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.
Series | Peyton Place: The Next Generation | Unknown | 2025 |
Movie | Runaway Jury | George Dressler | 2003-01-16 |
Movie | There's Something About Mary | Jailbird | 1998-07-15 |
Movie | Who Am I? | General Sharman | 1998-01-17 |
Movie | Cries of Silence | Dr. August Claiborne | 1996-05-01 |
Movie | The Boneyard | Jersey Callum | 1991-06-12 |
Movie | Deadly Weapon | General Stone | 1989-08-15 |
Movie | Sworn to Silence | Victor Handler | 1987-04-06 |
Series | Jake and the Fatman | Unknown | 1987-09-26 |
Series | J.J. Starbuck | Unknown | 1987-09-26 |
Movie | Police Academy 3: Back in Training | Governor Neilson | 1986-03-20 |
Series | MacGyver | Unknown | 1985-09-29 |
Series | Murder, She Wrote | Unknown | 1984-09-30 |
Series | Cagney & Lacey | Unknown | 1982-03-25 |
Movie | Help Wanted: Male | George Dobbs | 1982-01-16 |
Series | Hotel | Unknown | 1982-08-21 |
Series | Matt Houston | Unknown | 1982-09-26 |
Series | Capitol | 1982-03-26 | |
Movie | Born to Be Sold | Carl Strickland | 1981-11-02 |
Series | Hagen | Unknown | 1980-03-15 |
Movie | The Return of Frank Cannon | Mike Danvers | 1980-10-31 |
Movie | The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything | Joseph Locordolos | 1980-06-13 |
Movie | Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb | President Harry S. Truman | 1980-11-23 |
Series | Doctors' Private Lives | 1979-04-05 | |
Movie | Anatomy of a Seduction | Mark Kane | 1979-05-08 |
Series | Trapper John, M.D. | Unknown | 1979-09-23 |
Movie | Superdome | George Beldridge | 1978-01-09 |
Movie | The Crash of Flight 401 | Philip Mulwray | 1978-10-29 |
Movie | Doctors' Private Lives | Dr. Mike Wise | 1978-03-20 |
Movie | Leave Yesterday Behind | Mr. Clarkson | 1978-05-14 |
Series | Vega$ | Unknown | 1978-09-20 |
Movie | For the Love of Benji | Chandler Dietrich | 1977-06-10 |
Series | CHiPs | Unknown | 1977-09-15 |
Series | Lou Grant | Unknown | 1977-09-20 |
Movie | Murder in Peyton Place | Dr. Michael Rossi | 1977-10-03 |
Series | Logan's Run | Unknown | 1977-09-16 |
Series | Gemini Man | Unknown | 1976-05-10 |
Movie | Riding with Death | Robert Denby | 1976-01-01 |
Movie | Acapulco Gold | Ray Hollister | 1976-06-01 |
Series | The Bionic Woman | Unknown | 1976-01-14 |
Series | Gibbsville | Unknown | 1976-11-11 |
Series | Quincy, M.E. | Unknown | 1976-10-03 |
Series | Charlie's Angels | Unknown | 1976-09-22 |
Movie | Midway | Admiral Harry Pearson | 1976-06-18 |
Movie | The Missing Are Deadly | 1975-01-08 | |
Movie | That's the Way of the World | Carlton James | 1975-06-01 |
Movie | Houston, We've Got a Problem | Gene Kranz, Flight Director | 1974-03-02 |
Series | Police Woman | Unknown | 1974-09-13 |
Movie | Airport 1975 | Major John Alexander | 1974-10-18 |
Movie | Linda | Paul Reston | 1973-11-03 |
Movie | Runaway! | Nick Staffo | 1973-09-29 |
Series | Kung Fu | Unknown | 1972-10-14 |
Series | The Sixth Sense | Unknown | 1972-01-15 |
Movie | The Screaming Woman | Carl Nesbitt | 1972-01-29 |
Series | The Streets of San Francisco | Unknown | 1972-09-23 |
Series | Search | Unknown | 1972-09-13 |
Series | Alias Smith and Jones | Unknown | 1971-01-05 |
Series | Cannon | Unknown | 1971-09-14 |
Movie | A Little Game | Paul Hamilton | 1971-10-31 |
Series | The Silent Force | 1970-09-21 | |
Movie | Along Came a Spider | Dr. Martin Becker | 1970-02-03 |
Series | Medical Center | Unknown | 1969-09-24 |
Series | The Mod Squad | Unknown | 1968-09-24 |
Series | Ironside | Unknown | 1967-03-28 |
Series | Mission: Impossible | Unknown | 1966-09-17 |
Series | The F.B.I. | Unknown | 1965-09-19 |
Series | Peyton Place | Michael Rossi | 1964-09-15 |
Series | The Dakotas | Unknown | 1963-01-07 |
Series | The Outer Limits | Unknown | 1963-09-16 |
Series | Arrest and Trial | Unknown | 1963-09-15 |
Series | The Fugitive | Unknown | 1963-09-17 |
Movie | Soldier in the Rain | James Priest | 1963-11-27 |
Series | Redigo | Unknown | 1963-09-24 |
Movie | The Man from Galveston | Cole Marteen | 1963-12-18 |
Series | Sam Benedict | Unknown | 1962-09-15 |
Series | Stoney Burke | Unknown | 1962-10-01 |
Series | The Virginian | Unknown | 1962-09-19 |
Series | The Gallant Men | Unknown | 1962-10-05 |
Movie | Devil's Partner | Nick Richards / Pete Jensen | 1961-09-19 |
Series | Cain's Hundred | Unknown | 1961-09-19 |
Series | Dr. Kildare | Unknown | 1961-09-27 |
Series | 87th Precinct | Unknown | 1961-09-25 |
Series | The New Breed | Unknown | 1961-10-03 |
Movie | Judgment at Nuremberg | Captain at Nightclub Announcing Call-up of Officers (uncredited) | 1961-12-18 |
Movie | Valley of the Redwoods | Dino Michaelis | 1960-05-08 |
Series | The Tall Man | Unknown | 1960-09-10 |
Series | Coronado 9 | Unknown | 1960-09-06 |
Series | Thriller | Unknown | 1960-09-13 |
Series | Surfside 6 | Unknown | 1960-10-06 |
Series | The Aquanauts | Unknown | 1960-09-14 |
Series | Riverboat | Unknown | 1959-09-13 |
Series | Tightrope | Unknown | 1959-09-08 |
Series | Rawhide | Unknown | 1959-01-09 |
Series | Black Saddle | Unknown | 1959-01-10 |
Movie | The Young Captives | Norm Britt | 1959-02-01 |
Series | Johnny Ringo | Unknown | 1959-10-02 |
Movie | A Bucket of Blood | Art Lacroix | 1959-10-21 |
Series | The Twilight Zone | Unknown | 1959-10-02 |
Series | The Detectives | Unknown | 1959-10-16 |
Movie | T-Bird Gang | Alex Hendricks | 1959-10-16 |
Series | The Rebel | Unknown | 1959-10-04 |
Movie | She Gods of Shark Reef | Guard (uncredited) | 1958-08-01 |
Movie | Teenage Cave Man | Blonde Tribe Member | 1958-07-01 |
Movie | Night of the Blood Beast | Dave Randall | 1958-08-01 |
Movie | The Cry Baby Killer | Rick Connor | 1958-08-15 |
Series | 77 Sunset Strip | Unknown | 1958-10-10 |
Series | Bat Masterson | Unknown | 1958-10-08 |
Series | The Rifleman | Unknown | 1958-09-30 |
Movie | The Brain Eaters | Dr. Paul Kettering | 1958-09-01 |
Movie | Bayou | Etienne (as Edwin Nelson) | 1957-06-01 |
Movie | Invasion of the Saucer-Men | Tom | 1957-06-01 |
Movie | Attack of the Crab Monsters | Ensign Quinlan | 1957-02-10 |
Movie | Carnival Rock | Cannon | 1957-09-01 |
Movie | Rock All Night | Pete | 1957-04-01 |
Series | Perry Mason | Unknown | 1957-09-21 |
Series | Harbor Command | Unknown | 1957-10-11 |
Series | Maverick | Unknown | 1957-09-22 |
Series | M Squad | Unknown | 1957-09-20 |
Movie | Teenage Doll | Police Officer 'Dutch' / Blind Man | 1957-09-19 |
Series | Have Gun, Will Travel | Unknown | 1957-09-14 |
Movie | Swamp Women | Police Sergeant | 1956-04-01 |
Series | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Unknown | 1956-10-05 |
Movie | New Orleans Uncensored | Charlie | 1955-03-01 |
Series | The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp | Unknown | 1955-09-06 |
Series | Gunsmoke | Unknown | 1955-09-10 |
Series | Highway Patrol | Unknown | 1955-10-03 |