Ralph Nelson (August 12, 1916 – December 21, 1987) was an American film and television director, producer, writer, and actor. He was best known for directing '' Lilies of the Field'' (1963), '' Father Goose'' (1964), and '' Charly'' (1968), films which won

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

Life and career

Nelson was born in Long Island City, New York. He served in the Army Air Corps as a flight instructor in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Before the war ended, he had a play on Broadway: "The Wind Is Ninety" ran from June to September 1945.

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. D ...

was in the cast. Nelson directed the acclaimed episode " A World of His Own" of ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' (he should ''not'' be confused with ''The Twilight Zone's'' production manager, Ralph ''W.'' Nelson). He also directed both the television and film versions of

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ...

's ''

Requiem for a Heavyweight "Requiem for a Heavyweight" is 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, Mickey R ...

.'' He directed '' Charly,'' the 1968 film version of ''Flowers for Algernon,'' 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...'', ''

Christmas Lilies of the Field ''Christmas Lilies of the Field'' is a 1979 made-for-TV sequel to the classic 1963 film '' Lilies of the Field''. In this sequel, directed by Ralph Nelson (his final project before his death), Homer Smith (played by Billy Dee Williams instead of ...

,'' ''

The Wilby Conspiracy ''The Wilby Conspiracy'' is a 1975 British adventure thriller film directed by Ralph Nelson and starring Michael Caine, Sidney Poitier, and Nicol Williamson. Filmed in Kenya, it was written by Rodney Amateau, based on the 1972 novel by Peter D ...

,'' and '' Soldier Blue.'' The starring role in "Lilies" led to

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...

winning the

Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. The ...

. Nelson also directed the

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one of ...

comedy '' Father Goose,'' the offbeat ''

Soldier in the Rain ''Soldier in the Rain'' is a 1963 American comedy buddy film directed by Ralph Nelson and starring Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen. Tuesday Weld portrays Gleason's character's romantic partner. Produced by Martin Jurow and co-written by Mauric ...

'' with

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

and

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and ...

, the crime story '' Once a Thief,'' and

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...

's last film, ''

The Wrath of God ''The Wrath of God'' is a 1972 American Western film directed by Ralph Nelson and starring Robert Mitchum, Frank Langella, Rita Hayworth and Victor Buono. Filmed in Mexico, it is based on the 1971 novel by Jack Higgins writing as James Graham. ...

.'' He both directed, and briefly appeared in, '' Duel at Diablo,'' starring James Garner and

. Nelson's other credits include several episodes of TV's ''

Starsky & Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a ''Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired by th ...

,'' the '70s camp horror classic ''

Embryo An embryo is an initial stage of development of a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male spe ...

,'' 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. Nelson, Serling,

Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in most ...

and

Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He was noted for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a d ...

appeared in it as themselves. He returned to TV in the late 1970s with a string of TV movies, including a sequel to '' Lilies of the Field'' called

which starred

Billy Dee Williams William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor. He appeared as Lando Calrissian in the '' Star Wars'' franchise, first in the early 1980s for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), and thir ...

, Maria Schell, and Fay Hauser.

Death

He died in 1987 in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

at the age of 71.

Filmography

Director

;Film * ''

'' (1962) * '' Lilies of the Field'' (1963) * ''

'' (1963) * ''

Fate Is the Hunter Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although ofte ...

'' (1964) * '' Father Goose'' (1964) * '' Once a Thief'' (1965) * '' Duel at Diablo'' (1966) * ''

Counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tra ...

'' (1968) * '' Charly'' (1968) * '' ...tick...tick...tick...'' (1970) * '' Soldier Blue'' (1970) * '' Flight of the Doves'' (1971) * ''

'' (1972) * ''

'' (1975) * ''

'' (1976) * '' A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich'' (1977) ;Television * ''

Ford Startime ''Startime'' is an anthology show of drama, comedy, and variety, and was one of the first American television shows broadcast in color. The program was aired Tuesday nights in the United States on the NBC Television network in the 1959–1960 ...

'' - " The Jazz Singer" (1959) * ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of th ...

'' - "

" (1956) * ''Blood Money'' (1957) * '' A World of His Own'' (1960) * '' The Farmer's Daughter'' (1963) Episode: "The Speechmaker: Part 1" * ''The Man Who Bought Paradise'' (1965) * ''Lady of the House'' (1978) * ''

Because He's My Friend ''Because He's My Friend'', also known as ''Love Under Pressure'', is a 1978 Australian TV movie about a married couple and their mentally disabled son. It was one of six telemovies made in Australia as co-productions between ABC and Transatlant ...

'' (1978) * ''

'' (1979) * ''You Can't Go Home Again'' (1979)

Actor

* ''Stump Run'' (1959) * '' Lilies of the Field'' (1963) - Mr. Ashton (uncredited) * '' Duel at Diablo'' (1966) - Col. Foster * ''

'' (1968) - Belgian Officer (uncredited) * '' Charly'' (1968) - Convention Speaker (uncredited) * '' ...tick...tick...tick...'' (1970) - New York driver caught in speed trap (uncredited) * '' Soldier Blue'' (1970) - Agent Long * ''

'' (1972) - Executed Prisoner (uncredited)

References

External links

* *
1953 Time Magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Ralph 1916 births 1987 deaths American male film actors American film directors Film producers from New York (state) American male television actors American male screenwriters Emmy Award winners Male actors from New York City 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Long Island City, Queens 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters