Gary Nelson (October 6, 1934 – May 25, 2022) was an American television and film director. He directed many television series, including ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, an ...

'', '' Gunsmoke'', ''

Have Gun – Will Travel ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number t ...

'', ''

The Patty Duke Show ''The Patty Duke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Sidney Sheldon and William Asher. The series ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, to April 27, 1966. The series was developed as a vehicle for teenage star Patty Duke, who h ...

'', '' Gilligan's Island'' and ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most su ...

''. In addition, Nelson directed five feature films, including

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's ''

Freaky Friday ''Freaky Friday'' is a comedic children's novel written by Mary Rodgers, first published by Harper & Row in 1972. It has been adapted for several films, including versions in 1976, 1995, 2003, and 2018, and was reinterpreted as a horror film f ...

'' (1976), and many television movies, including '' Murder in Coweta County'' starring Johnny Cash and

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his character ...

. In 1978, Nelson was nominated for an

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

for

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series is presented to the best directing of a television drama series, usually for a particular episode.Though this category is the dominant one in which dramatic directing has been ...

on '' Washington: Behind Closed Doors''. Nelson was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He was married to actress

Judi Meredith Judi Clare Meredith (born Judith Clare Boutin; October 13, 1936 – April 30, 2014) was an American actress. Early life Born on October 13, 1936 to Herbert Boutin and Janice M. Starr in Portland, Oregon, Meredith graduated from St. Mary's Acade ...

, who died on April 30, 2014; the couple had two sons. During semi-retirement, Nelson continued to occasionally guest lecture at the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes the S ...

. He died in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

on May 25, 2022, at the age of 87.

Filmography

*'' Johnny Belinda'' (1967, TV) *''

Molly and Lawless John ''Molly and Lawless John'' is a 1972 American Western film directed by Gary Nelson and starring Vera Miles and Sam Elliott. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1973. Plot Molly Parker (Vera Miles) is marr ...

'' (1972) *''

Santee Santee may refer to: People * Santee Dakota, a subgroup of the Dakota people, of the U.S. Great Plains * Santee (South Carolina), a Native American people of South Carolina Places * Lake Santee, Indiana, a reservoir and census-designated place * ...

'' (1973) *''

The Girl on the Late, Late Show ''The Girl on the Late, Late Show'' is a 1974 American TV film directed by Gary Nelson. It was designed as a pilot of a weekly TV series starring Don Murray. Plot A man tries to track down an old screen star. Cast * Don Murray as William Martin ...

'' (1974) *''

The Boy Who Talked to Badgers ''The Boy Who Talked to Badgers'' is a 1975 American made-for-television adventure film directed by Gary Nelson, starring Christian Juttner and Carl Betz. It was produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the novel '' Incident at Hawk's ...

'' (1975) *''

'' (1976) *'' Washington: Behind Closed Doors'' (1977) *''

The Black Hole ''The Black Hole'' is a 1979 American science fiction film directed by Gary Nelson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. The film stars Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux, Anthony Perkins and Ernest Borgnin ...

'' (1979) *''

The Pride of Jesse Hallam ''The Pride of Jesse Hallam'' is a 1981 American made-for-television drama film starring Johnny Cash and Brenda Vaccaro. It originally aired March 3, 1981 on CBS. Plot Jesse Hallam is a coal miner in Muhlenberg, Kentucky, whose wife has recentl ...

'' (1981) *''

Jimmy the Kid ''Jimmy the Kid'' is a 1982 American comedy film starring Gary Coleman and Paul Le Mat. It was directed by Gary Nelson, produced by Ronald Jacobs, and released on November 12, 1982 by New World Pictures. Following 1981's ''On the Right Track'', ...

'' (1982) *'' Murder in Coweta County'' (1983) *'' Murder Me, Murder You'' (1983) *''

More Than Murder ''More Than Murder'' is a 1984 American made-for-television mystery film starring Stacy Keach as Mickey Spillane's iconic hardboiled private detective Mike Hammer. It aired on January 26, 1984, at 9:00 p.m. and was the second of two pilots f ...

'' (1984) *'' The Baron and the Kid'' (1984) *''

Murder in Three Acts ''Murder in Three Acts'' is a 1986 British-American made-for-television mystery film produced by Warner Bros. Television, featuring Peter Ustinov as Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Directed by Gary Nelson, it co-starred J ...

'' (1986) *''

Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold ''Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold'' is a 1986 American adventure comedy film directed by Gary Nelson and released in West Germany on December 18, 1986, and in the United States on January 30, 1987. It is loosely based on the 1887 novel ...

'' (1986) *'' Noble House'' (1988) *''

Shooter Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles can ...

'' (1988) *''

Get Smart, Again! ''Get Smart, Again!'' is a 1989 American made-for-television comedy film based on the 1965–1970 NBC/ CBS sitcom ''Get Smart!'' starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon reprising their characters of Maxwell Smart and Agent 99. It originally aired ...

'' (1989) *'' The Lookalike'' (1990) *''

The Return of Ironside ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' (1993) *'' Melanie Darrow'' (1997)

References

External links

* * 1934 births 2022 deaths American film directors American television directors Film people from Los Angeles {{US-film-director-stub