Craig Richard Nelson

Craig Richard Nelson (September 17, 1947 – March 3, 2025) was an American actor who worked across theater, film, and television. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, he was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and pursued formal training in acting at the University of Utah and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

Nelson's professional stage career spanned Broadway from 1971 to 1976, with credits including the Tony Award-winning musical Two Gentlemen of Verona and The Runner Stumbles. His appearance in Two Gentlemen of Verona brought him to the attention of a casting director, who subsequently cast him in the 1973 film The Paper Chase, in which he played a mean-spirited law student identified as Bell.

That film role opened the door to a sustained career in Hollywood. Nelson appeared in three films directed by Robert Altman: 3 Women (1977), in which he played Dr. Maas; A Wedding (1978), in which he played Reedley Roots; and Quintet (1979), in which he played Redstone. He also appeared in the coming-of-age comedy My Bodyguard (1980) as Griffith, and in A Small Circle of Friends (1980) as Harry Norris. Later film credits included Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) in an uncredited role as Professor Fredrickson, and Another You (1991) as Walt.

On television, Nelson accumulated an extensive list of credits across several decades. He held a recurring role as drama teacher Mr. Spacek on the 1980s series Square Pegs and was a regular on Carol Burnett & Company in 1979. His other television appearances included Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers (1974), Fernwood 2 Night (1977), Maude (1977), Barney Miller (1978), The Golden Girls (1986), L.A. Law (1988), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990), Star Trek: Voyager (1998), Diagnosis: Murder (1993), and Murder, She Wrote (1995), among others.

Nelson died in Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 3, 2025, at the age of 77.