EN
Ed Nelson
Actor, Producer
Died August 9, 2014 (85 years)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Edwin Stafford Nelson (born December 21, 1928) is an American actor.
Nelson has appeared in numerous television shows, more than fifty motion pictures, and hundreds of stage productions. Until 2005, he was teaching acting and screenwriting in his native New Orleans at two local universities there. Hurricane Katrina prompted him to move his family to Sterlington near Monroe in Ouachita Parish in northeastern Louisiana.
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.
He portrayed a dangerous impostor in the adventure movie For the Love of Benji (1977).
During the 1980s, Nelson took on the role of Senator Mark Denning in the daytime soap Capitol.
Nelson also spent a couple of years as Harry Truman onstage replacing James Whitmore for the National Tour of "Give 'Em Hell, Harry."
While living in Los Angeles, Nelson was an active member of the Screen Actors Guild and was elected to the union board for many years. Nelson is a long-standing member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and continues a long tradition of participation in voting for the Academy Awards.
In 1999, Nelson returned to Tulane University to finish credits toward his undergraduate degree, which he completed the following year at the age of seventy-one. Nelson continues to act as the opportunity arises. He and his wife of fifty-eight years, Patsy, enjoy semi-retirement visiting his six children and fourteen grandchildren.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Ed Nelson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
| 2005 | Heartless · as Lawyer |
| 2003 | Runaway Jury · as George Dressler |
| 1998 | Who Am I? · as General Sharman |
| 1991 | The Boneyard · as Jersey Callum |
| 1989 | Brenda Starr · as President Harry S. Truman |
| 1989 | Deadly Weapon · as General Stone |
| 1987 | Jake and the Fatman (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1986 | Police Academy 3: Back in Training · as Governor Neilson |
| 1985 | MacGyver (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) · as Judge Willard Clinton |
| 1983 | Hotel (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1981 | Born to Be Sold · as Carl Strickland |
| 1981 | Dynasty (TV Series) · as Sam Dexter |
| 1981 | Bret Maverick (TV Series) · as Andrew J. Tendall |
| 1981 | Cagney & Lacey (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1981 | The Fall Guy (TV Series) · as Mr. Jason |
| 1980 | Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb · as President Harry S Truman |
| 1979 | Anatomy of a Seduction · as Mark Kane |
| 1979 | Salvage 1 (TV Series) · as General Macklin |
| 1978 | Crash · as Philip Mulwray |
| 1978 | Dallas (TV Series) · as Jeb Amos |
| 1978 | David Cassidy - Man Undercover (TV Series) · as Densmore |
| 1978 | Vega$ (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1977 | For the Love of Benji · as Chandler Dietrich |
| 1977 | Lou Grant (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1977 | CHiPs (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1977 | Logan's Run (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1976 | Acapulco Gold · as Ray Hollister |
| 1976 | Most Wanted (TV Series) · as Moose Watson |
| 1976 | Quincy, M.E. (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1976 | Charlie's Angels (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1976 | The Bionic Woman (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1976 | Midway · as Admiral Harry Pearson |
| 1975 | That's the Way of the World · as Carlton James |
| 1974 | Airport 1975 · as Major John Alexander |
| 1974 | The Rockford Files (TV Series) · as Blake Sternlight |
| 1974 | Police Woman (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1973 | Time to Run · as Warren Cole |
| 1973 | Barnaby Jones (TV Series) · as Larry Kinner |
| 1972 | Kung Fu (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1972 | Banacek (TV Series) · as Geoff Holden |
| 1972 | The Streets of San Francisco (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1971 | Police Surgeon (1971) (TV Series) · as Andy Fane |
| 1971 | McMillan and Wife (TV Series) · as Captain Glen Wyler |
| 1971 | Cannon (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1971 | Alias Smith and Jones (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1969 | Night Gallery (TV Series) · as Tom Burke |
| 1969 | Marcus Welby, M.D. (TV Series) · as Todd |
| 1968 | The Mod Squad (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1968 | Adam-12 (TV Series) · as Abe Strayhorn |
| 1967 | Ironside (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1966 | Mission: Impossible (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1965 | The F.B.I. (TV Series) · as Hamilton |
| 1963 | The Man from Galveston · as Cole Marteen |
| 1963 | The Outer Limits (TV Series) · as Col. Luke Stone |
| 1963 | The Fugitive (TV Series) · as Paul Clements |
| 1963 | Arrest and Trial (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1962 | Combat! (TV Series) · as Burgess |
| 1962 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV Series) · as Tom Keller |
| 1962 | The Virginian (TV Series) · as Ralph Slocum |
| 1962 | The Dakotas (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1961 | Judgment at Nuremberg · as Captain at Nightclub Announcing Call-up of Officers (uncredited) |
| 1960 | Elmer Gantry · as Man on Phone at Sister Sharon Headquarters |
| 1960 | Devil's Partner · as Nick Richards / Pete Jensen |
| 1960 | Coronado 9 (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1960 | Thriller (TV Series) · as Brundage |
| 1960 | Checkmate (TV Series) · as Gil Stoneham |
| 1960 | The Tall Man (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1959 | A Bucket of Blood · as Art Lacroix |
| 1959 | I Mobster · as Sid - Henchman |
| 1959 | T-Bird Gang · as Alex Hendricks |
| 1959 | Riverboat (TV Series) · as Jim Tyler |
| 1959 | The Lawless Years (TV Series) · as Paramedic |
| 1959 | Rawhide (TV Series) · as Lt. Cory Clemens |
| 1959 | |
| 1959 | The Detectives (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1959 | The Deputy (TV Series) · as Pete McCurdy |
| 1959 | The Rebel (TV Series) · as The Stalker |
| 1959 | Laramie (TV Series) · as Cal Mason |
| 1959 | The Twilight Zone (TV Series) · as Philip Redfield |
| 1959 | Shotgun Slade (TV Series) · as Sheriff Clyde Perdito |
| 1959 | The Untouchables (TV Series) · as Johnny Prebble |
| 1958 | The Brain Eaters · as Dr. Paul Kettering |
| 1958 | She Gods of Shark Reef · as Guard (uncredited) |
| 1958 | Hot Rod Gang · as Mark's Gang Buddy |
| 1958 | Night of the Blood Beast · as Dave Randall |
| 1958 | The Cry Baby Killer · as Rick Connor |
| 1958 | Teenage Cave Man · as Blonde Tribe Member |
| 1958 | 77 Sunset Strip (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1958 | The Rifleman (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1958 | Bat Masterson (TV Series) · as Browder |
| 1957 | Attack of the Crab Monsters · as Ensign Quinlan |
| 1957 | Carnival Rock · as Cannon |
| 1957 | Invasion of the Saucer Men · as Tom |
| 1957 | Rock All Night · as Pete |
| 1957 | Bayou · as Etienne (as Edwin Nelson) |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1957 | M Squad (TV Series) · as Lenny Maston |
| 1957 | Perry Mason (TV Series) · as Ward Nichols |
| 1957 | Maverick (TV Series) · as 2nd Classmate (uncredited) |
| 1957 | Tombstone Territory (TV Series) · as Cowboy |
| 1957 | Tales of Wells Fargo (TV Series) · as Andy Thorpe |
| 1957 | Wagon Train (TV Series) · as Al Bleecker |
| 1957 | Harbor Command (TV Series) · as Arrested Craps Game Participant |
| 1956 | Swamp Women · as Police Sergeant |
| 1956 | Zane Grey Theater (TV Series) · as Vince Harwell |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke (TV Series) · as Rusk |
| 1955 | Highway Patrol (1955) (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1955 | The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1952 | The Steel Trap · as Man in Ticket Line at Airport |
| 1952 | Death Valley Days (TV Series) · as Frank Girard |