MiniMovie
Sign in
Gene Nelson

Gene Nelson

Acting

March 24, 1920 – September 16, 1996 (died at 76)
Astoria, Oregon, USA
Male
38 Movies
68 TV Shows

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! 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.​

Crime Wave
Crime Wave

Crime Wave

1953 7.1

as Steve Lacey

Age 33 (now 76)
I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie

I Dream of Jeannie

1965 7.8

Director

Age 45 (now 76)
8 eps
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma!

Oklahoma!

1955 6.6

as Will Parker

Age 35 (now 76)
Tea for Two
Tea for Two

Tea for Two

1950 6.1

as Tommy Trainor

Age 30 (now 76)
Timeslip
Timeslip

Timeslip

1955 5.8

as Mike Delaney

Age 35 (now 76)
Lullaby of Broadway
Lullaby of Broadway

Lullaby of Broadway

1951 6.0

as Tom Farnham

Age 31 (now 76)
The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad

The Mod Squad

1968 6.1

Director

Age 48 (now 76)
18 eps
The Rifleman
The Rifleman

The Rifleman

1958 7.1

Director

Age 38 (now 76)
8 eps
The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show

The Donna Reed Show

1958 6.5

Director

Age 38 (now 76)
18 eps
Dial 999
Dial 999

Dial 999

1955 4.9

as Greg Carradine

Age 35 (now 76)
Thunder Island
Thunder Island

Thunder Island

1963 5.4

as Billy Poole

Age 43 (now 76)
The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco

The Streets of San Francisco

1972 7.0
Age 52 (now 76)
4 eps
The West Point Story
The West Point Story

The West Point Story

1950 5.8

as Hal Courtland

Age 30 (now 76)
She's Working Her Way Through College
She's Working Her Way Through College

She's Working Her Way Through College

1952 5.4

as Don Weston

Age 32 (now 76)
The Rookies
The Rookies

The Rookies

1972 6.9

Director

Age 52 (now 76)
7 eps
Starsky & Hutch
Starsky & Hutch

Starsky & Hutch

1975 7.3

Director

Age 55 (now 76)
2 eps