Nelson Van Alden (played by Michael Shannon) is a puritanical religious fundamentalist, repressed, government revenue agent in the Bureau of Prohibition. In the midst of trying to bring down kingpin Nucky Thompson he succumbed to corruption and has become an outlaw on the run himself.
Biography
Background
In his position as a Senior Agent with the Bureau of Prohibition in the Department of Internal Revenue Nelson Van Alden tackles his job with the fervor of a man possessed. He is deeply religious and is married to Rose Van Alden. Van Alden is under the command of Supervisor Elliot and partnered with Agent Eric Sebso .
Season 1
- Main article: Nelson Van Alden Season 1
Season 2
- Main article: Nelson Van Alden Season 2
Season 3
- Main article: Nelson Van Alden Season 3
Relationships
Family
- Rose Van Alden - First wife
- Abigail Van Alden - Daughter
- Lucy Danziger - Lover, mother of Abigail
- Sigrid - Second wife, under assumed identities as Mr. and Mrs. Mueller
- Baby Boy Van Alden - Son
Law enforcement career
- Supervisor Elliot - Commanding officer
- Agent Sebso - Subordinate (former) (deceased)
- Agent Clarkson - Subordinate (deceased)
- Agent Sawicki - Subordinate (deceased)
- Nucky Thompson - Investigatory target
- Arnold Rothstein - Investigatory target
- Jimmy Darmody - Investigatory target, informant (former) (deceased)
- Mickey Doyle - Informant
- Margaret Schroeder - Informant (former)
- Esther Randolph - Assistant US Attorney prosecuting Nucky
- Clifford Lathrop - Department of Justice investigator assigned to Randolph
- Dick Halsey - Randolph's clerk
Sales career
- Scotty Gulliver - Boss (deceased)
- Phil - Colleague (deceased)
- Hank - Colleague
- Ralph - Colleague (deceased)
- Dean O'Banion - Client (deceased)
Victims
- Eric Sebso: Drowned by in lake
- Emmett Coughlin: Suffocated
- Phil: Shot by head
- Ralph: Shot by head
- Scotty Gulliver: Shot by head
Memorable Quotes
- Mrs. Mauer: "And just now -"
- Nelson: "Yes?"
- Mrs. Mauer: "A blue limousine pulls up and carts them off - her and her children"
- Nelson: "A Rolls?"
- Mrs. Mauer: "How's that?"
- Nelson: "The limousine - a Rolls Royce?" ("Family Limitation")
- "THOU HAST FULLFILLED, THE JUDGEMENT OF THE WICKED!!"
- "The roast tastes good."
- "I brought lemons."
- Mickey Doyle: "I put this whole operation together. And what do I receive? A poke up my ass."
- Nelson: "Painful." ("Under God's Power She Flourishes")
Appearances
| Season one appearances | |||
| Boardwalk Empire | The Ivory Tower | Broadway Limited | Anastasia |
| Nights in Ballygran | Family Limitation | Home | Hold Me in Paradise |
| Belle Femme | The Emerald City | Paris Green | A Return to Normalcy |
| Season two appearances | |||
| 21 | Ourselves Alone | A Dangerous Maid | What Does the Bee Do? |
| Gimcrack & Bunkum | The Age of Reason | Peg of Old | Two Boats and a Lifeguard |
| Battle of the Century | Georgia Peaches | Under God's Power She Flourishes | To the Lost |
| Season three appearances | |||
| "Resolution" | "Spaghetti and Coffee" | "Bone for Tuna" | "Blue Bell Boy" |
| "You'd Be Surprised" | "Ging Gang Goolie" | "Sunday Best" | "The Pony" |
| "The Milkmaid's Lot" | "A Man, A Plan..." | "Two Imposters" | "Margate Sands" |
| Season four appearances | |||
| "New York Sour" | "Resignation" | "Acres of Diamonds" | "All In" |
| "Erlkonig" | "The North Star" | "William Wilson" | "The Old Ship of Zion" |
| "Marriage and Hunting" | "White Horse Pike" | "Havre De Grace" | "Farewell Daddy Blues" |