Gene Nelson
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- March 24, 1920
- Died
- September 16, 1996 (aged 76)
- Birthplace
- Astoria, Oregon, USA
Biography
Gene Nelson was an American dancer, actor, screenwriter, and director. Born Leander Eugene Berg in Astoria, Oregon, his family moved to Seattle when he was a year old. He was inspired to become a dancer by watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers when he was a child. After serving in the Army during World War II during which he also performed in the musical This Is the Army, Nelson landed his first Broadway role in Lend an Ear, for which he received the Theatre World Award. He also appeared onstage in Follies, which garnered him a Tony Award nomination, and Good News. Nelson's longtime professional dance partner during the 1950s was actress JoAnn Dean Killingsworth. Gene Nelson co-starred with Doris Day in "Lullaby of Broadway" in 1951. He played Will Parker in the film Oklahoma! In 1959, he appeared in Northwest Passage as a young man trying to prove his innocence in a murder case. Nelson appeared on the March 17, 1960 episode of "You Bet Your Life", hosted by Groucho Marx. He and Groucho's daughter, Melinda, performed a dance number together. Nelson directed eight episodes of The Rifleman in the 1961-62 season, the original Star Trek, the first season of I Dream of Jeannie, Gunsmoke, The Silent Force, and The San Pedro Beach Bums. He directed the Elvis Presley films Kissin' Cousins, which screenplay he wrote, and Harum Scarum. For the Kissin' Cousins screenplay he received a WGA award nomination for best written musical. He later taught in the Theater Arts Department at San Francisco State University in the late 1980s. He starred as Buddy in the 1971 Broadway musical Follies, for which he received a 1972 Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor In A Musical. The production featured a score by Stephen Sondheim and was co-directed by Michael Bennett and Harold Prince. For contribution to the motion picture industry, in 1990, Nelson was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Nelson's star is located at 7005 Hollywood Boulevard. Description above from the Wikipedia article Gene Nelson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Murder, She Wrote
TV · as Louis Metcalf · 1 ep
S.O.B.
Movie · as Clive Lytell
A Brand New Life
Movie · as Harry
Family Flight
Movie · as Aircraft Carrier Captain
The Streets of San Francisco
TV · 4 eps
Ghost Story
TV · as Steve · 1 ep
The Mod Squad
TV · 1 ep
Ironside
TV · 1 ep
Thunder Island
Movie · as Billy Poole
Burke's Law
TV · as Rick Mason, Danny Swift · 1 ep
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
TV · as Self · 1 ep
20,000 Eyes
Movie · as Dan Warren
The Purple Hills
Movie · as Gil Shepard
The Mike Douglas Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Philip Marlowe
TV · 1 ep
Rawhide
TV
Men Into Space
TV · 1 ep
Black Saddle
TV · as Wickes · 1 ep
Law of the Plainsman
TV · as Hardy O'Hara · 1 ep
The Detectives
TV · 1 ep
The Bell Telephone Hour
TV · as Self · 3 eps
Bat Masterson
TV · as Whit Morrison · 1 ep
A Man's Game
Movie · as Tom Watts
Have Gun, Will Travel
TV · 1 ep
Maverick
TV · as Jim Hazlit · 1 ep
The Steve Allen Show
TV · as Self - Dancer · 1 ep
The Rosemary Clooney Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Oklahoma!
Movie · as Will Parker
Dial 999
Movie · as Greg Carradine
Timeslip
Movie · as Mike Delaney
Gunsmoke
TV · as Hob Cannon, Foss, Hutch · 1 ep
The Millionaire
TV · as Lt. Steven Q. Forrest · 1 ep
Matinee Theater
TV · 1 ep
So This Is Paris
Movie · as Al Howard
Climax!
TV · as Jess Shepard · 1 ep
Crime Wave
Movie · as Steve Lacey
She's Back on Broadway
Movie · as Gordon Evans
Three Sailors and a Girl
Movie · as Twitch
General Electric Theater
TV · 1 ep
She's Working Her Way Through College
Movie · as Don Weston
Lullaby of Broadway
Movie · as Tom Farnham
Starlift
Movie · as Gene Nelson
Painting the Clouds with Sunshine
Movie · as Ted
Hallmark Hall of Fame
TV · as Robert · 1 ep
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV · 1 ep
Tea for Two
Movie · as Tommy Trainor
The West Point Story
Movie · as Hal Courtland
The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady
Movie · as Doug Martin
The Colgate Comedy Hour
TV · as Self · 5 eps
Your Show of Shows
TV · 1 ep
The Walls of Jericho
Movie · as Legal Assistant
Apartment for Peggy
Movie · as Jerry (uncredited)
Studio One
TV · as Trout · 1 ep
The Ed Sullivan Show
TV · as Self · 2 eps
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
Movie · as Tommy Yale
This Is the Army
Movie · as Soldier (uncredited)
Second Fiddle
Movie · as Minor Role
Everything Happens at Night
Movie · as Skater