Elimu Nelson

Elimu (pronounced E-lee-moo meaning knowledge and education in Swahili) has had a passion for the fine arts since his early childhood, particularly in acting. Born in Orange, NJ and raised in Milton, Massachusetts, Elimu excelled in basketball and soccer at an early age. He received numerous scholarship offers while in high school and opted to attend Syracuse where he was the first walk on to play the first half of a game in Syracuse history. Elimu graduated from Syracuse with a Bachelor's of Science in Speech Communication, with a concentration on African American Studies and Spanish. Widely known for his role as heartthrob Dru Hilton in the hit film Love Don't Cost A Thing, additional television roles include Modern Family, Castle, House Of Lies, Criminal Minds, Hit The Floor, The Shield and Private Practice. In 2013 Elimu starred in the award-winning indie feature film, Things Never Said, opposite Starz' 'Power' star Omari Hardwick. That same year, he also had a starring role in the Lifetime movie Dear Secret Santa. Elimu also wrote, produced, and co-starred in the short film, Doorways, which showed at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Additionally, he co-starred in the horror movie Bleed,(2016) directed by the late Tripp Rhame, along with a well-known ensemble cast consisting of 90210's Michael Steger, Fresh Off the Boat's Chelsey Crisp and TMNT: Out of The Shadows' Brittany Ishibashi. 2018 was a rewarding year for Elimu as he secured guest starring roles on The Young & The Restless, Now We're Talking, ABC's hit show, Station 19 and landed a heavy recurring role on the NBC Pilot Suspicion (aka No Way Back) starring Derek Luke. 2019 is proving to be advantageous as well. Elimu picked up a strong supporting lead role in Charles Murray's award-winning indie feature #Truth, and a scene stealing guest starring role on the hit ABC show, The Rookie starring Nathan Fillion. Destined for a future of success in his craft, Elimu is just scratching the surface of what the future has in store. He currently resides in Los Angeles, CA and is an avid student of boxing (training 4-6 days a week) at the esteemed Wildcard Boxing Gym. When not on set, you will find Elimu attending various charitable events, mentoring youth at his basketball clinics or his most favorite thing to do, spending time with his son.