Gene Nelson

Gene Nelson, born Leander Eugene Berg on March 24, 1920, in Seattle, Washington, was an American actor, dancer, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned stage, film, and television. By 1924, he and his parents had relocated to Santa Monica. Watching Fred Astaire in films during his childhood inspired him to pursue dance.

Nelson's Broadway career ran from 1942 to 1974. During World War II, he served in the Army and performed in the military musical This Is the Army. Following the war, he made his Broadway debut in Lend an Ear, a performance that earned him a Theatre World Award in 1949. He subsequently appeared on Broadway in Good News, A Celebration of Richard Rodgers, and, in 1971, originated the role of Buddy in the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies, which was co-directed by Michael Bennett and Harold Prince and co-starred Alexis Smith and Dorothy Collins. His work in Follies brought him a 1972 Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor in a Musical.

Nelson's film career included co-starring with Doris Day in Lullaby of Broadway in 1951 and playing Will Parker in the film adaptation of Oklahoma!. In 1959, he appeared in Northwest Passage as a man attempting to prove his innocence in a murder case. He made a guest appearance on the March 17, 1960 episode of You Bet Your Life, hosted by Groucho Marx, during which he and Marx's daughter Melinda performed a dance number. His longtime professional dance partner during the 1950s was actress JoAnn Dean Killingsworth.

Nelson transitioned into directing for both film and television. He directed the Elvis Presley films Kissin' Cousins in 1964, for which he also wrote the screenplay, and Harum Scarum in 1965. His screenplay for Kissin' Cousins earned him a Writers Guild of America award nomination for best written musical. His television directing credits included eight episodes of The Rifleman during the 1961–62 season, as well as episodes of the original Star Trek, the first season of I Dream of Jeannie, Gunsmoke, The Silent Force, and The San Pedro Beach Bums. He also acted in multiple Gunsmoke episodes, including "Saludos" in 1959 and "Say Uncle" in 1960.

In the late 1980s, Nelson taught in the Theater Arts Department at San Francisco State University. In 1990, he was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture industry, with his star placed at 7005 Hollywood Boulevard. Nelson died of cancer in Los Angeles on September 16, 1996, at the age of 76.