Nelson Enrique Tallaferro Kodinsky, an American actor, was born in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, and spent his formative years in Barquisimeto and Caracas, surrounded by a richly diverse cultural environment. This early exposure to different languages and customs would later serve as a foundation for his remarkable linguistic abilities, as he is a polyglot who is fluent in Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Italian, and German, in addition to his native English.
After hanging up his baseball cleats, Neal embarked on an acting career that would take him to the global stage. His big break came when he was selected from a worldwide Spanish talent search by NBC Telemundo, allowing him to be mentored by the esteemed Academy Award nominee Adriana Barraza. Under her guidance, Neal quickly established himself as a trusted and recognized talent, landing series regular and lead roles in some of the most prominent NBC soap operas of the time, including "The Devil Knows Best (Mas Sabe El Diablo)", "Anália (El Rostro De Anália)", "Amores De Luna", "The Cartel of Snitches (El Cartel De Los Sapos)", "The Mafia Dolls", and "Untamed Soul".
Neal's career continued to flourish as he made the transition to New York to hone his craft in theater before relocating to Los Angeles, where he currently resides. His dedication to his craft has yielded a diverse range of roles in notable productions, including Y:1883, The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, NCIS, Alita Battle Angel, The Brave, and NCIS Los Angeles, among others.
