Ricky Nelson

Acting

Ricky Nelson

Born 1940-05-08 · Teaneck, New Jersey, USA

Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985), better known as Ricky Nelson or Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor. He placed fifty-three songs on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1957 and 1973, including nineteen top-ten hits, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 21, 1987. Nelson began his entertainment career in 1949 playing himself in the radio sitcom series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and, in 1952, appeared in his first feature film, Here Come the Nelsons. In 1957, he recorded his first single, debuted as a singer on the television version of the sitcom, and recorded a number one album, Ricky. In 1958, Nelson recorded his first number one single, "Poor Little Fool", and, in 1959, received a Golden Globe Most Promising Male Newcomer nomination after starring in the western film, Rio Bravo. A few films followed, and, when the television series was cancelled in 1966, Nelson made occasional appearances as a guest star on various television programs. Nelson and Sharon Kristin Harmon were married on April 20, 1963, and divorced in December 1982. They had four children: Tracy Kristine, twin sons Gunnar Eric and Matthew Gray, and Sam Hilliard. On February 14, 1981, a son was born to Nelson and Georgeann Crewe. A blood test in 1985 confirmed Nelson was the child's father. Nelson was engaged to Helen Blair at the time of his death in an airplane crash on December 31, 1985.

Acting credits

Rio Bravo poster
7.8

A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.

Rio Bravo

1959

The Shootist poster
7.1

Afflicted with a terminal illness John Bernard Books, the last of the legendary gunfighters, quietly returns to Carson City for medical attention from his old friend Dr. Hostetler. Aware that his days are numbered, the troubled man seeks solace and peace in a boarding house run by a widow and her son. However, it is not Books' fate to die in peace, as he becomes embroiled in one last valiant battle.

The Shootist

1976

The Movie Orgy poster
6.8

Clips from assorted television programs, B-movies, commercials, music performances, newsreels, bloopers, satirical short films and promotional and government films of the 1950s and 1960s are intercut together to tell a single story of various creatures and societal ills attacking American cities.

The Movie Orgy

1968

La Classe américaine poster
7.6

George Abitbol, the classiest man in the world, dies tragically during a cruise. The director of an American newspaper, wondering about the meaning of these intriguing final words, asks his three best investigators, Dave, Peter and Steven, to solve the mystery. (Sixteen French actors dub scenes from various Warner Bros. films to create a parody of Citizen Kane, 1941.)

La Classe américaine

1993

The Story of Three Loves poster
6.0

Passengers on an ocean liner recall their greatest loves.

The Story of Three Loves

1953

The Wrecking Crew poster
7.4

A celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew." a band that provided back-up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, and Bing Crosby.

The Wrecking Crew

2008

The Wackiest Ship in the Army poster
6.2

Lieutenant Rip Crandall is hoodwinked into taking command of the "Wackiest Ship in the Navy" – a real garbage scow with a crew of misfits who don't know a jib from a jigger. What none of them knows, including Crandall, is that this ship has a very important top-secret mission to complete in waters patrolled by the Japanese fleet. Their mission will save hundreds of allied lives – if only they can get there in one piece.

The Wackiest Ship in the Army

1960

Swing Out, Sweet Land poster
5.7

John Wayne and an all-star cast tell the story of America.

Swing Out, Sweet Land

1970

Disneyland '59 poster
7.3

Walt Disney and Art Linkletter co-host a live celebration of Disneyland's 1959 expansion that consisted of the debuts of Matterhorn Bobsleds, the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail, and the Submarine Voyage, a project so massive that it was called "The Second Opening of Disneyland". Highlights include a mammoth, star-studded parade and the official launching of the Disneyland submarines by U.S. Navy officers. Among the guests are then-Vice-President Richard Nixon and family, Clint Eastwood, and Meredith Willson, who leads the Disneyland band in his own "76 Trombones." Sponsored by Kodak, the commercial spokespersons include Ozzie and Harriet Nelson.

Disneyland '59

1959

The Over the Hill Gang poster
5.8

A retired Texas Ranger and three aged pals help to clean up a town run by a crooked mayor, a drunken judge and a trigger-happy sheriff.

The Over the Hill Gang

1969

Death In Hollywood poster
6.8

HOLLYWOOD. Tinseltown. Land of the stars. A city where an actor can reach the greatest heights overnight - and descend just as rapidly. What goes up must come down, and Hollywood's failing stars leave a legacy of sadness, pain and disappointment in their wake. Here, in graphic detail, are the shocking stories behind the deaths of the silver screen's most beloved celebrities, as well as it's lesser known players. Packed with stunning newsreel footage, and previously unrevealed facts, DEATH IN HOLLYWOOD documents many a celebrity's morbid demise due to suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, disease, and even murder. From the outrageous to the tragic, DEATH IN HOLLYWOOD leaves no tombstone unturned in it's quest to dig up the truth about Hollywood's dearly departed.

Death In Hollywood

1990

Ricky Nelson & Fats Domino - Rockin' With Rick and Fats poster
10.0

Rick Nelson & Fats Domino perform in a legendary concert on August 22, 1985, recorded live at the Universal Ampitheatre in Los Angeles. The first act was Rick together with his old pals the Jordinares performing some of Rick's top hits. In the second half, Fats went to work on his great classics. The finale saw both men perform an amazing duet of I'm Walkin' which had been a big hit for both of them. Recorded just 4 months before Rick Nelson's tragic death.

Ricky Nelson & Fats Domino - Rockin' With Rick and Fats

Sonic Boom poster
5.6

Comedy short about a supersonic jet that lands in a small town and creates hysteria about an impending sonic boom that never happens.

Sonic Boom

1974

Three on a Date poster
3.3

The adventures and mishaps of four couples, winners on a TV game show, along with their young chaperone, on a Hawaiian holiday.

Three on a Date

1978

High School U.S.A. poster
4.2

Principal of Excelsior High School deals with a rivalry between student groups and his own interest in the new counselor.

High School U.S.A.

1984

Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian poster
NR

We find our three heroines at a reading of the will for Mr. Christian, who ran a school for girls. Christian decided that the girls needed humbling, and so he left them nothing. They must go out and get jobs immediately. Produced by Prince, the short film was created as a promotional tool for the trio, Apollonia 6. The film, which was titled either “Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian” or “Apollonia 6: the Movie,” was shot but never given a final edit – only a leaked version exists, missing sound effects, bumper music for the shot transitions, and is clearly a rough cut. The Apollonia 6 film was directed by Brian Thomson, an Aussie who did the production design for the original productions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the original stage show.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Christian

1984

The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks poster
6.8

A documentary filmography of Howard Hawks, including lengthy footage of Hawks himself discussing his films and many clips from his best-known pictures.

The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks

1973

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Kenny Rogers and Friends

2010

Men Who Rate a 10 poster
9.0

Variety special hosted by Barbara Eden, Gloria Swanson, and Brooke Shields that celebrates the men whose sex appeal transcends age and the ages.

Men Who Rate a 10

1980

The Resurrection of Broncho Billy poster
6.4

The story of a young man, a self-styled cowboy; His dreams of the Old West and its film heroes frequently crushed by the rhythms of modern, urban life.

The Resurrection of Broncho Billy

1970

On the Flip Side poster
8.0

A spirit and her musical combo are assigned to help a washed-up singer make a comeback.

On the Flip Side

1966

Here Come the Nelsons poster
7.0

The homespun Nelson family must deal with various comical situations, including an encounter with gangsters.

Here Come the Nelsons

1952

Easy to Be Free poster
10.0

A documentary about Rick Nelson on tour with his Stone Canyon Band in 1969

Easy to Be Free

1973

Ricky Nelson Sings poster
NR

Chronicling Ricky's evolution from teen sensation to rock star, this documentary includes twenty of his timeless musical performances spanning eight years on the "Ozzie and Harriet" show, plus all-new interviews with his children Tracy, Matthew, Gunnar and Sam, his original guitarist James Burton, and musician Kris Kristofferson.

Ricky Nelson Sings

2005