Gene Nelson (born Leander Eugene Berg; March 24, 1920 – September 16, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, screenwriter, and director.

Biography

Born Leander Eugene Berg in

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corn ...

, he and his family moved to Seattle when he was one year old. He was inspired to become a dancer during his childhood by watching

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

in films. After serving in the Army during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, during which he also performed in the musical ''

This Is the Army ''This Is the Army'' is a 1943 American wartime musical comedy film produced by Hal B. Wallis and Jack L. Warner, and directed by Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály ...

'', Nelson landed his first Broadway role in '' Lend an Ear''. His performance earned a

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre s ...

. He also appeared onstage in '' Good News''. Nelson's longtime professional dance partner during the 1950s was actress

JoAnn Dean Killingsworth JoAnn Dean Killingsworth, often credited professionally as JoAnn Dean (September 23, 1923 – June 20, 2015), was an American actress, dancer and professional figure skater. Dean became the first person to portray Snow White (Disney character), ...

. Nelson co-starred with

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

in '' Lullaby of Broadway'' in 1951. He played Will Parker in the film ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tells ...

'' In 1959, he appeared in ''

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arct ...

'' 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 ''You Bet Your Life'' is an American comedy Game show, quiz series that has aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. Th ...

", hosted by Groucho Marx. He and Groucho's daughter, Melinda, performed a dance number together. Nelson directed eight episodes of ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

'' in the 1961–62 season. He also directed episodes of the original ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vario ...

'', ''

I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series, created by Sidney Sheldon that starred Barbara Eden as a sultry, 2,000-year-old genie and Larry Hagman, as an astronaut with whom she falls in love and eventually marr ...

'' (the first season), ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'' (and starred in many others including “Saludos” (1959) & “Say Uncle"

The Silent Force ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'', and ''The San Pedro Beach Bums''. Nelson directed the Elvis Presley films '' Kissin' Cousins'' (1964), for which he also wrote the screenplay, and '' Harum Scarum'' (1965). For the ''Kissin' Cousins'' screenplay he received a

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers G ...

award nomination for best written musical. In the late 1980s, he taught in the Theater Arts Department at

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...

. He starred as Buddy in the 1971 Broadway musical ''

Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fo ...

'', for which he received a 1972

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 ce ...

nomination for Featured Actor in a Musical. The production featured a score by Stephen Sondheim, was co-directed by Michael Bennett and

Harold Prince Harold Smith Prince (born Harold Smith; January 30, 1928 – July 31, 2019), commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre. One of the foremost figures in 20th century America ...

, and co-starred Alexis Smith and Dorothy Collins. In 1990, for contributions to the motion picture industry, Nelson was inducted into the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

. His star is located at 7005 Hollywood Boulevard.

Death

Nelson died of cancer, aged 76, in Los Angeles.

Filmography

Actor

* '' Second Fiddle'' (1939) as Minor Role (uncredited) * '' Everything Happens at Night'' (1939) as Skater (uncredited) * ''

'' (1943) as Soldier (uncredited) * ''

I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" is a popular song. The music was written by Harold Orlob, the lyrics by Will M. Hough and Frank R. Adams. Orlob worked for Joseph E. Howard generating songs for Howard's productions and Howard presented the so ...

'' (1947) as Tommy Yale * '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947) as Second Ex-GI in Restaurant (uncredited) * '' The Walls of Jericho'' (1948) as Assistant Prosecutor (uncredited) * ''

Apartment for Peggy ''Apartment for Peggy'' is a 1948 American comedy-drama film directed by George Seaton and starring Jeanne Crain, William Holden, and Edmund Gwenn. The plot is about a depressed professor whose spirits are lifted when he rents part of his home to ...

'' (1948) as Jerry (uncredited) * ''

The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady ''The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady'' is a 1950 American musical film directed by David Butler. It stars June Haver and Gordon MacRae. The story is mostly about the lives of musical performers in New York in the closing years of the 19th century. M ...

'' (1950) as Doug Martin * '' Tea for Two'' (1950) as Tommy Trainor * '' The West Point Story'' (1950) as Hal Courtland * '' Lullaby of Broadway'' (1951) as Tom Farnham * ''

Painting the Clouds with Sunshine "Painting the Clouds with Sunshine" is a popular song published in 1929. The music was written by Joe Burke and the lyrics by Al Dubin for the 1929 musical film '' Gold Diggers of Broadway'' when it was sung by Nick Lucas. ''Gold Diggers of Br ...

'' (1951) as Ted Lansing * '' Starlift'' (1951) as Gene Nelson * ''

She's Working Her Way Through College ''She's Working Her Way Through College'' is a 1952 American comedy film produced by Warner Bros. A musical comedy in Technicolor, it is directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and stars Virginia Mayo and Ronald Reagan. The screenplay is based on the 19 ...

'' (1952) as Don Weston * '' She's Back on Broadway'' (1953) as Gordon Evans * '' Crime Wave'' (1953) as Steve Lacey * '' Three Sailors and a Girl'' (1954) as Twitch * '' So This Is Paris'' (1954) as Al Howard * '' The Atomic Man'' (1955) as Mike Delaney * ''

'' (1955) as Will Parker * '' The Way Out'' (1956) as Greg Carradine * ''Little New Orleans Girl'' (1956) as Gregory Gold * ''Shangri-La'' (1960, TV movie) as Robert * '' 20,000 Eyes'' (1961) as Dan Warren * '' The Purple Hills'' (1961) as Gil Shepard * '' Thunder Island'' (1963) as Billy Poole * ''

Family Flight ''Family Flight'' is an American television movie that originally aired on ABC on October 25, 1972. The film stars Rod Taylor and centers on a family whose plane crash-lands in the Baja California peninsula. The film was one of the first times ...

'' (1972, TV Movie) as Aircraft Carrier Captain * '' S.O.B.'' (1981) as Clive Lytell

Director

* ''Life with Archie'' (1962, TV Movie) * '' Hand of Death'' (1962) * '' Hootenanny Hoot'' (1963) * ''

Your Cheatin' Heart "Your Cheatin' Heart" is a song written and recorded by country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1952. It is regarded as one of country's most important standards. Williams was inspired to write the song while driving with his fiancée ...

'' (1964) * '' Kissin' Cousins'' (1964) * ''Archie'' (1964, TV Movie) * '' Harum Scarum'' (1965) * ''

(1965, Season 1) * ''Where's Everett'' (1966, TV Movie) * '' The Cool Ones'' (1967) * '' Wake Me When the War Is Over'' (1969, TV Movie) * '' The Letters'' (1973, TV Movie) * ''Dan August: The Jealousy Factor'' (1980, TV Movie)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Gene Nelson at Apacheland Movie Ranch
' * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Gene 1920 births 1996 deaths American male dancers American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male television actors American male screenwriters American television directors Male actors from Seattle Deaths from cancer in California New Star of the Year (Actor) Golden Globe winners 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Washington (state) People from Astoria, Oregon Male actors from Oregon Film directors from Washington (state) Film directors from Oregon Dancers from Washington (state) Dancers from Oregon Screenwriters from Washington (state) Screenwriters from Oregon 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers