Jesse Plemons Biography

Jesse Plemons was born in Dallas and raised in Mart, Texas. He took acting classes at Dallas Young Actors Studio and at age 10, he began acting in films and TV series shot in Texas. He made his film debut in Finding North (1998) and soon after, landed a role in Varsity Blues (1999), starring James Van Der Beek and Jon Voight. A guest role on the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger followed in 2000, as well as a role as the younger version of Matt Damon's character in All the Pretty Horses (2000), directed by Billy Bob Thornton, although his scenes were cut from the final version. Soon after, he began flying to Los Angeles for auditions and quickly landed guest appearances on the TV series Sabrina the Teenage Witch and The Guardian (both 2001).

Jesse continued to work steadily and in 2006, he had a breakthrough at age 18 when he landed the regular role of Landry Clarke on the NBC TV series Friday Night Lights. While working on the show for the next five years, he continued to plays roles in films and other shows, including a role as Gary on the TV mini series Bent (2012) and as Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son in the Paul Thomas Anderson drama The Master (2012). Also in 2012, he joined the cast of Breaking Bad for its fifth and final season. He played Todd, which started off as a small role, but went on to become a major one, as his character became involved in meth and murder. Along with the rest of the cast, in 2014, he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series."

It was when Jesse was cast on the second season of the FX TV series Fargo that he met Kirsten Dunst, another former child actor. They played married couple Ed and Peggy Blumquist and hit it off immediately, staying up late to run lines together. Although they didn't begin dating until after the season had wrapped, he later told the New York Times, "I knew that she would be in my life for a long time."

They both received Emmy Award nominations for their work on the show and although they didn't win, they did win Critics' Choice TV Awards for the show. They became engaged in January 2017 and on May 3, 2018, Kirsten gave birth to their son, Ennis Howard Plemons. Their second son, James Robert Plemons, was born in May 2021.

Kirsten and Jesse co-starred as a couple again in the Netflix film The Power of the Dog (2021), and both received their first Academy Award nominations. The film was also nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, while their co-stars, Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-McPhee, also received nominations.

Next up, he stars as a tech billionaire alongside Lily Collins as his wife and Jason Segel as a thief who breaks into their home in the Netflix film Windfall (2022).

In his spare time, Jesse enjoys playing guitar and singing. He also collects vinyl records.

Filmography:

Windfall (2022)
Antlers (2021)
The Power of the Dog (2021)
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
The Irishman (2019)
Vice (2018)
Game Night (2018)
The Post (2017)
Hostiles (2017)
American Made (2017)
The Discovery (2017)
Other People (2016)
Bridge of Spies (2015)
The Program (2015)
Black Mass (2015)
The Homesman (2014)
Flutter (2014)
The Master (2012)
Battleship (2012)
Meeting Spencer (2011)
Paul (2011)
Happiness Runs (2010)
Observe and Report (2009)
Shrink (2009)
Sky Kids (2008)
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (2003)
The Failures (2003)
Like Mike (2002)
Children on Their Birthdays (2002)
All the Pretty Horses (2000)
Varsity Blues (1999)
Finding North (1998)