Biography
Gene Nelson was an American dancer, actor, screenwriter, and director. Born Leander Eugene Berg in Astoria, Oregon, his family moved to Seattle when he was a year old. He was inspired to become a dancer by watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers when he was a child. 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, for which he received the Theatre World Award. He also appeared onstage in Follies, which garnered him a Tony Award nomination, and Good News. Nelson's longtime professional dance partner during the 1950s was actress JoAnn Dean Killingsworth. Gene Nelson co-starred with Doris Day in "Lullaby of Broadway" in 1951. He played Will Parker in the film Oklahoma! 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. Nelson directed eight episodes of The Rifleman in the 1961-62 season, the original Star Trek, the first season of I Dream of Jeannie, Gun…
Movies & TV Shows
-
Murder, She Wrote (1984) — Louis Metcalf
-
Oklahoma! (1955) — Will Parker
-
Gunsmoke (1955) — Hob Cannon
-
The Streets of San Francisco (1972)
-
S.O.B. (1981) — Clive Lytell
-
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) — Self
-
Crime Wave (1953) — Steve Lacey
-
Ironside (1967)
-
Rawhide (1959)
-
Have Gun, Will Travel (1957)
-
Maverick (1957) — Jim Hazlit
-
Tea for Two (1950) — Tommy Trainor
-
The Mod Squad (1968)
-
This Is the Army (1943) — Soldier (uncredited)
-
The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) — Self
-
Lullaby of Broadway (1951) — Tom Farnham
-
Timeslip (1955) — Mike Delaney
-
Bat Masterson (1958) — Whit Morrison
-
The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950) — Self
-
Studio One (1948) — Trout
-
Burke's Law (1963) — Rick Mason
-
Climax! (1954) — Jess Shepard
-
The West Point Story (1950) — Hal Courtland
-
Dial 999 (1955) — Greg Carradine
-
The Detectives (1959)
-
The Mike Douglas Show (1961) — Self
-
Thunder Island (1963) — Billy Poole
-
Apartment for Peggy (1948) — Jerry (uncredited)
-
Ghost Story (1972) — Steve
-
She's Working Her Way Through College (1952) — Don Weston
-
Second Fiddle (1939) — Minor Role
-
The Walls of Jericho (1948) — Legal Assistant
-
Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) — Robert
-
Family Flight (1972) — Aircraft Carrier Captain
-
Matinee Theater (1955)
-
Starlift (1951) — Gene Nelson
-
General Electric Theater (1953)
-
The Steve Allen Show (1956) — Self - Dancer
-
Everything Happens at Night (1939) — Skater
-
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1951)
Directed
-
Star Trek (1966) — Director
-
I Dream of Jeannie (1965) — Director
-
Gilligan's Island (1964) — Director
-
Starsky & Hutch (1975) — Director
-
The Andy Griffith Show (1960) — Director
-
Hawaii Five-O (1968) — Director
-
Fantasy Island (1978) — Director
-
Quincy, M.E. (1976) — Director
-
Ironside (1967) — Director
-
The Rifleman (1958) — Director
-
Kissin' Cousins (1964) — Director
-
Cannon (1971) — Director
-
Harum Scarum (1965) — Director
-
F Troop (1965) — Director
-
Barnaby Jones (1973) — Director
-
The Mod Squad (1968) — Director
-
The Invisible Man (1975) — Director
-
The F.B.I. (1965) — Director
-
The Rookies (1972) — Director
-
12 O'Clock High (1964) — Director
-
The Donna Reed Show (1958) — Director
-
Hand of Death (1962) — Director
-
Laredo (1965) — Director
-
Burke's Law (1963) — Director
-
Your Cheatin' Heart (1964) — Director
-
Wake Me When the War Is Over (1969) — Director
-
The Cool Ones (1967) — Director
-
Lancer (1968) — Director
-
Felony Squad (1966) — Director
-
Salvage 1 (1979) — Director
-
The Letters (1973) — Director
-
Get Christie Love! (1974) — Director
-
The Farmer's Daughter (1963) — Director
-
Destry (1964) — Director
-
Eischied (1979) — Director
-
The Silent Force (1970) — Director
-
The American Girls (1978) — Director
-
Hootenanny Hoot! (1963) — Director
-
The San Pedro Beach Bums (1977) — Director
- Vacation Playhouse (1963) — Director