RIP Gary Nelson

Los Angeles Times

September 11, 2022

Nelson, Gary

Gary Nelson, Hollywood director and producer, passed away on May 25, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 87. Nelson grew up in the world of Hollywood; his father, Sam Nelson (Hell's Angels, All the King's Men, Some Like It Hot), co-founded the Director's Guild of America along with King Vidor. Like his father before him, Gary worked his way up from assistant director (on the films Rebel Without a Cause and The Searchers) to director. He won awards for his significant achievements in film, such as Disney's first PG film The Black Hole, and television, including miniseries Washington Behind Closed Doors and iconic pilots and episodics, such as Gilligan's Island, Get Smart, Gomer Pyle, and the Andy Griffith Show.

As a prolific television director, Gary Nelson was known on set for his dry, deadpan sense of humor. Get Smart lead Don Adams referred to Nelson as the "Iceman" during his tenure as the in-house director of the show's first two seasons, because the comic talents of the writers and cast rarely drew an open smile from him, yet he possessed a fantastic sense of humor. Nearly everyone who worked with Nelson, from seasoned professionals to rising stars to production assistants, respected his decisiveness and the rare getting the shot in one take. He was an avid storyteller who drew on hundreds of anecdotes from his five decades actively working in film and television. He was one of the few directors to move effortlessly through different genres, from the aforementioned comedy series to the groundbreaking gritty dramas Police Story, Kojak and To Kill a Cop, never losing sight of the importance of the narrative and depth of character. He retired on a high note with the Chicago-based Early Edition as director and executive producer in the early 2000's.

His 52-year marriage to actress Judi Meredith was one of the great Hollywood love stories, from their first meeting on the set of Have Gun Will Travel in the 1950s until she passed in 2014. She was a sought-after actress in ingenue roles when she offered to be a guest star on said TV western on the condition that they let Gary have his first directing assignment after years of working as an assistant director. He built his directing career based on that break; he also went on to direct her in more challenging roles. They helped each other's professional growth and she would remain his personal leading lady.

Nelson's interests were not confined to film and television… as young man, Nelson became enamored with sports car racing, specifically Porsches, and earned a solid reputation as a competitive driver in the Southern California circuit, including outright wins with coveted Index of Performance victories. However, his career in film and television was taking off at the same time, and he found that he had to make a choice between the two passions in order to be truly successful at one of them. He chose, of course, filmmaking, and in so doing, he left an indelible mark on entertainment in America. He also shared a deep passion for boats and spent much time cruising off the shore of Southern California as well as cruising around the Caribbean in his wooden ocean-crossing trawler "Lands End." When not on the water, he often spent summers with his family at a ranch in Wyoming fly fishing and riding horses.

Nelson will be dearly missed and he is survived by his two sons, Garrett and Blue Nelson.

NELSON, Gary

Born: 10/6/1934, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Died: 5/25/2022, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.

 

Gary Nelson’s westerns – assistant director, director:

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (TV) [1955, 1956 [assistant director]

The Searchers – 1956 [assistant director]

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral – 1957 [assistant director]

The Lonely Man – 1957 [assistant director]

Have Gun – Will travel (TV) – 1961, 1962, 1963, [assistant director, director]

The Great Adventure (TV) – 1964 [assistant director]

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1965 [director]

F Troop (TV) – 1966 [director]

Shane (TV) – 1966 [director]

Santee – 1973 [director]

Molly and Lawless John – 1977 [director]

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (TV) – 1982 [director]