Craig Richard Nelson (born September 17, 1947) is an American actor in theater, film and television.

Life and career

Nelson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and grew up as a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. He studied acting at the University of Utah and New York University's

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

. After graduation, he was cast in the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

-winning Broadway musical ''

Two Gentlemen of Verona ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as showing his first tent ...

''. A casting director saw him in that show and cast him in the film ''

The Paper Chase The Paper Chase (stylized as "the pAper chAse") was an American alternative rock band formed in 1998 by producer/engineer John Congleton in Dallas, Texas, who were signed to Kill Rock Stars and Southern Records. Their albums ''God Bless Your Blac ...

'' as a mean-spirited law student. This led to a long career in film and television, including three

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...

films, '' A Wedding'', ''

3 Women ''3 Women'' is a 1977 American psychological drama film written, produced, and directed by Robert Altman and starring Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Janice Rule. It depicts the increasingly bizarre, mysterious relationship between a woman (Duva ...

'', and ''

Quintet A quintet is a group containing five members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single ...

'' as well as a role in the coming-of-age comedy ''

My Bodyguard ''My Bodyguard'' is a 1980 American family comedy drama film directed by Tony Bill (his directorial debut), and written by Alan Ormsby. The film stars Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin (in his first film role), Matt Dillon, Martin Mull, and Ruth Gor ...

''. He also had a recurring role as drama teacher Mr. Spacek on the 1980s television show ''

Square Pegs ''Square Pegs'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1982–1983 season. The series follows Patty Greene (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Lauren Hutchinson ( Amy Linker), two awkward teenage girls desperate to fit in at Weemawee High S ...

''.

Filmography

Film

*''

'' (1973) – Bell *''

'' (1977) – Dr. Maas *'' A Wedding'' (1978) – Reedley Roots *''

'' (1979) – Redstone *''

'' (1980) – Griffith *''

A Small Circle of Friends ''A Small Circle of Friends'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by Rob Cohen (in his directing debut) and starring Brad Davis, Karen Allen and Jameson Parker. It was distributed by United Artists. Premise The film follows the life of th ...

'' (1980) – Harry Norris *''

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' is a 1989 American comic science fiction film. It is the first installment of a film franchise and served as the directorial debut of Joe Johnston. The film stars Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman, and Krist ...

'' (1989) – Professor Fredrickson (uncredited) *''

Another You ''Another You'' is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Maurice Phillips and produced and written by Ziggy Steinberg. The film stars Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, Mercedes Ruehl, Vanessa Williams and Kevin Pollak. The film was released in the U ...

'' (1991) – Walt

Television

*''

Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers ''Friends and Lovers'' (also known as ''Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers'') is an American sitcom starring Paul Sand which centers on a musician in Boston, Massachusetts, and his personal relationships. It was Sand's only starring role in a televis ...

'' (1974) – Mason Woodruff *''

Fernwood 2 Night ''Fernwood 2 Night'' (or ''Fernwood Tonight'') is a comedic television program that was broadcast weeknights from July 1977 to September 1977. It was created by Norman Lear and produced by Alan Thicke as a spin-off/summer replacement for ''Mar ...

'' (1977) – Dr. Richard Osgood *'' Maude'' (1977) – Guest Star *''

Stick Around (TV pilot) ''Stick Around'' is an unsold television pilot for ABC, starring Andy Kaufman. Only one episode was ever made, airing on 30 May 1977. Kaufman portrayed Andy, a run-down servant robot in the future. He used the same voice of his "Forei ...

''(1977) - Earl *''

The Grass is Always Greener over the Septic Tank Erma Louise Bombeck (''née'' Fiste; February 21, 1927 – April 22, 1996) was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for her newspaper humor column describing suburban home life, syndicated from 1965 to 1996. She also published 15 bo ...

'' (1978) – Hal Watson *''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th St in Greenwich Village. The series was broadcast on ABC Network from January 23, 1975, to May 20, 1982. It was created ...

'' (1978) - Arnold Moraz *''

Carol Burnett & Company ''Carol Burnett & Company'' is an American four-episode summer variety/ sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, Kenneth Mars and Craig Richard Nelson. The series served as a continuation of ''The Carol Bur ...

'' (1979) – Regular *''

'' (1982) – Mr. Spacek *''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty White ...

'' (1986) – Mr. Thurber (1 episode) *''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

'' (1988) – U.S. Attorney Donald Kelly (uncredited) *'' Dream On'' (1990) - Andre *'' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1990) – Krag *''

Alien Nation ''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for ''Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with the ...

'' (1989) – Attorney *'' Get a Life'' (1990) – Hastings *''

Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...

'' (1991) – Bjorn *'' Diagnosis: Murder'' (1993) - Dr. Thatcher *''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'' (1995) - Rob Hazlitt *'' Star Trek: Voyager'' (1998) – Vaskan arbiter

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Craig Richard 1947 births Living people Male actors from Salt Lake City American male stage actors American male film actors American male television actors University of Utah alumni Tisch School of the Arts alumni 20th-century American male actors American Latter Day Saints