Introduction
Ellar Coltrane Kinney Salmon (born August 27, 1994), known professionally as Ellar Coltrane, is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Mason Evans Jr. in Richard Linklater's film Boyhood.
Life and career
Coltrane was born in Austin, Texas to Genevieve (née Kinney) and Bruce Salmon, a musician.
In 2001, at age six, Coltrane was cast by filmmaker Richard Linklater to play the title character of sorts of the film Boyhood; Linklater wanted to make an unprecedented film that would show a boy's coming of age, but with the actors growing up or aging on screen. Coltrane and other members of the cast were filmed intermittently for several days at a time between May 2002 and August 2013, when Coltrane turned 19; there were 45 days of filming altogether. During his childhood, Coltrane also appeared in several other movies, including a small role in Linklater's 2006 film Fast Food Nation.
He was largely home-schooled as a child, with the exception of three years of high school followed by a GED.
He has also been credited under his birth name of Ellar Salmon.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Lone Star State of Mind | Young Earl | (as Ellar Salmon) |
| 2005 | Faith & Bullets | Thomas Chaney, Jr. | (non speaking) (as Ellar Salmon) |
| 2006 | Fast Food Nation | Jay Anderson | (as Ellar Salmon) |
| 2009 | Hallettsville | Young Tyler | (as Ellar Salmon) |
| 2014 | Boyhood | Mason Evans, Jr. | |
| 2016 | By the River | Himself | post-production |
| Drowned | Boy | post-production | |
| Barry | Will | ||
| 2017 | The Circle | Mercer |
Accolades
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Boston Society of Film Critics | Best Cast | Boyhood | Won |
| Capri Film Festival | Rising Star | Won | ||
| Chicago Film Critics Association | Most Promising Performer | Nominated | ||
| Detroit Film Critics Society | Best Ensemble | Nominated | ||
| Florida Film Critics Circle | Best Cast | Nominated | ||
| Gotham Awards | Breakthrough Actor | Nominated | ||
| Phoenix Film Critics Society | Breakthrough Performance on Camera | Nominated | ||
| Best Youth Performance in a Lead or Supporting Role – Male | Nominated | |||
| San Diego Film Critics Society | Best Performance by an Ensemble | Nominated | ||
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | Best Youth Performance | Won | ||
| Best Ensemble | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | Critics' Choice Movie Award | Best Young Performer | Won | |
| Best Acting Ensemble | Nominated | |||
| Dorian Awards | Rising Star | Nominated | ||
| Georgia Film Critics Association | Breakthrough Award | Nominated | ||
| Best Ensemble | Nominated | |||
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Breakthrough Performance | Nominated | ||
| Best On-Screen Transformation | Nominated | |||
| Online Film Critics Society | Best Youth Performance | Nominated | ||
| Santa Barbara International Film Festival | Virtuoso Award | Won | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated |