Biography
Gary Nelson (6 October 1934 – 25 May 2022) was an American television and film director. Born in Los Angeles, he began his career as an assistant director on films including Rebel Without a Cause and The Searchers before moving into directing in the early 1960s.
He directed episodes of numerous television series, including Get Smart, Gunsmoke, Gilligan's Island, The Andy Griffith Show, Kojak (1973) and Police Story. His feature films include Freaky Friday (1976), The Black Hole (1979) and Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986). Nelson was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the 1977 miniseries Washington: Behind Closed Doors.
He was married to actress Judi Meredith from 1962 until her death in 2014; they had two sons. His father, Sam Nelson, was an assistant director and co-founder of what became the Directors Guild of America.
