Edwin Stafford "Ed" Nelson

 Edwin Stafford "Ed" Nelson (December 21, 1928 – August 9, 2014)

He was best known for his role as Dr. Michael Rossi in the series Peyton Place. He served with the United States Navy as a radioman on the light cruiser USS Dayton. He took a position as a director at WDSU-TV in New Orleans. By 1956, acting became his central focus, and he moved to the Los Angeles area. Early in his career Nelson did stunt work for B-movie producer Roger Corman on the films Swamp Women (1956), Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957), Rock All Night (1957), Carnival Rock (1957), Night of the Blood Beast (1958), The Cry Baby Killer (1958), Teenage Cave Man (1958), and A Bucket of Blood (1959). His television career began in the mid-1950s when he appeared in scores of popular shows, many of them westerns, such as 'Bat Masterson', 'Have Gun - Will Travel', 'Gunsmoke', 'Rawhide' and 'The Rifleman', among others. He also appeared in the 1960 thriller Valley of the Redwoods and the 1963 comedy drama Soldier in the Rain, starring Steve McQueen and Jackie Gleason. In 1964, Nelson secured his most famous role, portraying Dr. Michael Rossi on the ABC drama Peyton Place, staying with the series during its entire run from 1964 to 1969. When the series ended, Nelson continued to appear on television, on a variety of shows ( Adam 12, Night Gallery, Ironside, Police Woman, Dallas, and The Rockford Files, among many more). Nelson was an active member of the Screen Actors Guild and was elected to the union board for many years. Nelson was a long-standing member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and maintained a long tradition of participation in voting for the Academy Awards.

In 1999, Nelson returned to Tulane University to finish credits toward his undergraduate degree. He was married to his wife Patsy from 1950 until his death. One of his children is actor Christopher S. Nelson. Nelson died on August 9, 2014, in Greensboro, North Carolina, from congestive heart failure, he was 85.