Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
March 20, 1906
Place of Birth:
Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
Social Media
Ozzie Nelson
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oswald George "Ozzie" Nelson (March 20, 1906 – June 3, 1975) was an American band leader, actor, director, and producer. He originated and starred in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, a radio and long-running television series with his wife Harriet and two sons David and Ricky Nelson.
Nelson started his entertainment career as a band leader. He formed and led "The Ozzie Nelson Band," and had some initial limited success. Nelson's records were consistently popular, and in 1934, Nelson enjoyed success with his hit song, "Over Somebody Else's Shoulder," which he introduced. Nelson was their primary vocalist and, from August of 1932, he featured in duets with his other star vocalist, Harriet Hilliard. Nelson's calm, easy vocal style was popular on records and radio and quite similar to son Rick's voice, and Harriet's perky vocals added to the band's popularity.
Ozzie Nelson appeared with his band in feature films and short subjects of the 1940s, and often played speaking parts, displaying a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, as in the 1942 musical Strictly in the Groove. He shrewdly promoted the band by agreeing to appear in "soundies," three-minute musical movies shown in "film jukeboxes" of the 1940s. In 1952, when he and his family were established as radio and TV favorites, they starred in a feature film, Here Come the Nelsons, which actually doubled as a "pilot" for the TV series.
Known For
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | The Movie Orgy | Self (archive footage) |
| 1968 | The Impossible Years | Dr. Herbert J. Fleischer |
| 1959 | Disneyland '59 | Self |
| 1952 | Here Come the Nelsons | Ozzie Nelson |
| 1946 | People Are Funny | Leroy Brinker |
| 1944 | Wave-a-Stick Blues | Ozzie Nelson |
| 1944 | Hi, Good Lookin'! | Ozzie Nelson - Orchestra Leader |
| 1944 | Take It Big | Ozzie Nelson |
| 1943 | Honeymoon Lodge | Ozzie Nelson - Band Leader |
| 1943 | Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra | |
| 1942 | The Big Street | Orchestra Leader |
| 1942 | Strictly in the Groove | Ozzie Nelson |
| 1941 | Sweetheart of the Campus | Ozzie Norton |
| 1940 | Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra | Ozzie Nelson |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Ozzie's Girls | |
| 1970 | Night Gallery | Henry Millikan (segment "You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan") |
| 1969 | The Barbara McNair Show | Self |
| 1969 | Love, American Style | Fred Garber |
| 1969 | Love, American Style | Reverend Harry Pickard |
| 1969 | Love, American Style | |
| 1968 | Adam-12 | Ted Clover |
| 1967 | The Mothers-in-Law | Owen Sinclair / Ozzie Snick |
| 1962 | The Merv Griffin Show | Self |
| 1962 | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | Self |
| 1952 | This Is Your Life | Self |
| 1952 | The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet | Ozzie |
| 1950 | What's My Line? | Self - Mystery Guest |
| 1950 | What's My Line? | Self - Panelist |