Want to know the best Judd Nelson movies? How about the worst Judd Nelson movies? Curious about Judd Nelson box office grosses or which Judd Nelson movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Judd Nelson movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which got the worst reviews? Well, you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Judd Nelson (1959-) is an American film and television actor. His IMDb page shows over 120 acting credits since 1983. This page ranks Judd Nelson movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, video games, documentaries and his many movies not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings.
Drivel Part of the Page: I admit it. I was a huge Judd Nelson fan back in the day. Me and my friends watched Making the Grade, Fandango and The Breakfast Club all the time back when we were in high school. Heck back in my video store days….I recommended Nelson’s Blue City all the time….even though one review of that movie said….”It appears to have been edited with a chainsaw”. So after spending days working on Ray Milland, I figured I would do a page on one of my favorites of yesteryear.
Judd Nelson Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Judd Nelson Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Judd Nelson movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Judd Nelson movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Judd Nelson movies by domestic box office rank
- Sort Judd Nelson movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations each Judd Nelson movie received and how many Oscar® wins each Judd Nelson movie won.
- Sort Judd Nelson movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
- Use the search and sort button to make this page very interactive.
Possibly Interesting Facts About Judd Nelson
1. Judd Asher Nelson was born in Portland, Maine in 1959.
2. Judd Nelson attended the prestigious Haverford College in Pennsylvania.
3. Judd Nelson studied acting under Stella Adler.
4. The character of Nelson Muntz on the animated series The Simpsons was said to be named after Nelson in honor of his portrayal of John Bender in The Breakfast Club.
5. Was one of the nine original members of the 1980s “brat pack”, along with Andrew McCarthy, Mare Winningham, Anthony Michael Hall, Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy
6. Judd Nelson and Breakfast Club Trivia 1: Nelson and John Hughes did not get along during the film of that now classic movie. At one point Hughes almost fired Nelson. Their conflict is one of the reasons a Breakfast Club 2 never got made.
7. Judd Nelson and Breakfast Club Trivia 2: At the very closing part of the film where Bender raises his fist in defiance, that was actually ad libbed. He was supposed to just walk into the sunset, so to speak, and John Hughes asked him to play around with a few actions. When he was done and they were finishing up, Nelson threw his fist up without running it by anyone. Everyone loved it, and it has become an iconic symbol of the 1980’s.
8. Judd Nelson and Breakfast Club Trivia 3: John Cusack and Nicolas Cage were the first choices for the John Bender role.
9. Judd Nelson received a Best Actor Golden Globe® nomination for the mini-series…The Billionaire Boys Club (1987).
10. Check out Judd Nelson’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences. Golden Globe® is a registered trademark of the Hollywood Foreign Press.
Never a fan of him either, matter of fact never cared for any of the brat pack actors. The one that drives me up the wall the most is Matthew Broderick. I’ve seen him in The Odd Couple on stage and another show about a party, both with Nathan Lane. The party had a couple of long speeches he had to make which while I’ll admit he has a great memory for lines, he has as much personality as a dead fish. Nathan Lane has more talent in his pinkie finger than Matt. Any movie with him drops a notch or two with me, Alright I could take Demi Moore.
Hey Dan….I have enough 1980s Nelson admiration for the both of us….lol. Thanks for the reviews of Broderick on stage. I thought Broderick made a good Ferris Bueller….plus he was good in War Games. One day…a Demi Moore page might pop up….she had a good run when she was one of the top actresses working. Thanks for the comment and visit.
On the Oracle of Bacon Center of the Hollywood Universe list 4 of the top 10 actors on the current list have appeared in a film with Judd;
Eric Roberts was in The Downside of Bliss (2016) with Judd Nelson
Danny Trejo was in TV: The Movie (2006) with Judd
Samuel L. Jackson was in Hail, Caesar (1994) with Judd
Willem Dafoe is in Boondock Saints II: All Saint’s Day (2009) with Judd
Michael Madson connects in 2 steps through 2 nobodies
The other 5 connect to him as follows;
Harvey Keitel was Little Nicky (2000) with Adam Sandler who was in Airheads (1994) with Judd
Harvey was in My Sexiest Year (2007) with Francis Fisher who was in A Single Woman (2007) with Judd
Harvey was in Mortal Thoughts (1991) with Demi Moore who is St. Elmo’s Fire (1985) with Judd
Harvey is in From Tusk Till Dawn (1996) with Danny Trejo
Harvey was in Off Beat (1986) and Bugsy (1991) with Joe Mantegna who is also in Airheads (1994)
Harvey is in Two Men in Town (2014) with Forest Whitaker who is in Light it Up (1989) with Judd
Harvey was in Ginostra (2002) with Andie Macdowell who is in St. Elmo’s Fire
Harvey is in Somebody to Love (1994) and Reservoir Dogs (1992) with Steve Buscemi who is also in Airheads
Harvey is in Little Nicky (2000) with Patricia Arquette who is A Single Woman (2008)
Harvey is in Prince of Central Park (2000) with Kathleen Turner who is in Nurse 3-D (2013) with Judd
Harvey is in The Pick-up Artist (1987) with Robert Downey Jr. who is also in Hail, Caesar (1994)
Robert De Niro is in Machete (2010) with Cheech Marin who is in Far Out Man (1990) with Judd
Bob is in 15 Minutes (2001) with David Alan Grier who is in From the Hip (1987) with Judd
Bob is in Goodfellas (1990) with Samuel L. Jackson who is in Hail Caesar and Paul Sorvino who is in The Bandit Hound (2016) with Judd
Bob is in The Deer Hunter (1978) with John Savage who is in Primary Motive (1992) with Judd
Malcolm McDowell is in The Player (1992) with Elliott Gould who is in Little Hercules 3-D (2009) with Judd
Malcolm is in Excision (2012) with Traci Lords who is in Here & Now (2010) with Judd
Malcolm was in Mr. Magoo (1997) with Ernie Hudson who is in Airheads
Malcolm is in Halloween II (2009) with Howard Hesseman who is in Dirty Politics (2016) with Judd
Donald Sutherland is in Fierce People (2005) with Elizabeth Perkins who is in From the Hip
Don is in A Time to Kill (1996) and Horrible Bosses (2011) with Kevin Spacey who is in Billionaire Boys Club (2016) with Judd
Don was in Reign Over Me (2007) with Adam Sandler
Don was in Forsaken (2005) with Demi Moore
Don was in S*P*Y*S (1974) and M*A*S*H (`1970) with Elliott Gould
Don was in The Art of War (2000) with Wesley Snipes who was in New Jack City (1991) with Judd
Don was in Land of the Blind (2006) with Lara Flynn Boyle who was in The Dark Backward (1991) with Judd
Don was in Heaven Help Us (1985) with Andrew McCarthy who is in St. Elmo’s Fire
Don was in JFK (1991) with Kevin Costner who is in Fandango (1985) with Judd
Don was in Oedipus the King (1968) with Orson Welles who was in Transformers: The Movie
(1986) with Judd
Don was in Beerfest (2006) with Cloris Leachman who was in This is Happening (2015) with Judd
Don is in Promise Her Anything (1966) with Lionel Stander who is also in Transformers: The Movie
Don is in Astro Boy (2009) with David Alan Grier
Don was in Threshold (1981) with Mare Winnigham who is in St. Elmo’s Fire
Don was in The Day of the Locust (1975) with Karen Black who was in A Single Woman
Don was in Younger and Younger (1993) with Brendan Fraser who is in Airheads
Don was in Steelyard Blues (1973) with Howard Hesseman
Don is in Baltic Storm (2003) and Beerfest (2006) with Jurgen Prochnow who is in Dark Asylum (2001) with Judd
Don is in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) with Lleonard Nimoy who is also in Transformers: The Movie
Michael Caine is in Miss Congeniality (2000) with William Shatner who is in Falcon Down (2001) with Judd
Michael Caine is in Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976) with Elliott Gould
Michael Caine is also in Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976) with James Caan who is in The Dark Backward (1991) with Judd
Mike is in The Weather Man (2005) with Nicolas Cage who is in Never on Tuesday (1989) with Judd
Mike is in Bewitched (2005) with Will Ferrell who is also in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) with Judd
Mike is in Miss Congenialty (2000) with Ernie Hudson
Mike was in Interstellar (2014) with Matt Damon who is also in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Mike is in Too Late the Hero (1970) with Cliff Robertson who is also in Falcon Down
Mike is in Jaws: The Revenge (1987) with Mario Van Peebles who is also in New Jack City
Mike is in A Shock to the System (1994) with Samuel L. Jackson
That should be Andrew McCarthy in Heaven Help Us. I saw Judd in a few episodes of Empire.
I can fix that. Yep Judd go that role while Empire was smoking hot….seems Empire has lost that spark for sure.
Hey Dan….so I guess Judd does not have a spot in the Top 1000…..I was hoping all of his home entertainment movies would get him in the Top 1000…but I guess compared to the output of Roberts, Madsen and Danny….he has not done anything…lol.
Great connections for Judd…..two subjects in a row that Mr. Blonde struggles while the rest flourish. 10 one person connections from one of my favorites (Caine) to another of my favorites (Bender)…..I think I could have come up with about 5 of those.
19 one person connections for Donald/Nelson….that is amazing. I guess DeNiro and Nelson have not been hanging out in the same circles….only 4 one person connections.
My website is complete…now that I have been able to talk “Judd Nelson”….it can only go downhill from here….lol.
Thanks for all of these trivia.
Judd Nelson, new to the Oracle of Bacon list at # 927.
Judd finally getting some good news…..lol. I imagine all those low budget movies help out his cause. Thanks for letting me know…I did not notice that when looking at the new list last night. 🙂
This must have been a real labor of love for you Bruce, since you apparently had a ‘man crush’ on Judd in your teens, or should that be ‘boy crush’? [cue Bruce blushing] Did you have posters of him on your walls? I confess to having a poster of Bruce Lee on my walls, next to a big poster of Christopher Lee as Dracua… I was an odd child. 🙂
Way back in the 80s I wasn’t a Judd Nelson fan and to be fair none of the other brat-packers you’ve listed in the trivia box were favorites either, but I did like Ralph Macchio as The Karate Kid, Matthew Broderick in WarGames and the fabulous Ferris Buellers Day Off, Tom Cruise in Top Gun and Tom Hanks in Splash, Dragnet and especially The Burbs.
But my real acting heroes 30 years ago were Al Pacino and to a lesser extent Robert De Niro. Jack Nicholson and Gene Hackman were also big favorites of mine.
I’ve seen just 5 of the 15 films listed – St. Elmos Fire, The Breakfast Club, New Jack City, Jay and Silent Bob and Transformers the Movie.
Another top job Bruce, good work amigo. Vote Up!
Hey Steve…finally getting a Judd Nelson UMR page completed might be a “mike drop”….as you always want to go out on top….lol. I did not have posters…but I wore out some VHS tapes back then. I have seen Fandango, Making The Grade and Breakfast Club…at least 30 times each. Heck I had a buddy who worked in a theater….and he got us in for many viewings of the Breakfast Club.
So Ralph Macchio is your Judd Nelson of that era….I think Ralph was 35 when he made The Karate Kid…lol. Giving Tom Hanks credit? I never thought I would see the day….eyes tearing up…lol. So you are at 5…..well I am at 15….plus I have seen at least that many of his direct to home entertainment movies. Of the lesser known Nelson movies…The Dark Backward has to be one of the strangest movies ever made…he plays a horrible trash man turned horrible stand up comic who grows a third arm in the middle of his back. It made $28,000 in theaters…but I have the DVD…which has a commentary. A truly bizarre movie.
Thanks for the votes up!
STEVE
I can’t see how there would have been room for poor Judd beside all those posters of Willis, Sir M.,Archie and The Thin Woman! Episode 8 of Season 9, broadcast 13 Nov 2001 of the Frasier sitcom illustrates how addictive idolatry can be and how wall posters of idols can deprive you of actual light from even windows that are covered with photos of one’s hero(s)
There is always room for pudding and always room for Judd Nelson stuff….lol. I have actually seen and enjoyed the Frasier show you speak off. 🙂
Give the man credit. His role in The Breakfast Club is still well known 30 years later. How many non movie legends can make that claim. I laughed out loud about the chainsaw review of Blue City.
Hey SteinHOF….I agree with you. I had not thought about non movie legends making an impact like him….seems there could be a decent page on performers like…..pretty much one hit wonders….let’s see….who else would make that list? Larry Parks comes to mind….I will have to do some more thinking. Thanks for getting the brain working. 🙂
John Bender is one of the greatest revels in movie history!
That should say rebels.
Hey Craig….got it.
Hey Craig….I agree with you….his role in that movie has stood the test of time. Thanks for the visit.
Funny, I did not even know his name before reading this page. He has always been known as the “Breakfast Club” guy. He seems like a musical one hit wonder. After doing do well with my Dev Patel movie count, I return to my so low we won’t tell totals.
Hey Helakoski…I imagine he gets referenced that all the time. Sorry your Judd Nelson tally is not as impressive as your Dev Patel tally….still your visit is appreciated