David Oswald Nelson (October 24, 1936 – January 11, 2011) was an American actor. He was the elder son of entertainment couple Harriet Hilliard Nelson and Ozzie Nelson and the older brother of musician Ricky Nelson. Nelson's acting career started in 1949 when he and his brother began playing themselves on his parents' radio series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, which lasted until 1954. His film debut came in Here Come the Nelsons, released in 1952. Also in 1952 Nelson continued playing himself on the television version of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, which ran until 1966.Starting in the early 1960s, he directed about a dozen episodes of the show. From the 1970s through 1990 Nelson had roles in Smash-Up on Interstate 5, Up In Smoke, The Love Boat, High School U.S.A., and A Family for Joe. Nelson's last film appearance was in John Waters' 1990 film Cry-Baby. Nelson died on January 11, 2011, in Century City, California, of complications of colon cancer.
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Biography from TMDB.
- October 24, 1936
- January 11, 2011 (aged 74)
- New York City, New York, USA
- Actor and director
- 16 on MovieCove · 29 credits in all
What are David Nelson's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 7
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 2
Grounded 5 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 2 · Intense 2
A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 2
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 3 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2
Resolved 7 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Allyas Dave Nelson in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952)
- Allyas David Nelson in Here Come the Nelsons (1952)
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet2
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch David Nelson's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Pluto TV (5).
Subscription and free streaming for David Nelson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
29 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Courtyard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Cry-Baby(1990)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Off the Mark(1987)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
America, You're Too Young to Die (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
A Rare Breed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
High School U.S.A.(1983)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Last Plane Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Death Screams(1982)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
In Search of Historic Jesus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Up in Smoke(1978)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
The Love Boat(1977)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows
Smash-Up on Interstate 5(1976)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Sonic Boom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Easy to Be Free (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Swing Out, Sweet Land(1970)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Childish Things (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Adam-12(1968)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows
Hondo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
O.K. Crackerby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Love and Kisses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Big Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
-30-(1959)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Big Circus(1959)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Day of the Outlaw(1959)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Peyton Place(1957)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows
Here Come the Nelsons(1952)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all filmsAn LA Christmas Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 75th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 29 titles, 28 of them dated from 1952 to 1995; peak year 1990.
Highest rated
Day of the Outlaw (1959)
Most popular right now
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952)
Film career
Peak 1990 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1957Screen debut· Peyton Place
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do David Nelson's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 13; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
10 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser10
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the acting 64/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does David Nelson work with?
People who share at least 2 of David Nelson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Harriet Nelson shares the most, 2.
Actors
- Harriet NelsonShared titles: Here Come the Nelsons (1952), The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Harriet Nelson
- Ozzie NelsonShared titles: Here Come the Nelsons (1952), The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Ozzie Nelson
- Ricky NelsonShared titles: Here Come the Nelsons (1952), The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Ricky Nelson
