Ed Nelson
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- December 21, 1928
- Died
- August 9, 2014 (aged 85)
- Birthplace
- New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Edwin Stafford Nelson (December 21, 1928 – August 9, 2014) was an American actor. Nelson began acting while attending Tulane University in New Orleans. He left college after two years to study at the New York School of Radio and Television Technique. After graduating, he took a position as a director at WDSU-TV in New Orleans. By 1956, acting became his central focus and he moved to the Los Angeles area. Early in his career he worked with famed B-movie producer Roger Corman on such Corman films as Cry Baby Killers, A Bucket of Blood, Teenage Cave Man and Attack of the Crab Monsters. In 1958 he participated in Bruno VeSota's science fiction horror film The Brain Eaters. His early television career featured many guest starring roles in such series as The Fugitive, Gunsmoke, Harbor Command, Tombstone Territory, Tightrope, The Blue Angels (as arrogant flight instructor Lieutenant Dayl Martin), Laramie, COronado 9, The Eleventh Hour, Bonanza, Thriller (US TV series), and Channing, an ABC drama about college life. In 1964 he won his most famous role portraying Dr. Michael Rossi on the ABC drama Peyton Place, which ran from 1964 to 1969. Nelson's fellow cast members included Mia Farrow, Ryan O'Neal, and Dorothy Malone. Dr. Rossi proved to be so popular that by 1968, he became the lead actor on the show. Nelson reprised his role in two made-for-TV movies, Murder in Peyton Place and Peyton Place: The Next Generation. After Peyton Place ended, Nelson worked in many more productions of all varieties, including starring role in many movies of the week, a second TV series, "The Silent Force," and a popular morning talk show which he hosted for three years. Soon after, Nelson struck gold with his critically acclaimed portrayal of elusive pit crew chief Robert Denby in the hit film Riding with Death (1976), earning him several prestigious accolades and legions of devoted fans.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Runaway Jury
Movie · as George Dressler
Who Am I?
Movie · as General Sharman
Cries of Silence
Movie · as Dr. August Claiborne
The Boneyard
Movie · as Jersey Callum
Deadly Weapon
Movie · as General Stone
Sworn to Silence
Movie · as Victor Handler
Jake and the Fatman
TV · as D.A. Marcus Packard · 3 eps
J.J. Starbuck
TV · 1 ep
Police Academy 3: Back in Training
Movie · as Governor Neilson
Peyton Place: The Next Generation
Movie · as Dr. Michael Rossi
MacGyver
TV · as Arthur Bandel · 1 ep
Murder, She Wrote
TV · as Raymond 'Ray' Bascomb, Judge Willard Clinton, Henry Post, Mayor Albert Simpson, Carl Turnball · 1 ep
Finder of Lost Loves
TV · as Bill Garnett · 1 ep
Help Wanted: Male
Movie · as George Dobbs
Hotel
TV · 1 ep
Cagney & Lacey
TV · as Sgt. Steingrove · 1 ep
Capitol
TV · 260 eps
Matt Houston
TV · 1 ep
Born to Be Sold
Movie · as Carl Strickland
The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything
Movie · as Joseph Locordolos
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
Movie · as President Harry S. Truman
The Return of Frank Cannon
Movie · as Mike Danvers
Hagen
TV · 1 ep
Anatomy of a Seduction
Movie · as Mark Kane
Trapper John, M.D.
TV · 1 ep
Doctors' Private Lives
TV · 4 eps
Superdome
Movie · as George Beldridge
Doctors' Private Lives
Movie · as Dr. Mike Wise
Leave Yesterday Behind
Movie · as Mr. Clarkson
The Crash of Flight 401
Movie · as Philip Mulwray
Dallas
TV · as Jeb Amos · 1 ep
Vega$
TV · 2 eps
A Little Game
Movie · as Paul Hamilton
Murder in Peyton Place
Movie · as Dr. Michael Rossi
For the Love of Benji
Movie · as Chandler Dietrich
Lou Grant
TV · 1 ep
CHiPs
TV · 1 ep
Logan's Run
TV · as Dr. Rowan · 1 ep
Midway
Movie · as Admiral Harry Pearson
Riding with Death
Movie · as Robert Denby
Acapulco Gold
Movie · as Ray Hollister
The Bionic Woman
TV · 1 ep
Quincy, M.E.
TV · 2 eps
Charlie's Angels
TV · as George Starrett · 1 ep
Gibbsville
TV · 1 ep
The Missing Are Deadly
Movie
That's the Way of the World
Movie · as Carlton James
Airport 1975
Movie · as Major John Alexander
Houston, We've Got a Problem
Movie · as Gene Kranz, Flight Director
Police Headquarters
Movie · as Lt. Calvin Zenger
Police Woman
TV · 1 ep
The Rockford Files
TV · as Edgar 'Bud' Clement, Blake Sternlight · 1 ep
Time to Run
Movie · as Warren Cole
Runaway!
Movie · as Nick Staffo
Linda
Movie · as Paul Reston
Barnaby Jones
TV · as Larry Kinner · 1 ep
The Screaming Woman
Movie · as Carl Nesbitt
Brink of Disaster!
Movie · as Dr. Harden
Kung Fu
TV · as Sheriff Walter Raha · 1 ep
Search
TV · 1 ep
The Sixth Sense
TV · 1 ep
Alias Smith and Jones
TV · 1 ep
Cannon
TV · 1 ep
Along Came a Spider
Movie · as Dr. Martin Becker
The Silent Force
TV · 15 eps
Night Gallery
TV · as Tom Burke (segment “Little Girl Lost”) · 1 ep
Medical Center
TV · as Hank · 3 eps
The Mod Squad
TV · 1 ep
Adam-12
TV · as Abe Strayhorn · 1 ep
Ironside
TV · 1 ep
Mission: Impossible
TV · as Van Cleve · 1 ep
The F.B.I.
TV · as Walter Swenson, Hamilton · 1 ep
Peyton Place
TV · as Michael Rossi · 514 eps
The Man from Galveston
Movie · as Cole Marteen
Soldier in the Rain
Movie · as James Priest
Arrest and Trial
TV · 1 ep
Redigo
TV · 1 ep
The Fugitive
TV · as Paul Clements, Steve Edson · 1 ep
The Dakotas
TV · 1 ep
The Outer Limits
TV · as Col. Luke Stone · 1 ep
Channing
TV · as Deke Allison · 2 eps
The Gallant Men
TV · 1 ep
Saints and Sinners
TV · as Ray · 1 ep
Sam Benedict
TV · as Neil Bracket · 1 ep
The Virginian
TV · as Ralph Slocum · 1 ep
Stoney Burke
TV · 1 ep
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
TV · as Alex Trevor, Tom Keller · 1 ep
Devil's Partner
Movie · as Nick Richards / Pete Jensen
Judgment at Nuremberg
Movie · as Captain at Nightclub Announcing Call-up of Officers (uncredited)
Cain's Hundred
TV · as Peter Stull · 1 ep
87th Precinct
TV · 1 ep
The New Breed
TV · as Jefty Bright, Roger Sykes · 1 ep
Dr. Kildare
TV · as Dr. Keith Judge · 1 ep
Code of Silence
Movie
Valley of the Redwoods
Movie · as Dino Michaelis
The Fatal Impulse
Movie · as Brundage
Surfside 6
TV · 1 ep
The Tall Man
TV · 1 ep
Thriller
TV · as Brundage, Charlie, Tom Ellison / Daniel Le Jean · 2 eps
The Aquanauts
TV · as Chris Garland · 1 ep
Coronado 9
TV · 1 ep
Checkmate
TV · as Gil Stoneham, Chuck Palmer · 1 ep
A Bucket of Blood
Movie · as Art Lacroix
The Young Captives
Movie · as Norm Britt
T-Bird Gang
Movie · as Alex Hendricks
I, Mobster
Movie · as Sid - Henchman (uncredited)
Johnny Ringo
TV · as Kirk, Tomstedter · 1 ep
Black Saddle
TV · as Lee Coogan, Roy Corey · 1 ep
The Twilight Zone
TV · as Philip Redfield · 1 ep
Rawhide
TV · as Lt. Cory Clemens, Sam Weber, Chuck Whittaker · 1 ep
The Rebel
TV · as Chad, Doug, The Stalker, Clint Mowbree · 1 ep
Riverboat
TV · as Jim Tyler · 1 ep
The Detectives
TV · 3 eps
Tightrope
TV · 1 ep
Laramie
TV · as Sable · 1 ep
The Brain Eaters
Movie · as Dr. Paul Kettering
Night of the Blood Beast
Movie · as Dave Randall
Teenage Cave Man
Movie · as Blonde Tribe Member
Cry Baby Killer
Movie · as Rick Connor
She Gods of Shark Reef
Movie · as Guard (uncredited)
Hot Car Girl
Movie · as Cop #2
Street of Darkness
Movie · as Slavo
77 Sunset Strip
TV · 1 ep
The Rifleman
TV · 3 eps
Bat Masterson
TV · as Jedrow, Browder · 1 ep
Attack of the Crab Monsters
Movie · as Ensign Quinlan
Carnival Rock
Movie · as Cannon
Invasion of the Saucer Men
Movie · as Tom
Bayou
Movie · as Etienne (as Edwin Nelson)
Rock All Night
Movie · as Pete
Teenage Doll
Movie · as Police Officer 'Dutch' / Blind Man
Perry Mason
TV · as Ward Nichols, Dirk Blake · 1 ep
Have Gun, Will Travel
TV · 5 eps
M Squad
TV · as Lenny Maston · 1 ep
Harbor Command
TV · 1 ep
Maverick
TV · as 2nd Classmate (uncredited) · 2 eps
Tombstone Territory
TV · as Cowboy · 1 ep
Swamp Women
Movie · as Police Sergeant
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
TV · as Nelson, Jack Bowen, Albie, Tantasi, Vince Harwell · 1 ep
New Orleans Uncensored
Movie · as Charlie
Gunsmoke
TV · as Lee Prentice, Rusk, Perce, Seth, Burt Cury, Tom · 1 ep
Highway Patrol
TV · 1 ep
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
TV · 1 ep
The Steel Trap
Movie · as Man in Ticket Line at Airport (uncredited)