Kenneth Nelson American actor Date of Birth: 24.03.1930 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Kenneth Nelson

Kenneth Nelson was born on March 24, 1930, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He appeared in several television series in the late 1940s, including the science fiction adventure series "Captain Video and His Video Rangers" and the popular sitcom "The Aldrich Family." In 1951, Kenneth landed a role in his first Broadway show, a musical comedy about first love called "Seventeen," which premiered on June 21 and ran for 182 performances.

In the late 1950s, Kenneth had limited work opportunities, but in 1960, he got a role in an off-Broadway production called "The Fantasticks" - and it was a success. "The Fantasticks" remains the longest-running musical in the world to this day, running for a total of 42 years and 17,162 performances. In 1962, Nelson became a standby for Anthony Newley in the Broadway musical "Stop the World - I Want to Get Off," which transferred from London's West End. Eventually, Nelson took over the lead role when the British star left the show.

After the musical closed, Kenneth had the opportunity to perform in another British musical comedy called "Half a Sixpence," which ran from April 25, 1965, to July 16, 1966. In 1968, Nelson participated in the innovative off-Broadway production of "The Boys in the Band," which sparked controversy as it dealt with the lives of New York homosexuals. "The Boys in the Band" was perhaps the first play to openly and directly portray the lives of gay men. Nelson and the rest of the cast also appeared in the film adaptation directed by William Friedkin, which was released in 1970. Both Kenneth Nelson and five other actors in the film were homosexual, and four out of the six later died from AIDS.

In 1970, Nelson returned to Broadway to play the lead role in the musical adaptation of John Patrick's play "The Teahouse of the August Moon," based on Vern Sneider's novel, titled "Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen." Unfortunately, the production received negative reviews from critics and was a financial disaster, closing after only 19 performances. In 1974, the actor starred in the highly successful revue "Cole" at The Mermaid Theatre in London. He developed a love for England and had no intention of returning to the United States.

In his later years, Kenneth Nelson mainly appeared in small roles on television and in film. He played an American in the British crime television series "The Professionals" in 1978, Grogan in the detective mini-series "Edge of Darkness" in 1985, and Hank Johnson in the historical television drama "Lost Empires" in 1986, starring rising star Colin Firth.

Kenneth Nelson passed away on October 7, 1993, at the age of 63 in London due to complications related to AIDS.