Jesse Plemons | |
|---|---|
 Plemons at theCannes Film Festival in 2024 | |
| Born | (1988-04-02)April 2, 1988 (age 37) |
| Education | Mart High School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
Jesse Plemons (/ˈplɛmənz/; born April 2, 1988)[1][2][3] is an American actor.His accolades include nominations for anAcademy Award, threePrimetime Emmy Awards, and aBritish Academy Film Award.
Plemons began his career as a child actor and had his breakthrough role asLandry Clarke in theNBC drama seriesFriday Night Lights (2006–2011). He subsequently portrayedTodd Alquist in thefifth and final season of theAMC crime drama seriesBreaking Bad (2012–2013) and its sequel filmEl Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019). He received Emmy nominations for his roles asEd Blumquist inthe second season of theFX anthology seriesFargo (2015), theNetflix anthology seriesBlack Mirror (2017–2025), and theHBO Max miniseriesLove & Death (2023).
Plemons received further recognition withsupporting roles in the filmsPaul (2011),The Master (2012),Bridge of Spies (2015),Game Night (2018),The Irishman (2019),Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) andKillers of the Flower Moon (2023). He played lead roles inOther People (2016),I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020),Windfall (2022), andBugonia (2025). For playing a rancher inThe Power of the Dog (2021), he was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and for playing three roles in the anthology filmKinds of Kindness (2024), he received theCannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and his firstGolden Globe nomination.
Plemons is known for beingtypecast as quiet and unnerving characters in his most prominent roles, such asBreaking Bad,Kinds of Kindness, andGame Night (2018).[4] His acting style is characterized by hisTexan accent,cowboy-inspired persona, and dramatic pauses in his speech.[5][6]
Plemons was born inDallas,[7] and raised inMart, Texas, a small town 21 miles (33.7 km) east ofWaco.[3] He is the younger of two children to Jim Bob, a firefighter and amateurrodeo competitor, and Lisa (Cason) Plemons, aspecial education trainer.[8][9][10]
In 2007, Plemons graduated from theTexas Tech University Independent School District, adistance learning program, which allowed him to earn his high school diploma.[11] He attended schools in Mart, playingfootball in middle school, junior high, and atMart High School, until he received more acting jobs and shifted to the online program.[12]
Plemons got his start in aCoca-Cola commercial at age 3. When he was 8, he started doingextra work, and, with the support of his family, spent time auditioning in Los Angeles and landing small jobs.[13] After appearing in the filmsVarsity Blues (1999) andAll the Pretty Horses (2000), and guest-starring onWalker, Texas Ranger andSabrina, the Teenage Witch, Plemons' first prominent role was in the filmChildren on their Birthdays (2002).[14] He later appeared inLike Mike (2002) andWhen Zachary Beaver Came to Town (2003), with guest roles on the television seriesJudging Amy,The Lyon's Den,CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, andGrey's Anatomy between 2003 and 2006.[14]
In 2006, when he was 18, Plemons joined the ensemble cast ofNBC's television seriesFriday Night Lights, filmed inAustin, Texas, detailing the fictional events surrounding a high schoolfootball team in fictionalDillon, Texas. In the show's first season, his characterLandry Clarke providedcomic relief as the best friend of football quarterbackMatt Saracen, though Landry himself was not on the team.[15] Among the cast and crew, the joke was that Plemons played football better than most of the other actors, even though his character was one of the few who did not play.[15]
Landry joined the Panthers football team in the second season, and Plemons, having played high school football, told directorJeffrey Reiner that he would do his own stunts.[16] In his first football scene, Landry had to "get the crap beat out of [him] over and over and over again".[16] When hit by co-starTaylor Kitsch (playingTim Riggins) Plemons' chin split open, requiring eleven stitches.[16] The show, a fan and critic favorite, ended after five seasons after shifting toDirecTV in 2011.[17]
In 2012, Plemons reunited with Kitsch andFriday Night Lights creatorPeter Berg in the filmBattleship.[18] Berg, who directed the film, explained that he knew how comfortable Kitsch was with Plemons: "I know that he's really good for Taylor and he makes Taylor better. So, I wrote that whole part for Jesse. I never thought of it as aFriday Night Lights reunion. I thought of it as protection, bringing a trusted family member in."[19]
From 2012 to 2013, Plemons portrayedTodd Alquist[20] during thefinal season of theAMC drama seriesBreaking Bad.[21][22] He was a recurring cast member inSeason 5A and was promoted to series regular forSeason 5B.[23][24] Fans ofBreaking Bad nicknamed him"Meth Damon", due to Plemons' resemblance to actorMatt Damon.[25][12][13][26] One of his first film roles, at age 12, was playing the younger version of Damon's character in the filmAll the Pretty Horses (2000).
In 2012, Plemons also had a supporting role in thePaul Thomas Anderson dramaThe Master as the son ofPhilip Seymour Hoffman's character, an actor to whom his physical appearance has been compared. In January 2014, Plemons was in consideration to be one of the new stars ofStar Wars Episode VII (Star Wars: The Force Awakens).[27][28] In March 2014, Plemons, along with four other actors, were being considered for the lead role ofFinn inEpisode VII.[29] The role, however, went to British actorJohn Boyega. Plemons played mobsterKevin Weeks in the Boston-set mob filmBlack Mass, starringJohnny Depp, which opened in theaters in September 2015. Also that year, he appeared in theStephen Frears film aboutLance Armstrong,The Program, and theSteven Spielberg filmBridge of Spies.
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In late-2015, Plemons co-starred in the second season of the TV showFargo.[3] He portrayedEd Blumquist, a butcher and the husband ofPeggy Blumquist (Kirsten Dunst).[30] For his performance, he was nominated for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.[31] In 2016, Plemons starred in the filmOther People. In 2017, he appeared in theDoug Liman thriller filmAmerican Made, theScott Cooper westernHostiles, andSteven Spielberg's historical dramaThe Post.
In December 2017, Plemons appeared in "USS Callister", an episode in the fourth series of the anthology showBlack Mirror. Plemons played Robert Daly, the episode's main character and a sadistic introvert, and was nominated for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. In 2018, Plemons had supporting roles in two films, the comedyGame Night andAdam McKay'sDick Cheney biopicVice, which he narrated. In 2019 he had a supporting role in theMartin Scorsese crime dramaThe Irishman, which premiered at theNew York Film Festival on September 27, 2019. He also reprised his role asTodd Alquist inEl Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.
In 2020, Plemons received critical praise and aGotham Independent Film Award nomination forBest Actor for his lead performance inCharlie Kaufman's psychological dramaI'm Thinking of Ending Things.[32] In 2021, Plemons gave supporting performances inJudas and the Black Messiah, a film about civil rights activistFred Hampton[33][34] and theDisney adventure filmJungle Cruise.[35] In the same year, Plemons starred in the supernatural horror filmAntlers, again collaborating with directorScott Cooper,[36] and starred once again alongside his real life partner andFargo co-starKirsten Dunst inJane Campion's western dramaThe Power of the Dog,[37] for which he has received praise and a number of accolades, including a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 2022, Plemons starred inCharlie McDowell's noir thrillerWindfall, which also marked his first credit as a producer.[38] It was about this time Plemons noted that the number of people referring to him by his nickname "Meth Damon" had started to decline.[39]
In 2023, Plemons starred alongsideElizabeth Olsen in theHBO Max true crime seriesLove & Death[40] and reunited withMartin Scorsese for a supporting role in his western-thrillerKillers of the Flower Moon, which he starred in alongsideLeonardo DiCaprio,Lily Gladstone andRobert De Niro.[41] The film premiered at the2023 Cannes Film Festival. In September 2022, Plemons was announced to be starring alongsideEmma Stone,Willem Dafoe andMargaret Qualley inYorgos Lanthimos's filmKinds of Kindness,[42] which premiered at the2024 Cannes Film Festival, where Plemons won theBest Actor award.[43]
In 2025, Plemons played a supporting role in theRobert De Niro-ledNetflix political thriller seriesZero Day, which reunited him withLove and Death directorLesli Linka Glatter,[44] and a leading role in Lanthimos' black comedyBugonia.[45] His performance in the latter received critical acclaim.[46][47][48] He also reprised his role as Robert Daly in the seventh series ofBlack Mirror, in the episode "USS Callister: Into Infinity". In 2026, Plemons will playPlutarch Heavensbee inThe Hunger Games prequelSunrise on the Reaping.[49]
Plemons has been married to fellow actorKirsten Dunst since 2022. He began a relationship with hisFargo co-star in March 2016,[50] and the two got engaged a year later.[51] The couple welcomed their first son, Ennis Howard, born in May 2018[52] and their second son, James Robert, born in May 2021.[53] In February 2022, Plemons and Dunst were both nominated forAcademy Awards for their roles inThe Power of the Dog.[54] They were officially married in July of that year.[55]
In 2015, Plemons deliberately gained 45 pounds (20 kg) to portray Kevin Weeks inBlack Mass.[56] In 2024, he announced he had lost over 50 pounds (23 kg) through intermittent fasting and a diet focused on whole foods, and later expressed regret for his deliberate weight gain.[56][57] He denied the use ofOzempic to further his weight loss.[58][59]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Russell, Jr. | Episode: "The General's Return" |
| 2001 | The Guardian | Lawrence Neal | Episode: "Paternity" |
| Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Bigger Kid | Episode: "Really Big Season Opener" | |
| 2003 | The Lyon's Den | Ray Ferris | Episode: "The Other Side of Caution" |
| Judging Amy | James Franklin | Episode: "Marry, Marry Quite Contrary" | |
| 2004 | Huff | Dawson James | Episode: "Cold Day in Shanghai" |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Owen Durbin | Episode: "Down the Drain" | |
| 2006 | Grey's Anatomy | Jake Burton | Episode: "Yesterday" |
| NCIS | Jason Geckler | Episode: "Deception" | |
| 2006–2011 | Friday Night Lights | Landry Clarke | 59 episodes |
| 2008 | Fear Itself | Lemmon | Episode: "The Sacrifice" |
| 2009 | Cold Case | Ryan Stewart | Episode: "Into the Blue/The Long Blue Line" |
| 2011 | Childrens Hospital | Jesse | Episode: "Father's Day" |
| 2012 | Bent | Gary | 6 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | Breaking Bad | Todd Alquist | 13 episodes |
| 2014, 2016, 2018 | Drunk History | Various roles | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Olive Kitteridge | Jerry McCarthy | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Fargo | Ed Blumquist | 10 episodes |
| 2017 | No Activity | Angus | 8 episodes |
| 2017, 2025 | Black Mirror | Captain Robert Daly | Episode: "USSCallister" & "USSCallister: Into Infinity" |
| 2023 | Love & Death | Allan Gore | Miniseries, 7 episodes |
| 2025 | Zero Day | Roger Carlson | Miniseries, 5 episodes |
This fall offers chance after chance to see just how Mr. Plemons, 27...
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