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. Dou ...

was in the cast. Nelson directed the acclaimed episode " A World of His Own" of '' The Twilight Zone'' (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'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,'' and '' Soldier Blue.'' The starring role in "Lilies" led to Sidney Poitier winning the Academy Award for Best Actor. 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 o ...

comedy '' Father Goose,'' the offbeat '' Soldier in the Rain'' 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, 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.'' He both directed, and briefly appeared in, '' Duel at Diablo,'' starring

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Ameri ...

and Sidney Poitier. Nelson's other credits include several episodes of TV's '' Starsky & Hutch,'' 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 sperm ...

,'' 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 ''The Man in the Funny Suit'' is a television drama, originally broadcast on 15 April 1960 on ''Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse'', detailing the agony endured by actor Keenan Wynn while helping his co-star, father and comedian Ed Wynn, play a serio ...

'' was made in 1960, with Nelson both writing and directing. Nelson, Serling, Red Skelton, Keenan Wynn and Ed Wynn 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, Maria Schell, and

Fay Hauser A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic mythology, Celtic, Slavic paganism, Slavic, Germanic folklore, Germanic, ...

Death

He died in 1987 in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

at the age of 71.

Filmography

Director

;Film * ''

'' (1962) * '' Lilies of the Field'' (1963) * '' Soldier in the Rain'' (1963) * '' Fate Is the Hunter'' (1964) * '' Father Goose'' (1964) * '' Once a Thief'' (1965) * '' Duel at Diablo'' (1966) * '' Counterpoint'' (1968) * '' Charly'' (1968) * '' ...tick...tick...tick...'' (1970) * '' Soldier Blue'' (1970) * '' Flight of the Doves'' (1971) * '' The Wrath of God'' (1972) * '' The Wilby Conspiracy'' (1975) * ''

'' (1976) * '' A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich'' (1977) ;Television * '' Ford Startime'' - " The Jazz Singer" (1959) * '' Playhouse 90'' - "

" (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'' (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 * '' Counterpoint'' (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 * '' The Wrath of God'' (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