Gene Nelson

{{Short description|American actor, dancer, screenwriter, director (1920–1996)}}

{{About|the American entertainer|the baseball player|Gene Nelson (baseball)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Gene Nelson

| image = Gene Nelson 1953.JPG

| image_size =

| caption = Nelson in 1953.

| birth_name = Eugene Leander Berg

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1920|3|24|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Astoria, Oregon, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1996|9|16|1920|3|24|mf=y}}

| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| years_active = 1938–1980

| other_names = Gene Berg
Eugene E. Nelson

| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|dancer||director}}

| spouse =

| children =

}}

Gene Nelson (born Leander Eugene Berg; March 24, 1920 – September 16, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, screenwriter, and director.{{cite news| url=https://movies.nytimes.com/person/104243/Gene-Nelson/biography| title=The New York Times| access-date=February 8, 2017| archive-date=May 3, 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503063005/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/104243/Gene-Nelson/biography| department=Movies & TV Dept.| publisher=Baseline & All Movie Guide| author=Hal Erickson| author-link=Hal Erickson (author)| date=2009| url-status=dead}}{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/18/movies/gene-nelson-is-dead-at-76-athletic-hollywood-dancer.html| title=Gene Nelson Is Dead at 76; Athletic Hollywood Dancer| work=The New York Times| first=Dinitia| last=Smith| date=September 18, 1996}}{{cite news| url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9506EED7113AE53ABC4852DFB1668389649EDE| newspaper=The New York Times| title='She's Working Her Way Through College,' With Virginia Mayo, New Bill at Paramount| first=Bosley| last=Crowther| author-link=Bosley Crowther| date=July 10, 1952}}

Biography

Nelson was born Eugene Leander Berg in Seattle, Washington. By 1924, he and his parents moved to Santa Monica. He was inspired to become a dancer during his childhood by watching Fred Astaire in films. 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. His performance earned a Theatre World Award. He also appeared onstage in Good News.{{Citation needed |date=August 2024}} Nelson's longtime professional dance partner during the 1950s was actress JoAnn Dean Killingsworth.{{cite news| first=Steve| last=Chawkins| title=JoAnn Dean Killingsworth dies at 91; Disneyland's first Snow White| url=http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-joann-killingsworth-20150624-story.html| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| date=June 25, 2015| access-date=2015-07-17}}

Nelson co-starred with Doris Day in Lullaby of Broadway in 1951. He played Will Parker in the film Oklahoma!{{cite news| url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E05E2DB1F3AEF34BC4952DFB667838E649EDE| title='Oklahoma!' Is Okay; Musical Shown in New Process at Rivoli| first=Bosley| last=Crowther| newspaper=The New York Times| date=October 11, 1955}}

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-2yb1rMa0g&list=PLiysj-EKbPPqnbL63xLO5G27jkP0_Cr3P&index=12 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/q-2yb1rMa0g |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=You Bet Your Life #59-26 My, how Melinda has grown. . . ('Door', Mar 17, 1960) |publisher=YouTube |date=March 17, 1960 |access-date=2016-09-15}}{{cbignore}}

Nelson directed eight episodes of The Rifleman in the 1961–62 season. He also directed episodes of the original Star Trek, I Dream of Jeannie (the first season), Gunsmoke (and starred in many others including “Saludos” [1959] and “Say Uncle" [1960]), The Silent Force, 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 award nomination for best written musical. In the late 1980s, he taught in the Theater Arts Department at San Francisco State University.

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.{{Citation needed |date=August 2024}} The production featured a score by Stephen Sondheim, was co-directed by Michael Bennett and Harold Prince, and co-starred Alexis Smith and Dorothy Collins.[http://www.playbill.com/production/follies-winter-garden-theatre-vault-0000011547 " Follies Broadway"] Playbill (vault), accessed November 20, 2016

In 1990, for contributions to the motion picture industry, Nelson was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 7005 Hollywood Boulevard.

Death

Nelson died of cancer, aged 76, in Los Angeles.{{Cite news|last=Thomas|first=Bob|date=September 17, 1996|title=Gene Nelson, Dancer in '50s Musicals, Also Directed Features and TV|work=AP News|url=https://apnews.com/article/b62d95bfdba64d3653a9d50dc1a32188|access-date=December 26, 2021}}