David Nelson (actor)

For other people named David Nelson, see David Nelson.

David Nelson
Born	David Oswald Nelson October 24, 1936(1936-10-24) New York, New York, U.S.
Died	January 11, 2011(2011-01-11) (aged 74) Century City, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Colon cancer
Resting place	Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Ethnicity	White American
Education	Hollywood High School
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation	Actor, director, producer
Years active	1948–1990
Spouse	June Blair (1961–1975) Yvonne O'Connor Huston (1975–2011)
Children	Daniel, James, John, Eric, and Teri Nelson
Parents	Ozzie Nelson (deceased) Harriet Hilliard (deceased)
Relatives	Ricky Nelson (brother, deceased)

David Oswald Nelson (October 24, 1936 – January 11, 2011) was an American actor, director, producer. He was the elder son of bandleader/TV actor Ozzie Nelson and singer Harriet Hilliard and the older brother of singer Eric "Ricky" Nelson.

Career

Nelson, along with his brother and their parents, appeared on the long-running sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in the 1950s and 1960s. During the run of the series, Nelson directed several episodes. After the series' end, he continued acting, directing and producing. His last film appearance was in Cry-Baby (1990). For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Nelson was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1501 Vine Street, on May 9, 1996.

He attended Hollywood High School and was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity while attending the University of Southern California.

Nelson had two sons - Daniel Blair and James Eric - from his first marriage with June Blair, which ended in divorce, and two sons and a daughter - John, Eric and Teri - from his second marriage with Yvonne Huston.

Death

David Nelson died on January 11, 2011 in Century City, California from complications of colon cancer. Survivors include his wife of 36 years, Yvonne; four sons (one stepson adopted) and a daughter (stepdaughter adopted); seven grandchildren; three nephews; Matthew, Gunnar and Sam; and a niece, Tracy from brother Rick's families. David Nelson was cremated, and chose not to be interred in the Nelson family plot in Hollywood Forest Lawn in North Hollywood, California, instead choosing a modest niche in Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery's outdoor Garden of Serenity columbarium. To date, like fellow cemetery residents Frank Zappa and Roy Orbison, David Nelson's final resting place remains unmarked.

Filmography

Actor

• Here Come the Nelsons (1952)
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (320 episodes, 1952–1966)
• Peyton Place (1957)
• The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959)
• The Big Circus (1959)
• Day of the Outlaw (1959)
• -30- (1959)
• The Big Show (1961)
• Hondo (1 episode, 1967)
• Swing Out, Sweet Land (1970)
• The D.A. (1 episode, 1971)
• Smash-Up on Interstate 5 (1976)
• Up in Smoke (1978)
• The Love Boat (1 episode, 1978)
• High School U.S.A. (1983)
• A Family for Joe (1990)
• Cry-Baby (1990)

Director

• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (3 episodes)
• O.K. Crackerby! (Unknown episodes)
• Childish Things (1969)
• Easy to Be Free (1973)
• Ozzie's Girls (1973)
• Death Screams (1982)
• Last Plane Out (1983)
• Goodnight, Beantown (1 episode, 1984)
• A Rare Breed (1984)

Producer

• Ozzie's Girls (1973)
• Easy to Be Free (1973)
• Last Plane Out (1983)

Award nominations

Year	Result	Award	Category	Film or series
2006	Nominated	TV Land Awards	Favorite Singing Siblings	The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Shared with Rick Nelson

External links

• David Nelson at the Internet Movie Database
• David Nelson At Find A Grave