Ed Nelson

Personal Info

Known For Actor

Gender Male

Birthday 1928-12-21

Deathday 2014-08-09 (85 years old)

Place of Birth New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Also Known As Edwin Stafford Nelson

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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ed Nelson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Actor

2003
Runaway Jury

as George Dressler

1998
Who Am I?

as General Sharman

1996
Cries of Silence

as Dr. August Claiborne

1991
The Boneyard

as Jersey Callum

1989
Deadly Weapon

as General Stone

1987
Sworn to Silence

as Victor Handler

1987
Jake and the Fatman

as D.A. Marcus Packard

1986
1985
1985
MacGyver

as Arthur Bandel

1984
Murder, She Wrote

as Raymond 'Ray' Bascomb

1984
Murder, She Wrote

as Judge Willard Clinton

1984
Murder, She Wrote

as Henry Post

1984
Murder, She Wrote

as Mayor Albert Simpson

1984
Murder, She Wrote

as Carl Turnball

1984
Finder of Lost Loves

as Bill Garnett

1982
Help Wanted: Male

as George Dobbs

1982
1982
Cagney & Lacey

as Sgt. Steingrove

1981
Born to Be Sold

as Carl Strickland

1980
1980
1980
1980
1979
1978
The Crash of Flight 401

as Philip Mulwray

1978
Leave Yesterday Behind

as Mr. Clarkson

1978
Doctors' Private Lives

as Dr. Mike Wise

1978
Superdome

as George Beldridge

1978
1978
Dallas

as Jeb Amos

1977
Murder in Peyton Place

as Dr. Michael Rossi

1977
For the Love of Benji

as Chandler Dietrich

1977
1976
Midway

as Admiral Harry Pearson

1976
Acapulco Gold

as Ray Hollister

1976
Riding with Death

as Robert Denby

1976
Charlie's Angels

as George Starrett

1975
1974
Airport 1975

as Major John Alexander

1974
Police Headquarters

as Lt. Calvin Zenger

1974
Houston, We've Got a Problem

as Gene Kranz, Flight Director

1974
The Rockford Files

as Edgar 'Bud' Clement

1974
The Rockford Files

as Blake Sternlight

1973
Linda

as Paul Reston

1973
Runaway!

as Nick Staffo

1973
Time to Run

as Warren Cole

1973
Barnaby Jones

as Larry Kinner

1972
The Screaming Woman

as Carl Nesbitt

1972
1972
Banacek

as Geoff Holden

1971
A Little Game

as Paul Hamilton

1971
1970
Along Came a Spider

as Dr. Martin Becker

1970
Night Gallery

as Tom Burke (segment “Little Girl Lost”)

1969
1968
Adam-12

as Abe Strayhorn

1965
The F.B.I.

as Walter Swenson

1965
The F.B.I.

as Hamilton

1964
Peyton Place

as Michael Rossi

1963
The Man from Galveston

as Cole Marteen

1963
Soldier in the Rain

as James Priest

1963
1963
Channing

as Deke Allison

1963
The Fugitive

as Paul Clements

1963
The Fugitive

as Steve Edson

1963
The Outer Limits

as Col. Luke Stone

1962
1962
1962
The Virginian

as Ralph Slocum

1961
Judgment at Nuremberg

as Captain at Nightclub Announcing Call-up of Officers (uncredited)

1961
Devil's Partner

as Nick Richards / Pete Jensen

1961
The New Breed

as Jefty Bright

1961
The New Breed

as Roger Sykes

1961
Dr. Kildare

as Dr. Keith Judge

1961
Cain's Hundred

as Peter Stull

1960
The Fatal Impulse

as Brundage

1960
Valley of the Redwoods

as Dino Michaelis

1960
Checkmate

as Chuck Palmer

1960
Checkmate

as Gil Stoneham

1960
The Aquanauts

as Chris Garland

1960
Thriller

as Brundage

1960
Thriller

as Charlie

1960
Thriller

as Tom Ellison / Daniel Le Jean

1959
A Bucket of Blood

as Art Lacroix

1959
T-Bird Gang

as Alex Hendricks

1959
The Young Captives

as Norm Britt

1959
I, Mobster

as Sid - Henchman (uncredited)

1959
The Rebel

as Chad

1959
The Rebel

as The Stalker

1959
The Rebel

as Clint Mowbree

1959
The Rebel

as Doug

1959
Johnny Ringo

as Kirk

1959
The Twilight Zone

as Philip Redfield

1959
Johnny Ringo

as Tomstedter

1959
Laramie

as Sable

1959
Riverboat

as Jim Tyler

1959
Black Saddle

as Lee Coogan

1959
Black Saddle

as Roy Corey

1959
Rawhide

as Lt. Cory Clemens

1959
Rawhide

as Sam Weber

1959
Rawhide

as Chuck Whittaker

1958
The Brain Eaters

as Dr. Paul Kettering

1958
The Cry Baby Killer

as Rick Connor

1958
Night of the Blood Beast

as Dave Randall

1958
She Gods of Shark Reef

as Guard (uncredited)

1958
Teenage Cave Man

as Blonde Tribe Member

1958
Bat Masterson

as Jedrow

1958
Bat Masterson

as Browder

1957
Teenage Doll

as Police Officer 'Dutch' / Blind Man

1957
Carnival Rock

as Cannon

1957
Bayou

as Etienne (as Edwin Nelson)

1957
1957
Attack of the Crab Monsters

as Ensign Quinlan

1957
1957
Maverick

as 2nd Classmate (uncredited)

1957
Perry Mason

as Ward Nichols

1957
Perry Mason

as Dirk Blake

1957
M Squad

as Lenny Maston

1956
Swamp Women

as Police Sergeant

1956
1955
1955
Gunsmoke

as Lee Prentice

1955
Gunsmoke

as Rusk

1955
Gunsmoke

as Perce

1955
Gunsmoke

as Seth

1955
Gunsmoke

as Burt Cury

1955
Gunsmoke

as Tom

Producer

1958
The Brain Eaters

as Producer

Crew

1957
Attack of the Crab Monsters

as Special Effects