Ralph Nelson
Encyclopedia
Ralph Nelson was an American
movie and television director, producer, writer, and actor.
. Nelson directed the acclaimed episode A World Of His Own of The Twilight Zone
and served as production manager for the bulk of the show's run. He also directed both the television and film versions of Rod Serling
's Requiem for a Heavyweight
.
He directed the 1968 movie Charly
, for which Cliff Robertson
won an Academy Award, as well as several racially provocative films in the 1960s and early 1970s, including the Academy Award-winning Lilies of the Field, ...tick...tick...tick...
, The Wilby Conspiracy
, and Soldier Blue
.
Additionally, he directed the Cary Grant
comedy Father Goose
, the offbeat Soldier in the Rain
with Jackie Gleason
and Steve McQueen
, Once a Thief
, and Rita Hayworth
's last film, The Wrath of God
. Nelson also both directed and briefly appeared in Duel at Diablo
, starring James Garner
and Sidney Portier. Nelson's other credits include several episodes of TV's Starsky & Hutch, the '70s camp horror classic Embryo
, and A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich
. A television drama about mounting the live show of Requiem for a Heavyweight called The Man in the Funny Suit
was made in 1960, with Nelson both writing and directing and Nelson, Serling, Red Skelton
, Keenan Wynn
and Ed Wynn
appearing as themselves.
, aged 71. He was the father of Xanadu inventor (precursor and main inspiration of WWW's HTML and HTTP protocols) Ted Nelson
(by his first wife, actress Celeste Holm
), and, by his other marriage(s): Ralph, Peter, and Meredith Nelson.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
movie and television director, producer, writer, and actor.
Life and career
Nelson was born in New York City of Swedish descent. He served in the Army Air Corps as a flight instructor in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Nelson directed the acclaimed episode A World Of His Own of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
and served as production manager for the bulk of the show's run. He also directed both the television and film versions of Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
's Requiem for a Heavyweight
Requiem for a Heavyweight
Requiem for a Heavyweight was a teleplay written by Rod Serling and produced for the live television show Playhouse 90 on 11 October 1956. Six years later, it was adapted as a 1962 feature film starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney....
.
He directed the 1968 movie Charly
Charly
Charly is a 1968 American film directed by Ralph Nelson. The drama stars Cliff Robertson , Claire Bloom, Lilia Skala, Leon Janney and Dick Van Patten and tells the story of a mentally retarded bakery worker who is the subject of an experiment to increase human intelligence...
, for which Cliff Robertson
Cliff Robertson
Clifford Parker "Cliff" Robertson III was an American actor with a film and television career that spanned half of a century. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film PT 109, and won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Charly...
won an Academy Award, as well as several racially provocative films in the 1960s and early 1970s, including the Academy Award-winning Lilies of the Field, ...tick...tick...tick...
...tick...tick...tick...
...tick...tick...tick... is an American movie made in 1970 directed by Ralph Nelson. Racially provocative for its time, it stars Jim Brown in the role of an African-American man elected as the sheriff of a rural county in the American South...
, The Wilby Conspiracy
The Wilby Conspiracy
The Wilby Conspiracy is a 1975 thriller film directed by Ralph Nelson and filmed in Kenya. It was written by Rodney Amateau, based on the 1972 novel by Peter Driscoll...
, and Soldier Blue
Soldier Blue
Soldier Blue is a 1970 American Revisionist Western movie directed by Ralph Nelson and inspired by events of the 1864 Sand Creek massacre in the Colorado Territory....
.
Additionally, he directed the Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
comedy Father Goose
Father Goose (film)
Father Goose is a 1964 romantic comedy film set in World War II, starring Cary Grant, Leslie Caron and Trevor Howard. The title derives from "Mother Goose", the codename assigned to Grant's character...
, the offbeat Soldier in the Rain
Soldier in the Rain
Soldier in the Rain , starring Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen, is a comedy-drama film about the friendship between an aging Army Master Sergeant and a young country bumpkin buck sergeant . Tuesday Weld also stars....
with Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
and Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
, Once a Thief
Once a Thief (1965 film)
Once a Thief is a 1965 film directed by Ralph Nelson. It was written by Zekial Marko, based on his novel Scratch A Thief. Nelson won the OCIC award at the 1965 San Sebastián International Film Festival for the film.-Plot:...
, and Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars...
's last film, The Wrath of God
The Wrath of God
The Wrath of God is an offbeat Western genre film released in 1972. It starred Robert Mitchum, Frank Langella, Rita Hayworth and Victor Buono and was directed by Ralph Nelson....
. Nelson also both directed and briefly appeared in Duel at Diablo
Duel at Diablo
Duel at Diablo is a 1966 western film starring James Garner in his first Western since leaving Maverick and Sidney Poitier in his first Western. Based on Marvin H. Albert's 1957 novel Apache Rising, the film was written by Albert and Michael M. Grilikhes and directed by Ralph Nelson who had...
, starring James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
and Sidney Portier. Nelson's other credits include several episodes of TV's Starsky & Hutch, the '70s camp horror classic Embryo
Embryo (1976 film)
Embryo is a 1976 science fiction / horror film directed by Ralph Nelson. Starring Rock Hudson and Barbara Carrera, it is now in public domain because of missing copyright indication.-Plot:...
, and A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich
A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich (film)
A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich is a 1978 film directed by Ralph Nelson. The screenplay was written by Alice Childress, based on her novel of the same name. It was shot on location in South Central Los Angeles. It was Nelson's last film before his death.-Synopsis:A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a...
. A television drama about mounting the live show of Requiem for a Heavyweight called The Man in the Funny Suit
The Man in the Funny Suit
The Man in the Funny Suit is a television drama detailing the agony endured by actor Keenan Wynn while helping his father, comedian Ed Wynn, play a serious role in the original television production of Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight....
was made in 1960, with Nelson both writing and directing and Nelson, Serling, Red Skelton
Red Skelton
Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
, Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
and Ed Wynn
Ed Wynn
Ed Wynn was a popular American comedian and actor noted for his Perfect Fool comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a dramatic actor....
appearing as themselves.
Death
He died in Santa Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, aged 71. He was the father of Xanadu inventor (precursor and main inspiration of WWW's HTML and HTTP protocols) Ted Nelson
Ted Nelson
Theodor Holm Nelson is an American sociologist, philosopher, and pioneer of information technology. He coined the terms "hypertext" and "hypermedia" in 1963 and published it in 1965...
(by his first wife, actress Celeste Holm
Celeste Holm
Celeste Holm is an American stage, film, and television actress, known for her Academy Award-winning performance in Gentleman's Agreement , as well as for her Oscar-nominated performances in Come to the Stable and All About Eve...
), and, by his other marriage(s): Ralph, Peter, and Meredith Nelson.