Gary Nelson (October 6, 1934 – May 25, 2022) was an American television and film director. He directed many television series, including ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...

'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'', ''

Have Gun – Will Travel ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Ri ...

'', ''

The Patty Duke Show ''The Patty Duke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Sidney Sheldon and William Asher. The series ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, to April 27, 1966. The series was developed as a vehicle for teenage star Patty Duke, who ha ...

'', ''

Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells. It aired for th ...

'' and ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...

''. In addition, Nelson directed five feature films, including

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's '' Freaky Friday'' (1976), and many television movies, including '' Murder in Coweta County'' starring

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

and

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, singer, and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characters with a folksy ...

. In 1978, Nelson was nominated for an

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series on '' Washington: Behind Closed Doors''. Nelson was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He was married to actress

Judi Meredith Judi Clare Meredith (born Judith Clare Boutin; October 13, 1936 – April 30, 2014) was an American actress. Early life Born on October 13, 1936, to Herbert Boutin and Janice M. Starr in Portland, Oregon, Meredith graduated from St. Mary's Acad ...

, who died on April 30, 2014; the couple had two sons. During semi-retirement, Nelson continued to occasionally guest lecture at the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the ...

. He died in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

on May 25, 2022, at the age of 87.

Filmography

* ''

Molly and Lawless John ''Molly and Lawless John'' is a 1972 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Gary Nelson (director), Gary Nelson and starring Vera Miles and Sam Elliott. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1973. ...

'' (1972) * '' Santee'' (1973) * '' The Girl on the Late, Late Show'' (1974) * '' The Boy Who Talked to Badgers'' (1975) * '' Freaky Friday'' (1976) * '' Washington: Behind Closed Doors'' (1977) * ''

The Black Hole A black hole is a region of extreme gravitational pull. Black hole or blackhole may also refer to: Computing *Black hole (networking), in computer networking, a place where traffic is silently discarded * Blackhole server, a DNS server that han ...

'' (1979) * ''

The Pride of Jesse Hallam ''The Pride of Jesse Hallam'' is a 1981 American made-for-television drama film starring Johnny Cash and Brenda Vaccaro. It originally aired March 3, 1981 on CBS. Plot Jesse Hallam is a coal miner in Muhlenberg, Kentucky, whose wife has recent ...

'' (1981) * ''

Jimmy the Kid Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

'' (1982) * '' Murder in Coweta County'' (1983) * '' Murder Me, Murder You'' (1983) * '' More Than Murder'' (1984) * '' The Baron and the Kid'' (1984) * '' Murder in Three Acts'' (1986) * ''

Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold ''Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold'' is a 1986 American adventure comedy film directed by Gary Nelson and released in West Germany on December 18, 1986, and in the United States on January 30, 1987. It is loosely based on the 1887 nove ...

'' (1986) * '' Noble House'' (1988) * '' Shooter'' (1988) * ''

Get Smart, Again! ''Get Smart, Again!'' is a 1989 American made-for-television comedy film based on the 1965–1970 NBC/ CBS sitcom '' Get Smart!'' starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon reprising their characters of Maxwell Smart and Agent 99. It originall ...

'' (1989) * '' The Lookalike'' (1990) * '' The Return of Ironside'' (1993) * '' Melanie Darrow'' (1997)

References

External links

* * 1934 births 2022 deaths Film directors from Los Angeles American television directors {{US-film-director-1930s-stub