George “Babyface” Nelson (O Brother Where Art Thou?). A somewhat minor character in the Coen Brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou, played by actor Michael Badalucco. Nelson is a bank robber, crafted in the style of 1930’s public enemies. His character is based loosely on the real George Nelson, a famous bank robber and murderer during the 1930s. Nelson was known for the number of FBI agents he had killed, and toward the end of his career he was a known member of the “Dillinger Gang,” a gang of criminals headed by John Dillinger, who was at the time Public Enemy number 1.

The Coen version of Nelson is similar in character, with the addition of a severe hatred for cattle and an extremely defensive attitude against his nickname. He is also somewhat bipolar, though his character serves a more humorous than dramatic purpose in the film. For all his bravado, Nelson seems to come off as somewhat harmless. He seems a bit out of place robbing banks in rural Mississippi, given his Chicagoan accent and the historical context for his character.

Everett, Pete, and Delmar first run into Nelson on a dirt road as FBI agents are pursuing him. The three fugitives hitch a ride with Nelson and end up accompanying him on a bank robbery (the third bank in two hours). A comment regarding Nelson’s nickname from an old woman at the bank sends Nelson into depression, and he walks away from the campsite later that night, leaving his share of the money behind. He is not seen again until the end of the film, shackled and parading down the street in good spirits.—James Larson