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IMDbPro

Gene Nelson(1920-1996)

  • Director
  • Actor
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Gene Nelson
Watch Trailer
Play trailer3:16
Oklahoma! (1955)
6 Videos
52 Photos
Gene Nelson was barely a teen when he saw the Fred Astaire movie Carioca (1933), which would change his life. It was then that he decided he would be a dancer. After graduating from high school, Nelson joined the Sonja Henie Ice Show and toured for 3 years before joining the Army in World War II. After he was discharged, he appeared in a handful of movies before 1950. He worked with Debbie Reynolds in Tanssiva lemmikki (1950), Doris Day in Teetä kahdelle (1950) and Virginia Mayo in Revyytyttö koulun penkillä (1952). He would be best known for his role of cowboy Will Parker in Oklahoma! (1955), where he would twirl the lasso to the tune of "Kansas City".

After his dancing days ended he turned to directing TV and films, including two Elvis Presley movies, Suukottelevat serkut (1964) and Elvis ja 1001 yötä (1965). For television he directed episodes of Unelmatyttöni (1965), Star Trek (1966), The Rifleman (1958), Donna Reed (1958) and many others.
BornMarch 24, 1920
DiedSeptember 16, 1996(76)
BornMarch 24, 1920
DiedSeptember 16, 1996(76)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 2 wins & 1 nomination

Photos52

Doris Day and Gene Nelson in Broadwayn kehtolaulu (1951)
Doris Day and Gene Nelson in Broadwayn kehtolaulu (1951)
Doris Day and Gene Nelson in Broadwayn kehtolaulu (1951)
Doris Day and Gene Nelson in Broadwayn kehtolaulu (1951)
Doris Day and Gene Nelson in Broadwayn kehtolaulu (1951)
Doris Day and Gene Nelson in Broadwayn kehtolaulu (1951)
Faith Domergue and Gene Nelson in Seitsemän sekuntia (1955)
June Haver, Gordon MacRae, and Gene Nelson in Tanssiva lemmikki (1950)
Miriam Nelson and Gene Nelson
Merry Anders and Gene Nelson in 20,000 Eyes (1961)
James Arness, Dorothy Green, and Gene Nelson in Gunsmoke (1955)
James Arness, Jack Elam, Gene Nelson, Dennis Weaver, and Robert J. Wilke in Gunsmoke (1955)

Known for:

Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae in Oklahoma! (1955)
Oklahoma!
7.0
  • Will Parker
  • 1955
Doris Day, Eve Arden, Billy De Wolfe, Gordon MacRae, Gene Nelson, S.Z. Sakall, and Patrice Wymore in Teetä kahdelle (1950)
Teetä kahdelle
6.5
  • Tommy Trainor
  • 1950
Elvis Presley, Teri Garr, Pamela Austin, Yvonne Craig, Lynn Fields, Gail Ganley, Cynthia Pepper, Hortense Petra, and Beverly Powers in Suukottelevat serkut (1964)
Suukottelevat serkut
5.3
  • Director
  • 1964
Sterling Hayden, Phyllis Kirk, and Gene Nelson in Kaupungin pimeydessä (1953)
Kaupungin pimeydessä
7.3
  • Steve Lacey
  • 1953

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Director

  • Dan August: The Jealousy Factor (1980)
    Dan August: The Jealousy Factor
    7.0
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 1980
  • Ricardo Montalban and Hervé Villechaize in Seikkailujen saari (1977)
    Seikkailujen saari
    6.6
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1979
  • Shirley (1979)
    Shirley
    5.6
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1979
  • Joe Don Baker in Eischied (1979)
    Eischied
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1979
  • Jamie Lee Curtis, John Astin, Bond Gideon, Richard Gilliland, Melinda Naud, and Dorrie Thomson in Operation Petticoat (1977)
    Operation Petticoat
    6.6
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1979
  • Corey Feldman, Shane Butterworth, Tricia Cast, Billy Jayne, Sparky Marcus, Meeno Peluce, and Kristoff St. John in The Bad News Bears (1979)
    The Bad News Bears
    6.8
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1979
  • Salvage 1 (1979)
    Salvage 1
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1979
  • Jack Klugman in Quincy M.E. (1976)
    Quincy M.E.
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1978
  • Priscilla Barnes, Debra Clinger, and David Spielberg in The American Girls (1978)
    The American Girls
    5.7
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1978
  • The San Pedro Beach Bums
    6.4
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1977
  • McNaughton's Daughter (1976)
    McNaughton's Daughter
    6.9
    TV Mini Series
    • Director
    • 1976
  • David McCallum in Näkymätön mies (1975)
    Näkymätön mies
    6.6
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1975
  • Starsky and Hutch (1975)
    Starsky and Hutch
    7.0
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1975
  • Teresa Graves in Get Christie Love! (1974)
    Get Christie Love!
    6.3
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1974
  • Buddy Ebsen in Barnaby Jones (1973)
    Barnaby Jones
    6.9
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1974

Actor

  • Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote (1984)
    Murder, She Wrote
    7.2
    TV Series
    • Louis Metcalf
    • 1987
  • Ricardo Montalban and Hervé Villechaize in Seikkailujen saari (1977)
    Seikkailujen saari
    6.6
    TV Series
    • Bert Wilson
    • 1982
  • S.O.B. (1981)
    S.O.B.
    6.4
    • Clive Lytell
    • 1981
  • A Brand New Life (1973)
    A Brand New Life
    6.7
    TV Movie
    • Harry
    • 1973
  • Ghost Story (1972)
    Ghost Story
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Steve
    • 1973
  • Family Flight (1972)
    Family Flight
    6.5
    TV Movie
    • Aircraft Carrier Captain
    • 1972
  • ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969)
    ITV Saturday Night Theatre
    6.3
    TV Series
    • Burbage
    • 1970
  • Peggy Lipton, Michael Cole, and Clarence Williams III in The Mod Squad (1968)
    The Mod Squad
    6.9
    TV Series
    • Burt Koverly
    • 1968
  • Raymond Burr and Barbara Sigel in Etsivä Ironside (1967)
    Etsivä Ironside
    6.9
    TV Series
    • Andy Sheldon
    • 1967
  • Gene Barry in Burken laki (1963)
    Burken laki
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Danny Swift
    • Rick Mason
    • 1963–1964
  • Thunder Island (1963)
    Thunder Island
    5.2
    • Billy Poole
    • 1963
  • Edd Byrnes, Roger Smith, and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in Yksityisetsivät (1958)
    Yksityisetsivät
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Lundstrom
    • 1963
  • Tuesday Weld and Barry Coe in Suuntana aurinko (1961)
    Suuntana aurinko
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Tod
    • 1962
  • The Purple Hills (1961)
    The Purple Hills
    5.0
    • Gil Shepard
    • 1961
  • 20,000 Eyes (1961)
    20,000 Eyes
    5.3
    • Dan Warren
    • 1961

Additional Crew

  • Shangri-La (1960)
    Shangri-La
    6.8
    TV Movie
    • choreographer
    • 1960
  • Eddie Fisher in The Eddie Fisher Show (1957)
    The Eddie Fisher Show
    7.0
    TV Series
    • choreographer
    • 1959
  • Shower of Stars (1954)
    Shower of Stars
    7.5
    TV Series
    • choreography
    • choreographer
    • 1955
  • Tony Curtis and Gloria DeHaven in 3 merimiestä Pariisissa (1954)
    3 merimiestä Pariisissa
    6.0
    • choreographer
    • 1954
  • Doris Day and Gene Nelson in Broadwayn kehtolaulu (1951)
    Broadwayn kehtolaulu
    6.7
    • choreographer (uncredited)
    • 1951
  • Doris Day, Eve Arden, Billy De Wolfe, Gordon MacRae, Gene Nelson, S.Z. Sakall, and Patrice Wymore in Teetä kahdelle (1950)
    Teetä kahdelle
    6.5
    • choreographer (uncredited)
    • 1950

Videos6

Trailer
Trailer 2:41
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:13
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:37
Trailer
Original Theatrical Trailer
Trailer 2:56
Original Theatrical Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 3:16
Trailer
Lullaby of Broadway
Trailer 2:41
Lullaby of Broadway

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Gene Berg
  • Height
    • 1.83 m
  • Born
    • March 24, 1920
    • Seattle, Washington, USA
  • Died
    • September 16, 1996
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(cancer)
  • Spouses
      Jean MartinJuly 1990 - 1994 (divorced)
  • Other works
    Active on Broadway in the following productions:
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Interviews

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He can be seen as one of the anonymous studio executives in the trailer for the original version of Susanin kääntymys (1947).
  • Quotes
    It's always the dancer who has to work overtime when nobody else does. I would say that 25% of the Broadway shows that have ever been done have been saved by dancers. Just think about it; if not saved, at least heightened.

FAQ12

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