler Hoechlin's character in three episodes throughout the third and fourth seasons. He went on to appear in Criminal Minds and Comedy Bang! Bang!, before earning a recurring role as Parker in The Deleted, which aired in 2016.[3][7] Nelson stars as Andy on There's...Johnny!, a show depicting the backstage workings of The Tonight Show during Johnny Carson's tenure in the 1970s. The series was released on Hulu in November 2017.[8] He starred in the 2020 drama film Paper Spiders opposite Stefania LaVie Owen and Lili Taylor.[9]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Hunger Games | District 3 Male Tribute | [10] | |
| 2013 | Alone yet Not Alone | Young Owen Gibson | [2] | |
| Medeas | Micah | [11] | ||
| 2014 | The Judge | Eric Palmer | [6] | |
| The Best of Me | Jared Reynolds | [3] | ||
| 2015 | The Boy Next Door | Kevin Peterson | [6] | |
| 2017 | Freak Show | Mark "Flip" Kelly | [6] | |
| Like Me | Burt Walden | [1] | ||
| 2019 | Summer Night | Seth | [1] | |
| 2020 | Paper Spiders | Daniel | [9] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–2014 | Teen Wolf | Teen Derek Hale | 3 episodes | [10] |
| 2014 | Criminal Minds | William Pratt | Episode: "Hashtag" | [6] |
| 2015 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Craig Wilson | Episode: "Simon Helberg Wears a Sky Blue Button Down and Jeans" | [3] |
| Legends | Teen Curtis Ballard | Episode: "The Legend of Curtis Ballard" | ||
| 2016 | The Deleted | Parker | 7 episodes | [7] |
| 2017 | Law and Order: Special Victims Unit | Eric Hendricks | Episode: "Decline and Fall" | [6] |
| There's...Johnny! | Andy Klavin | Series lead (7 episodes) | [12] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Need for Speed Unbound | Speedie | Voice role, male version |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
