Ed Nelson

In July 2005, he appeared as a guest at the Western Film Fair in Charlotte, North Carolina along with Ty Hardin, Donna Douglas, Richard Anderson, Elena Verdugo, Adrian Brian, Henry Darrow and Jo Morrow.

Interviewed in Tom Weaver's book "Attack of the Monster Movie Makers" (McFarland & Co., 1994).

Father of Christopher S. Nelson, who starred in the horror movie Without Warning (1980) (they share the same middle name, "Stafford"). Father-in-law of Asta Hansen.

He and Barbara Parkins were the only two actors who appeared on the first episode of Peyton Place (1964) in 1964 and the final episode in 1969. They were the only stars who received screen credit for every episode (although not necessarily appearing in every episode) during the series' entire five-year run.

Nelson worked in many other Corman movies on Corman's Hollywood home turf, including Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957), where Nelson played the crab.

Nelson made the acquaintance of Roger Corman when the maverick movie-maker came to Louisiana to shoot the feature Swamp Women (1956); Nelson says he did "everything" on the picture, from playing a part and working as a location manager to wrestling an alligator(!).

(1955) with Stacy Harris.

Ed Nelson was aiming for a career in the legal profession until he caught the acting bug during his second year of college. In 1952, he headed off to New York City, where he studied direction and production at the School of Radio Technique. He returned to his native New Orleans where he worked as an assistant director at WDSU-TV; he also narrated (and sometimes wrote) episodes of the New Orleans-made TV series N. O. P. D.

In the 1950s, he became a member of Roger Corman's unofficial stock company. Like other members of the group, he would do a variety of jobs in addition to acting.