Nelson was born Eugene Leander Berg in
Seattle, Washington. By 1924, he and his parents moved to Santa Monica. He was inspired to become a dancer during his childhood by watching
Fred Astaire in films. 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. His performance earned a
Theatre World Award. He also appeared onstage in
Good News. Nelson's longtime professional dance partner during the 1950s was actress
JoAnn Dean Killingsworth. 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 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. He also directed episodes of the original
Star Trek,
I Dream of Jeannie (the first season),
Gunsmoke (and starred in many others including “Saludos” [1959] and “Say Uncle" [1960]),
The Silent Force, and
The San Pedro Beach Bums. Nelson directed the
Elvis Presley films ''
Kissin' Cousins (1964), for which he also wrote the screenplay, and Harum Scarum (1965). For the Kissin' Cousins'' screenplay he received a
Writers Guild of America award nomination for best written musical. In the late 1980s, he taught in the Theater Arts Department at
San Francisco State University. 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, was co-directed by
Michael Bennett and
Harold Prince, and co-starred
Alexis Smith and
Dorothy Collins. In 1990, for contributions to the motion picture industry, Nelson was inducted into the
Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 7005 Hollywood Boulevard. ==Death==