Gene Nelson
36 movies · 55 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Mar 24, 1920
- Died
- Sep 16, 1996 (age 76)
- Place of birth
- Astoria, Oregon, USA
- Also known as
- Gene Berg · Eugene A. Nelson · Leander Eugene Berg
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!
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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.
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Profiles IMDb
Known for
Gene Nelson: movies and TV shows
Acting (50)
- 1984
- 1981 S.O.B.
as Clive Lytell
- 1973 A Brand New Life
as Harry
- 1972 Family Flight
as Aircraft Carrier Captain
- 1972
- 1972
- 1968
- 1967
- 1963
- 1963 Thunder Island
as Billy Poole
- 1961 The Purple Hills
as Gil Shepard
- 1961 20,000 Eyes
as Dan Warren
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959
- 1959 Rawhide · TV
- 1958
- 1957
- 1957
- 1955 Dial 999
as Greg Carradine
- 1955 Timeslip
as Mike Delaney
- 1955
- 1955 Oklahoma!
as Will Parker
- 1955
- 1955
- 1954 So This Is Paris
as Al Howard
- 1954
- 1953 Three Sailors and a Girl
as Twitch
- 1953 Crime Wave
as Steve Lacey
- 1953 She's Back on Broadway
as Gordon Evans
- 1953
- 1952 She's Working Her Way Through College
as Don Weston
- 1951
- 1951 Starlift
as Gene Nelson
- 1951
- 1951
- 1951 Lullaby of Broadway
as Tom Farnham
- 1950 The West Point Story
as Hal Courtland
- 1950 Tea for Two
as Tommy Trainor
- 1950 The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady
as Doug Martin
- 1950
- 1948 The Walls of Jericho
as Legal Assistant
- 1948
- 1948 Apartment for Peggy
as Jerry (uncredited)
- 1947 I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
as Tommy Yale
- 1943 This Is the Army
as Soldier (uncredited)
- 1939 Everything Happens at Night
as Skater
- 1939 Second Fiddle
as Minor Role
Behind the camera (44)
- 1979
- 1979
- 1979
- 1978
- 1978
- 1977
- 1976
- 1975
- 1975
- 1974
- 1973 The Letters
Director
- 1973
- 1972
- 1971
- 1970
- 1969 Wake Me When the War Is Over
Director, Producer
- 1969
- 1968
- 1968
- 1968
- 1967 The Cool Ones
Director
- 1967
- 1966
- 1966
- 1966 Where's Everett?
Director
- 1965 Harum Scarum
Director
- 1965
- 1965
- 1965
- 1965
- 1964 Your Cheatin' Heart
Director
- 1964
- 1964
- 1964 Kissin' Cousins
Director, Screenplay
- 1964
- 1964 Archie
Director
- 1963
- 1963
- 1963 Hootenanny Hoot!
Director
- 1963
- 1962 Hand of Death
Director
- 1960
- 1958
- 1958
Talk shows and appearances (7)
- 1962 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1 episode
- 1961 The Mike Douglas Show
1 episode
- 1959 The Bell Telephone Hour
3 episodes
- 1956 The Steve Allen Show
1 episode
- 1956 The Rosemary Clooney Show
1 episode
- 1950 The Colgate Comedy Hour
5 episodes
- 1948 The Ed Sullivan Show
2 episodes