Nelson Van Alden

Nelson Kasper Van Alden (alias George Mueller) is a fictional character in the HBO television series '' Boardwalk Empire'', portrayed by Michael Shannon. He is a puritanical, repressed, religious fundamentalist and agent for the Bureau of Prohibition.

Biography

There is not much known about Nelson Van Alden's childhood, but in season 2 he explained that his parents were believers in a second coming of Jesus Christ in 1892. In preparation for this, they decided to sell the family farm and became poor, at one point even living in a tent for over a year. Later, his parents did not like to see him because he served as a reminder to them of these experiences.

At the start of the series, Nelson Van Alden acts as Nucky Thompson's ( Steve Buscemi) primary antagonist as he takes the lead to bring the kingpin down. However, in the midst of trying to tackle one of Prohibition's most notorious bootleggers, Van Alden's volatile temper and self-loathing start to blur his ethics and by the end of Season 1 he has killed his corrupt partner Agent Eric Sebso (Erik Wiener) and violated his religious values through a one-night stand with Nucky Thompson's ex-mistress (who he accidentally impregnates).

Season 2 follows Van Alden's fruitless efforts to conceal his crimes from the previous season. In the second season, Van Alden forces the ex-mistress to stay in his apartment in order to give birth to their child. He also forces them to keep the pregnancy a secret and is highly controlling towards her in the meantime. The season ends with Van Alden discovering he is the prime suspect in Sebso's murder, and he spends Season 3 on the run with his infant daughter and nanny Sigrid ( Christiane Seidel) (with whom he later fathers a son), eventually settling in Chicago under the alias George Mueller. There he begins a job as a door-to-door salesman and his co-workers and boss mistreat him. At one point, Nelson snaps and uses an iron to burn his co-worker's face. A lethal confrontation occurs later when the same co-worker and his friends discover Nelson in an alley and threaten him, resulting in Nelson shooting and killing all of them. By the end of Season 3, Van Alden becomes an associate/muscle for Dean O'Banion (Arron Shiver) and eventually Al Capone ( Stephen Graham), still going by the name George Mueller to avoid the authorities.

The final season sees Van Alden struggling to keep the lifestyle of associate/muscle George Mueller balanced during his second failing marriage, this time to Sigrid. Van Alden has since partnered with Thompson's brother Eli (Shea Whigham) who knows Van Alden's true identity. Mike Malone (Louis Cancelmi), an undercover agent in Capone's crew, who goes by the alias Mike D'Angelo, recognizes Van Alden and both he and Eli agree to work with Malone to help take Capone down. Van Alden also learns that Eli is having an affair with Sigrid. Eli and Van Alden eventually return to Capone's hotel to steal ledgers as proof of his tax evasion, but Capone's brother Ralph (Domenick Lombardozzi) becomes suspicious of their behavior. The Capone brothers confront them with Malone present, unaware Malone is working undercover. With Van Alden's deteriorating home life and facing death at the hands of the Capones, he snaps and attacks the brothers while Eli and Malone watch in shock. In a rage, Van Alden confesses his true identity while choking Capone. But before he can successfully strangle him, Malone shoots and kills Van Alden in order to ensure that he is not exposed as a federal agent. The Capones then foolishly entrust Malone with the ledgers. Van Alden's death unwittingly leads to Capone going to prison for tax evasion.

Reception

Nelson Van Alden has been frequently cited as a fan-favorite on ''Boardwalk Empire''. The role earned Shannon three nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Despite starring on the series for all five seasons, Shannon claims to only have watched a "little bit" of the show.

References

External links

Agent Nelson Van Alden
character bio at HBO.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Alden, Nelson
Boardwalk Empire
Fictional gangsters
Television characters introduced in 2010
Drama television characters
Fictional murderers
Fictional American federal law enforcement officers
American male characters in television
Fictional murdered people