Jesse Plemons Biography

Jesse Plemons was born Jesse Lon Plemons, on April 2, 1988, in Dallas, Texas, to Lisa Beth and Jim Bob Plemons. He is the younger of the two children in his family, and he grew up with an older sister, named Jill. Shortly after he was born, his family moved to Mart, Texas, where Jesse spent the rest of his growing-up years.

Jesse was educated at schools in Mart, Texas. He grew up playing football and had a strong desire to become an actor. He was also quite fond of watching films as a kid.

He began auditioning at a young age. His first on-camera appearance happened in a Coca-Cola commercial when he was three and a half years old. By the time he was eight years old, he had begun playing small parts in Hollywood films and TV series.

He managed his acting career along with his high school education from the Mart High School. He also played a lot of football during his high school years. At the age of 16, he earned his G.E.D., and he later enrolled on a long-distance program at the Texas Technical University Independent School District.

During his childhood, he attended the Dallas Young Actors Studio in Texas to learn acting lessons.

In 1998, he made his film debut, playing a small role as Hobo in the film titled Finding North. He followed it with small roles in films such as Varsity Blues and All the Pretty Horses. Along with these minor film roles, he also began his television career, playing episode-long guest roles in series such as Walker, Texas Ranger, The Guardian, and The Lyon’s Den.

In 2002, he had a small career breakthrough when he appeared playing a supporting role as Preacher Star in the independent film titled Children on Their Birthdays. In the same year, he was cast in another supporting role as Ox in the sports comedy film titled Like Mike.

As for his television career, he continued to appear in smaller roles in series such as Grey’s Anatomy, Huff, and Judging Amy. However, by the mid-2000s, he began to consider acting even more seriously and started auditioning for mature roles.

In the mid-2000s, he appeared in small supporting roles in films such as When Zachary Beaver Came to Town and The Failures.

The year 2006 marked a big turning point in his career when he was signed to play the character of Landry Clarke in the sports drama series titled Friday Night Lights. It was one of the main roles in the series, and the series was one among the most successful television series of the decade, both critically and commercially. He reprised his role in the first four seasons of the series, and from then onward, he appeared in a guest role for the most part.

It was Jesse’s first full-fledged adult role, and the success of the series prompted Jesse to select roles that were meaty enough to gain accolades. In 2009, he was further seen in a supporting role as Charles Gaffney in the black comedy film titled Observe and Report. The film received decent reviews and was a box office success.

In the 2009 independent comedy-drama film titled Shrink, he played a supporting role as Jesus, a pot dealer. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was critically acclaimed upon its release.

In 2011, he starred in the lead role as a struggling young actor named Spencer West in the drama film titled Meeting Spencer. It was the first lead role of his career. Although the film did not do well commercially or critically, Jesse’s performance was amazing and well appreciated.

He further appeared playing a supporting role as Jake in the science fiction comedy film titled Paul. The film received critical acclaim and was also a box office success.

In the early 2010s, Jesse appeared in more supporting roles in films such as The Master and Battleship.

In 2012, he resumed his television career playing a supporting role in the American romantic sitcom titled Bent. He played one of the key roles in the hit series that received critical acclaim. However, the show was cancelled after six episodes, despite being pretty successful.

In the same year, he achieved his biggest breakthrough of his acting career when he appeared portraying the role of Todd Alquist in the drama series titled Breaking Bad. He made his appearance in the final two seasons of the series as a member of a neo-Nazi gang. His character began on a positive note and eventually became an antagonist in the story.

Breaking Bad was one of the most successful American television series of all time, and Jesse benefitted greatly from the success of the series. He became a household name owing to this role, and he also received widespread accolades for it. He later reprised his role as Todd in the 2019 Netflix film titled El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.

In 2014, he further appeared playing a key role in the period drama film titled The Homesman, by American director Tommy Lee Jones. The film was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2015, he further played one of the key roles as Kevin Weeks in the biographical crime drama film titled Black Mass, also starring Johnny Depp in the lead role. In the same year, he appeared essaying central roles in films such as Bridge of Spies and The Program.

In the mid-2010s, he was also seen in a small role in the educational comedy series titled Drunk History. He had yet another major breakthrough in 2015 when he appeared in the black comedy crime drama series Fargo, which was based on a Coen Brothers’ film of the same name. He portrayed the role of Ed Blumquist, the leading character in its second season. His astonishing performance in the series fetched him a Critics Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2017, he was cast in key roles in four films: The Discovery, American Made, The Post, and Hostiles. In 2018, he played a supporting role as Kurt in the Christian Bale starrer critically acclaimed film titled Vice.

By the late 2010s, he started getting noticed as one of the most talented young actors in Hollywood, which was particularly evident through the critically acclaimed roles he was offered by legendary directors. He worked with directors like Martin Scorsese and Charlie Kaufman in films The Irishman and I’m Thinking of Ending Things, respectively. Both films were a critical success and have, to a great extent, helped Jesse to further exhibit his terrific skills as an actor.

In 2021, he acted in one of the most critically acclaimed roles of his career, when he appeared in Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah. He played an FBI agent in the film, which was a huge critical success.

Jesse Plemons’ facial features have an uncanny similarity to his contemporary Hollywood actor Matt Damon. While Jesse was acting in the series Breaking Bad which dealt with the illegal “meth” business, he has been nicknamed “Meth Damon” by his fans due to his resemblance with Matt Damon.

He has been in a relationship with actress Kirsten Dunst since 2016. The couple got engaged in 2017, and in the next year, they had a son together, named Ennis Howard Plemons.

Apart from acting, Jesse has a fondness toward music and loves to sing. He has also been associated with an alternative folk band named Cowboy and Indian.