About

Known credits:
38
Birthday:
1920-03-24
Place of birth:
Astoria, Oregon, USA
Website:
N/A

Gene Nelson

Overview

Gene Nelson was an American dancer, actor, screenwriter, and director. Born Leander Eugene Berg in Astoria, Oregon, he 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

Acting
1981 S.O.B. Actor Clive Lytell 59
Average
1973 A Brand New Life Actor Harry N/A
N/A
1972 Family Flight Actor Aircraft Carrier Captain 58
Average
1963 Thunder Island Actor Billy Poole 58
Average
1961 The Purple Hills Actor Gil Shepard 58
Average
1961 20,000 Eyes Actor Dan Warren 58
Average
1955 Dial 999 Actor Greg Carradine 58
Average
1955 Timeslip Actor Mike Delaney 58
Average
1955 Oklahoma! Actor Will Parker 60
Fair
1954 So This Is Paris Actor Al Howard 59
Average
1953 Three Sailors and a Girl Actor Twitch 59
Average
1953 Crime Wave Actor Steve Lacey 60
Fair
1953 She's Back on Broadway Actor Gordon Evans 59
Average
1952 She's Working Her Way Through College Actor Don Weston 58
Average
1951 Starlift Actor Gene Nelson 59
Average
1951 Painting The Clouds With Sunshine Actor Ted 59
Average
1951 Lullaby of Broadway Actor Tom Farnham 59
Average
1950 The West Point Story Actor Hal Courtland 58
Average
1950 Tea for Two Actor Tommy Trainor 59
Average
1950 The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady Actor Doug Martin 59
Average
1948 The Walls of Jericho Actor Legal Assistant 59
Average
1948 Apartment for Peggy Actor Jerry (uncredited) 59
Average
1947 I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now Actor Tommy Yale 59
Average
1943 This Is the Army Actor Soldier (uncredited) 58
Average
1939 Everything Happens at Night Actor Skater 58
Average
1939 Second Fiddle Actor Minor Role 58
Average

Directing
1973 The Letters Directing Director 59
Average
1969 Wake Me When the War Is Over Directing Director 58
Average
1967 The Cool Ones Directing Director 58
Average
1966 Where's Everett? Directing Director N/A
N/A
1965 Harum Scarum Directing Director 58
Average
1964 Your Cheatin' Heart Directing Director 59
Average
1964 Kissin' Cousins Directing Director 58
Average
1964 Archie Directing Director N/A
N/A
1963 Hootenanny Hoot Directing Director 59
Average
1962 Hand of Death Directing Director 58
Average

Writing
1964 Kissin' Cousins Writing Screenplay 58
Average

Production
1969 Wake Me When the War Is Over Production Producer 58
Average