As of August 2026, Gene Nelson is best known for The Streets of San Francisco. Find every show and movie Gene Nelson has starred in — and where to watch them — below.
Gene Nelson

Gene Nelson

Actor Born 1920 Astoria, Oregon, USA 1 TV Shows 7 Movies

Gene Nelson was an American dancer, actor, screenwriter, and director. Born Leander Eugene Berg in Astoria, Oregon, his family moved to Seattle when he was a year old. He was inspired to become a dancer by watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers when he was a child. After serving in the Army during World War II during which he also performed in the musical This Is the Army, Nelson landed his first Broadway role in Lend an Ear, for which he received the Theatre World Award. He also appeared onstage in Follies, which garnered him a Tony Award nomination, and Good News. Nelson's longtime professional dance partner during the 1950s was actress JoAnn Dean Killingsworth.

Gene Nelson co-starred with Doris Day in "Lullaby of Broadway" in 1951. He played Will Parker in the film Oklahoma!

In 1959, he appeared in Northwest Passage as a young man trying to prove his innocence in a murder case. Nelson appeared on the March 17, 1960 episode of "You Bet Your Life", hosted by Groucho Marx. He and Groucho's daughter, Melinda, performed a dance number together.

Nelson directed eight episodes of The Rifleman in the 1961-62 season, the original Star Trek, the first season of I Dream of Jeannie, Gunsmoke, The Silent Force, and The San Pedro Beach Bums. He directed the Elvis Presley films Kissin' Cousins, which screenplay he wrote, and Harum Scarum. For the Kissin' Cousins screenplay he received a WGA award nomination for best written musical. He later taught in the Theater Arts Department at San Francisco State University in the late 1980s.

He starred as Buddy in the 1971 Broadway musical Follies, for which he received a 1972 Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor In A Musical. The production featured a score by Stephen Sondheim and was co-directed by Michael Bennett and Harold Prince.

For contribution to the motion picture industry, in 1990, Nelson was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Nelson's star is located at 7005 Hollywood Boulevard.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Gene Nelson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​

Alongside acting, Gene Nelson is also known as a dancer, director, writer.

Gene Nelson's most notable role to date came in Oklahoma! (1955), where he played Will Parker. He also appeared in S.O.B. (1981) as Clive Lytell. Most recently appeared in Crime Wave (1953) as Steve Lacey.

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📺 Gene Nelson's TV Shows

The Streets of San Francisco
1972

🎬 Gene Nelson's Movies

Oklahoma!
Will Parker
1955
Crime Wave
Steve Lacey
1953
S.O.B.
Clive Lytell
1981
Tea for Two
Tommy Trainor
1950
Lullaby of Broadway
Tom Farnham
1951
The West Point Story
Hal Courtland
1950
Timeslip
Mike Delaney
1955

📝 Created / Written by Gene Nelson

Star Trek
Director
1966
The Andy Griffith Show
Director
1960
Ironside
Director
1967
The Rifleman
Director
1958
Hawaii Five-O
Director
1968
The Donna Reed Show
Director
1958
Fantasy Island
Director
1978
Quincy, M.E.
Director
1976

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