Tim Blake Nelson

Tim Blake Nelson, born on May 11, 1964, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is one of those guys you’ve definitely seen, even if you can’t quite place the name. A real chameleon, he’s bounced from quirky character roles to directing gigs without missing a beat. People probably remember him best for popping up as the hilariously earnest Buster Scruggs in the Coen Brothers’ “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.” That yodeling cowboy? Yeah, that’s him. Or maybe you caught him in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”—another Coen classic—where he played Delmar, the lovable, goofy sidekick tagging along with George Clooney and John Turturro. He’s just got this knack for making even the weirdest, wildest characters feel totally real. Nelson doesn’t just stick to acting, though. He’s stepped behind the camera too, directing indie gems like “Leaves of Grass,” where he manages to wrangle both comedy and drama without it feeling forced. Bit of a renaissance man, honestly. Not bad for a guy from Tulsa, right? Oh, and he’s been married to Lisa Benavides-Nelson since June 12, 1994, which in Hollywood years is basically forever. They’ve got three kids together, but he mostly keeps his family life on the down-low. All in all, Tim Blake Nelson’s one of those reliable, low-key legends who keeps showing up in movies you love, sometimes stealing the whole show, sometimes just making the scene a little weirder—in the best way.