1928-12-21 New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
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.
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Runaway Jury | George Dressler | 2003-01-16 |
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我是誰 | General Sharman | 1998-01-17 |
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Cries of Silence | Dr. August Claiborne | 1996-05-01 |
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The Boneyard | Jersey Callum | 1991-06-12 |
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Deadly Weapon | General Stone | 1989-08-15 |
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Sworn to Silence | Victor Handler | 1987-04-06 |
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Police Academy 3: Back in Training | Governor Neilson | 1986-03-20 |
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Peyton Place: The Next Generation | Dr. Michael Rossi | 1985-05-13 |
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Help Wanted: Male | George Dobbs | 1982-01-16 |
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Born to Be Sold | Carl Strickland | 1981-11-02 |
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The Return of Frank Cannon | Mike Danvers | 1980-10-31 |
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Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb | President Harry S. Truman | 1980-11-23 |
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The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything | Joseph Locordolos | 1980-06-13 |
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Anatomy of a Seduction | Mark Kane | 1979-05-08 |
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Leave Yesterday Behind | Mr. Clarkson | 1978-05-14 |
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The Crash of Flight 401 | Philip Mulwray | 1978-10-29 |
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Superdome | George Beldridge | 1978-01-09 |
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Doctors' Private Lives | Dr. Mike Wise | 1978-03-20 |
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Murder in Peyton Place | Dr. Michael Rossi | 1977-10-03 |
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For the Love of Benji | Chandler Dietrich | 1977-06-10 |
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Riding with Death | Robert Denby | 1976-01-01 |
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Acapulco Gold | Ray Hollister | 1976-06-01 |
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Midway | Admiral Harry Pearson | 1976-06-18 |
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The Missing Are Deadly | 1975-01-08 | |
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That's the Way of the World | Carlton James | 1975-06-01 |
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Airport 1975 | Major John Alexander | 1974-10-18 |
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Police Headquarters | Lt. Calvin Zenger | 1974-03-19 |
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Houston, We've Got a Problem | Gene Kranz, Flight Director | 1974-03-02 |
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Linda | Paul Reston | 1973-11-03 |
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Runaway! | Nick Staffo | 1973-09-29 |
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Time to Run | Warren Cole | 1973-01-24 |
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The Screaming Woman | Carl Nesbitt | 1972-01-29 |
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Brink of Disaster! | Dr. Harden | 1972-01-01 |
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A Little Game | Paul Hamilton | 1971-10-31 |
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Along Came a Spider | Dr. Martin Becker | 1970-02-03 |
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Soldier in the Rain | James Priest | 1963-11-27 |
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The Man from Galveston | Cole Marteen | 1963-12-18 |
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Devil's Partner | Nick Richards / Pete Jensen | 1961-09-19 |
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Judgment at Nuremberg | Captain at Nightclub Announcing Call-up of Officers (uncredited) | 1961-12-18 |
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Valley of the Redwoods | Dino Michaelis | 1960-05-08 |
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Code of Silence | 1960-05-29 | |
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The Fatal Impulse | Brundage | 1960-11-29 |
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T-Bird Gang | Alex Hendricks | 1959-10-16 |
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The Young Captives | Norm Britt | 1959-02-01 |
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A Bucket of Blood | Art Lacroix | 1959-10-21 |
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I, Mobster | Sid - Henchman (uncredited) | 1959-02-01 |
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The Cry Baby Killer | Rick Connor | 1958-08-15 |
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The Brain Eaters | Dr. Paul Kettering | 1958-09-01 |
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Night of the Blood Beast | Dave Randall | 1958-08-01 |
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Teenage Cave Man | Blonde Tribe Member | 1958-07-01 |
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She Gods of Shark Reef | Guard (uncredited) | 1958-08-01 |
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Bayou | Etienne (as Edwin Nelson) | 1957-06-01 |
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Rock All Night | Pete | 1957-04-01 |
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Invasion of the Saucer-Men | Tom | 1957-06-01 |
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Carnival Rock | Cannon | 1957-09-01 |
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Attack of the Crab Monsters | Ensign Quinlan | 1957-02-10 |
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Teenage Doll | Police Officer 'Dutch' / Blind Man | 1957-09-19 |
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Swamp Women | Police Sergeant | 1956-04-01 |
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New Orleans Uncensored | Charlie | 1955-03-01 |
