Gene Nelson

Gene Nelson
Gene Nelson
	Nelson in 1953.
Born	Leander Eugene Berg; March 24, 1920; Astoria, Oregon, U.S.
Died	September 16, 1996 (aged 76); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Gene Berg; Eugene E. Nelson
Occupations	Actor; dancer; director;
Years active	1938–1980

Gene Nelson (born Leander Eugene Berg; March 24, 1920 – September 16, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, screenwriter, and director.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Biography

Nelson was born Eugene Leander Berg in Seattle, Washington. By 1924, he 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]} Nelson's longtime professional dance partner during the 1950s was actress JoAnn Dean Killingsworth.^[4]

Nelson co-starred with Doris Day in Lullaby of Broadway in 1951. He played Will Parker in the film Oklahoma!^[5]

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.^[6]

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) & “Say Uncle" [S6E4), 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]} 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.^[7]

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.^[2]^[8]

Filmography

Actor

Second Fiddle (1939) as Minor Role (uncredited)
Everything Happens at Night (1939) as Skater (uncredited)
This Is the Army (1943) as Soldier (uncredited)
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (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 (1948) as Jerry (uncredited)
The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady (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 (1951) as Ted Lansing
Starlift (1951) as Gene Nelson
She's Working Her Way Through College (1952) as Don Weston
She's Back on Broadway (1953) as Gordon Evans
Crime Wave (1954) 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
Oklahoma! (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 (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 (1964)
Kissin' Cousins (1964)
Archie (1964, TV Movie)
Harum Scarum (1965)
I Dream of Jeannie (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

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film
1951	Golden Globe Award	Win	Most Promising Newcomer	Tea for Two
1965	Writers Guild of America Award	Nominated	Best Written American Musical	Kissin' Cousins (Shared with Gerald Drayson Adams)

References

^ Hal Erickson (2009). "The New York Times". Movies & TV Dept. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Smith, Dinitia (September 18, 1996). "Gene Nelson Is Dead at 76; Athletic Hollywood Dancer". The New York Times.
^ Crowther, Bosley (July 10, 1952). "'She's Working Her Way Through College,' With Virginia Mayo, New Bill at Paramount". The New York Times.
^ Chawkins, Steve (June 25, 2015). "JoAnn Dean Killingsworth dies at 91; Disneyland's first Snow White". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
^ Crowther, Bosley (October 11, 1955). "'Oklahoma!' Is Okay; Musical Shown in New Process at Rivoli". The New York Times.
^ "You Bet Your Life #59-26 My, how Melinda has grown. . . ('Door', Mar 17, 1960)". YouTube. March 17, 1960. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
^ " Follies Broadway" Playbill (vault), accessed November 20, 2016
^ Thomas, Bob (September 17, 1996). "Gene Nelson, Dancer in '50s Musicals, Also Directed Features and TV". AP News. Retrieved December 26, 2021.

WW II Draft registration for Gene Leander Berg (Serial Number S-437)

External links

Gene Nelson at Apacheland Movie Ranch
Gene Nelson at the Internet Broadway Database
Gene Nelson at IMDb
Gene Nelson at Memory Alpha

[1] Hal Erickson (2009). "The New York Times". Movies & TV Dept. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2017.

[Smith-2] Smith, Dinitia (September 18, 1996). "Gene Nelson Is Dead at 76; Athletic Hollywood Dancer". The New York Times.

[3] Crowther, Bosley (July 10, 1952). "'She's Working Her Way Through College,' With Virginia Mayo, New Bill at Paramount". The New York Times.

[latimes-4] Chawkins, Steve (June 25, 2015). "JoAnn Dean Killingsworth dies at 91; Disneyland's first Snow White". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 17, 2015.

[5] Crowther, Bosley (October 11, 1955). "'Oklahoma!' Is Okay; Musical Shown in New Process at Rivoli". The New York Times.

[6] "You Bet Your Life #59-26 My, how Melinda has grown. . . ('Door', Mar 17, 1960)". YouTube. March 17, 1960. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2016.

[7] " Follies Broadway" Playbill (vault), accessed November 20, 2016

[8] Thomas, Bob (September 17, 1996). "Gene Nelson, Dancer in '50s Musicals, Also Directed Features and TV". AP News. Retrieved December 26, 2021.

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