Ed Nelson
Biography
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.
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Known for
Acting roles
Year | Movie / TV show / Other | Role |
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2003 | Runaway Jury | George Dressler |
1998 | Who Am I? | General Sharman |
1996 | Cries of Silence | Dr. August Claiborne |
1991 | The Boneyard | Jersey Callum |
1989 | Deadly Weapon | General Stone |
1987 | Jake and the Fatman | D.A. Marcus Packard |
1987 | Sworn to Silence | Victor Handler |
1987 | J.J. Starbuck | |
1986 | Police Academy 3: Back in Training | Governor Neilson |
1985 | MacGyver | |
1985 | Peyton Place: The Next Generation | Dr. Michael Rossi |
1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Raymond 'Ray' Bascomb |
1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Judge Willard Clinton |
1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Henry Post |
1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Mayor Albert Simpson |
1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Carl Turnball |
1984 | Finder of Lost Loves | Bill Garnett |
1982 | Cagney & Lacey | Sgt. Steingrove |
1982 | Matt Houston | |
1982 | Hotel | |
1982 | Capitol | |
1982 | Help Wanted: Male | George Dobbs |
1981 | Born to Be Sold | Carl Strickland |
1980 | The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything | Joseph Locordolos |
1980 | The Return of Frank Cannon | Mike Danvers |
1980 | Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb | President Harry S. Truman |
1980 | Hagen | |
1979 | Trapper John, M.D. | |
1979 | Anatomy of a Seduction | Mark Kane |
1979 | Doctors' Private Lives | |
1978 | Dallas | Jeb Amos |
1978 | Vega$ | |
1978 | Superdome | George Beldridge |
1978 | Leave Yesterday Behind | Mr. Clarkson |
1978 | The Crash of Flight 401 | Philip Mulwray |
1978 | Doctors' Private Lives | Dr. Mike Wise |
1977 | CHiPs | |
1977 | For the Love of Benji | Chandler Dietrich |
1977 | Logan's Run | |
1977 | Lou Grant | |
1977 | Murder in Peyton Place | Dr. Michael Rossi |
1976 | Midway | Admiral Harry Pearson |
1976 | The Bionic Woman | |
1976 | Charlie's Angels | George Starrett |
1976 | Quincy, M.E. | |
1976 | Riding with Death | Robert Denby |
1976 | Acapulco Gold | Ray Hollister |
1976 | Gibbsville | |
1975 | That's the Way of the World | Carlton James |
1975 | The Missing Are Deadly | |
1974 | Airport 1975 | Major John Alexander |
1974 | The Rockford Files | Edgar 'Bud' Clement |
1974 | The Rockford Files | Blake Sternlight |
1974 | Police Woman | |
1974 | Houston, We've Got a Problem | Gene Kranz, Flight Director |
1974 | Police Headquarters | Lt. Calvin Zenger |
1973 | Barnaby Jones | Larry Kinner |
1973 | Runaway! | Nick Staffo |
1973 | Time to Run | Warren Cole |
1973 | Linda | Paul Reston |
1972 | Kung Fu | |
1972 | The Streets of San Francisco | |
1972 | Banacek | Geoff Holden |
1972 | The Screaming Woman | Carl Nesbitt |
1972 | Search | |
1972 | The Sixth Sense | |
1972 | Brink of Disaster! | |
1971 | Cannon | |
1971 | Alias Smith and Jones | |
1971 | A Little Game | Paul Hamilton |
1970 | Night Gallery | Tom Burke (segment “Little Girl Lost”) |
1970 | Along Came a Spider | Dr. Martin Becker |
1970 | The Silent Force | |
1969 | Medical Center | Hank |
1968 | Adam-12 | Abe Strayhorn |
1968 | The Mod Squad | |
1967 | Ironside | |
1966 | Mission: Impossible | |
1965 | The F.B.I. | Walter Swenson |
1965 | The F.B.I. | Hamilton |
1964 | Peyton Place | Michael Rossi |
1963 | The Outer Limits | Col. Luke Stone |
1963 | The Fugitive | Paul Clements |
1963 | The Fugitive | Steve Edson |
1963 | Soldier in the Rain | James Priest |
1963 | The Man from Galveston | Cole Marteen |
1963 | The Dakotas | |
1963 | Redigo | |
1963 | Arrest and Trial | |
1963 | Channing | Deke Allison |
1962 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Tom Keller |
1962 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Alex Trevor |
1962 | The Virginian | Ralph Slocum |
1962 | Stoney Burke | |
1962 | Sam Benedict | |
1962 | The Gallant Men | |
1962 | Saints and Sinners | Ray |
1961 | Judgment at Nuremberg | Captain at Nightclub Announcing Call-up of Officers (uncredited) |
1961 | Dr. Kildare | Dr. Keith Judge |
1961 | Devil's Partner | Nick Richards / Pete Jensen |
1961 | 87th Precinct | |
1961 | Cain's Hundred | Peter Stull |
1961 | The New Breed | Jefty Bright |
1961 | The New Breed | Roger Sykes |
1960 | Thriller | Brundage |
1960 | Thriller | Charlie |
1960 | Thriller | Tom Ellison / Daniel Le Jean |
1960 | Checkmate | Chuck Palmer |
1960 | Checkmate | Gil Stoneham |
1960 | The Tall Man | |
1960 | Surfside 6 | |
1960 | The Aquanauts | Chris Garland |
1960 | Coronado 9 | |
1960 | Code of Silence | |
1960 | Valley of the Redwoods | Dino Michaelis |
1960 | The Fatal Impulse | Brundage |
1959 | The Twilight Zone | Philip Redfield |
1959 | A Bucket of Blood | Art Lacroix |
1959 | Rawhide | Lt. Cory Clemens |
1959 | Rawhide | Sam Weber |
1959 | Laramie | Sable |
1959 | T-Bird Gang | Alex Hendricks |
1959 | Johnny Ringo | Kirk |
1959 | The Rebel | Chad |
1959 | The Detectives | |
1959 | Johnny Ringo | Tomstedter |
1959 | The Rebel | The Stalker |
1959 | The Rebel | Clint Mowbree |
1959 | The Rebel | Doug |
1959 | I, Mobster | Sid - Henchman (uncredited) |
1959 | Black Saddle | Lee Coogan |
1959 | Black Saddle | Roy Corey |
1959 | Riverboat | Jim Tyler |
1959 | Tightrope | |
1959 | The Young Captives | Norm Britt |
1958 | Night of the Blood Beast | Dave Randall |
1958 | The Brain Eaters | Dr. Paul Kettering |
1958 | The Rifleman | |
1958 | Teenage Cave Man | Blonde Tribe Member |
1958 | 77 Sunset Strip | |
1958 | She Gods of Shark Reef | Guard (uncredited) |
1958 | The Cry Baby Killer | Rick Connor |
1958 | Bat Masterson | Jedrow |
1958 | Bat Masterson | Browder |
1957 | Perry Mason | Ward Nichols |
1957 | Perry Mason | Dirk Blake |
1957 | Attack of the Crab Monsters | Ensign Quinlan |
1957 | Invasion of the Saucer-Men | Tom |
1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel | |
1957 | Maverick | |
1957 | Maverick | 2nd Classmate (uncredited) |
1957 | Rock All Night | Pete |
1957 | Carnival Rock | Cannon |
1957 | Teenage Doll | Police Officer 'Dutch' / Blind Man |
1957 | M Squad | Lenny Maston |
1957 | Tombstone Territory | Cowboy |
1957 | Bayou | Etienne (as Edwin Nelson) |
1957 | Harbor Command | |
1956 | Swamp Women | Police Sergeant |
1956 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Nelson |
1956 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Jack Bowen |
1956 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Tantasi |
1956 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Vince Harwell |
1956 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Albie |
1955 | Gunsmoke | Lee Prentice |
1955 | Gunsmoke | Rusk |
1955 | Gunsmoke | Perce |
1955 | Gunsmoke | Seth |
1955 | Gunsmoke | Burt Cury |
1955 | Gunsmoke | Tom |
1955 | The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp | |
1955 | Highway Patrol | |
1955 | New Orleans Uncensored | Charlie |
Credits