Craig T. Nelson Biography (1944?-)

Full name, Craig Theodore Nelson; born April 4, 1944 (some sources cite 1946), in Spokane, WA; father, a drummer; married Robin (divorced, 1978); marriedDoria Nelson (an actress), 1987; children: (first marriage) Tiffany, Christopher, Noah. Addresses: Agent: Endeavor, 9701 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.; Manager: Tavel Entertainment, 9171 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 406, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.; Publicist: Cynthia Synder Public Relations, 5739 Colfax Ave., North Hollywood, CA 91601-1636.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor, producer, director, writer
Birth Details: April 4, 1944?; Spokane, Washington, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Film Appearances
(As Craig Nelson) Sergeant O'Connor, The Return of Count Yorga (also known as The Abominable Count Yorga and Curse of Count Yorga), 1971
(Uncredited) Voice of the monster, Flesh Gordon, 1972
Frank Bowers, ... And Justice for All, Columbia, 1979
Second geologist, The Formula (also known as Die Formel), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1980
Captain William Woodbridge, Private Benjamin, Warner Bros., 1980
Cop on stand, Where the Buffalo Roam, Universal, 1980
Deputy Ward Wilson, Stir Crazy, Columbia, 1981
Steve Freeling, Poltergeist, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1982
Coach Nickerson, All the Right Moves (also known as All Right), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1983
Bernie Ackerman, Man, Woman, and Child, Paramount, 1983
Bernard Osterman, The Osterman Weekend, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1983
Winston, Silkwood, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1983
Major Reeves, Military attache, The Killing Fields, Warner Bros.,1984
Steve Freeling, Poltergeist II (also known as Poltergeist II: The Other Side), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1986
Peter Dellaplane, Action Jackson, Lorimar, 1988
Peter Karamis, Me and Him (also known as Ich und Er), Columbia, 1988
Freddy Nefler, Troop Beverly Hills, Columbia, 1989
Marlyn Huutula, Rachel River, Taurus, 1989
Police Chief Howard Hyde, Turner and Hooch, Buena Vista, 1989
Gli indifferenti, 1989
District Attorney Ed Peters, Ghosts of Mississippi (also known asMedgar Evers, The Ghost of Mississippi, The Murder of MedgarEvers, Ghosts From the Past, and Free at Last), Castle Rock, 1996
The Cowboy, I'm Not Rappaport, Gramercy, 1996
Alexander Cullen, Devil's Advocate (also known as Im Auftrag des Teufels), Warner Bros., 1997
(Uncredited) Senator John Neal, Wag the Dog, New Line Cinema, 1997
Himself, The Directors: Norman Jewison, 1997
(Uncredited) Top of the World (also known as Cold Cash andShowdown), 1997
Litten Mandrake, The Skulls (also known as Le clan des skulls), Twentieth Century-Fox, 2000
Cole Twain, All Over Again, 2000
Voices of Bob Parr and Mr. Incredible, The Incredibles, Buena Vista, 2004
Television Appearances
Series
Kenneth A. Dutton, Chicago Story, NBC, 1981-1982
Colonel Raynor Sarnac, Call to Glory (also known as Air Force), ABC, 1984-1985
Host, Heroes: Made in the U.S.A., syndicated, 1986
Coach Hayden Fox (title role), Coach, ABC, 1989-1997
Chief Jack Mannion, The District, CBS, 2000-2004
Also appeared in Lohman and Barkley Show.
Miniseries
Jack Ramsey, Murder in Texas, NBC, 1981
Harley Steinmetz, Drug Wars: The Camarena Story (also known as Desperados: The Camarena Story), NBC, 1990
Drew Morgan, The Fire Next Time, CBS, 1993
Jim Harris, "1996," If These Walls Could Talk, HBO, 1996
Simon Chase, Creature (also known as Peter Benchley's Creature), NBC, 1998
Narrator, The Fifty, 1999
Tom Carr, To Serve and Protect (also known as Family Shield), NBC, 1999
Movies
Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker, 1979
Major Landau, The Promise of Love, CBS, 1980
Ray, Rage!, NBC, 1980
Daniels, Inmates: A Love Story, ABC, 1981

Michael Caswell, Paper Dolls, ABC, 1983
Frank Deford, Alex: The Life of a Child, ABC, 1986
Senator Edward Kennedy, The Ted Kennedy, Jr., Story, NBC, 1986
Major Bill Harcourt, Murderers among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story, HBO, 1989
Philip Toll, Extreme Close-Up (also known as Home Video), NBC, 1990
Walter Winchell, The Josephine Baker Story, HBO, 1991
Russ Fine, The Switch, CBS, 1993
Lieutenant Louis Whitmire, Probable Cause (also known as Sleepless), Showtime, 1994
Frank Shelby, Ride with the Wind (also known as Ride the Wind), ABC, 1994
Larry Reece, Take Me Home Again (also known as The Lies Boys Tell), NBC, 1994
Sheriff Simon Leis, Dirty Pictures, Showtime, 2000
Specials
(Uncredited) Himself, The Making of "Poltergeist," 1982
The Comedy Store's Twentieth Birthday, 1992
Bob Hope: The First Ninety Years, NBC, 1993
How I Spent My Summer Vacation, ABC, 1993
Host, The Ultimate Driving Challenge, CBS, 1993
Segment host "Monday Night Football," ABC's 40th Anniversary Special, ABC, 1994
Coach Hayden Fox, The Coach Retrospective: Mary Hart Goes One-on-One with "Coach," ABC, 1994
The American Film Institute Salute to Steven Spielberg (also knownas The American Film Institute Life Achievement Award), NBC, 1995
Caesars Palace 30th Anniversary Celebration, ABC, 1996
Host, Top Speed (documentary), History Channel, 1999
Himself, Curse of Poltergeist: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 2002
Awards Presentations
The 47th Annual Golden Globe Awards, TBS, 1990
The 43rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Presentation, Fox, 1991
Presenter, The 18th Annual People's Choice Awards, 1992
Presenter, The 45th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, 1993
Presenter, The 52nd Annual Tony Awards, 1998
Presenter, The 1st Annual Laureus Sports Awards, TNT, 2000
Presenter, The 28th Annual People's Choice Awards, CBS, 2002
Pilots
Kenneth A. Dutton, The Chicago Story, NBC, 1981
Michael Caswell, "Paper Dolls," Paper Dolls, 1982
Colonel Raynor Sarnac, Call to Glory, 1984
Ralph "Papa" Thorson, The Huntress, USA Network, 2000
Episodic
Charlie, "Mary Richards and the Incredible Plant Lady," The Mary TylerMoore Show, CBS, 1973
Stone, "Angels on the Run," Charlie's Angels, ABC, 1978
Sam, "The Deadly Sting," Wonder Woman, CBS, 1978
Tugger, "The Rustler," How the West Was Won, 1979
Father Phil, "Christmas Story," The White Shadow, CBS, 1980
Charlie Bathgate, "Out to Lunch," WKRP in Cincinnati, CBS, 1981
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, NBC, 1990
Godfrey/Perciville, "Red Riding Hood," Storybook Cinema, 1994
Himself, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, 1998
(Uncredited) Himself as Jack Mannion, "Jimmy's Jimmy," Yes, Dear,CBS, 2001
Chief Jack Mannion, "Doublecrossover," The Agency, CBS, 2002
Television Work
Series
Co-executive producer, Coach, ABC, 1992-1997
Co-executive producer and consulting producer, The District, CBS,2003-2004
Also worked as producer of fifty-two episodes of American Still, asyndicated documentary series on American artists.
Movies
Executive producer, Ride with the Wind (also known as Ride theWind), ABC, 1994
Specials
Contributing producer, contributing director, and co-executive producer,The Coach Retrospective: Mary Hart Goes One-on-One with "Coach," ABC,1994
Television Director
Episodic
Coach, ABC, 1992-1997
"Convictions," The District, CBS, 2002
"Into the Sunset," The District, CBS, 2003
Stage Appearances
Harold "Okie" Peterson, Friends, Manhattan Theatre Club, New YorkCity, 1983-1984
(Broadway debut) Nat Miller, Ah, Wilderness!, Vivian Beaumont Theater, 1998
Also appeared in Hamlet; Richard II; Cyrano de Bergerac; The Seagull; Hello Dolly; Who'll Save the Ploughboy; Taming of the Shrew; The Fantasticks.
WRITINGS
Television Episodes
(With Barry Levinson and others) The Tim Conway Comedy Hour, CBS,1970
(With Levinson and others) The John Byner Comedy Hour, CBS, 1972
"Grandma Goes to Work," The Famous Teddy Z, 1989
"Agent of the Year," The Famous Teddy Z, 1989
"Somewhere Out There," Coach, ABC, 1997
(Story only) "Ten Thirty Three," The District, 2004
Contributed, with Levinson, material to the Lohman and Barkley Show, Los Angeles, and the Alan King Special.
Television Movies
Ride with the Wind (also known as Ride the Wind), ABC, 1994

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals

Daily News, January 1, 1990, p. 66
Parade, March 29, 1992
TV Guide, January 30, 1993

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