Tracy Nelson (actress)

Tracy Nelson
Tracy Nelson
	Nelson in 1981
Born	Tracy Kristine Nelson; October 25, 1963 (age 61); Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Bard College
Occupation(s)	Actress, dancer, writer
Years active	1968–present
Spouse	William R. Moses (m. 1987;div. 1997)
Partner	Chris Clark (2001–2002)
Children	2
Parents	Ricky Nelson (father); Kristin Nelson (mother);
Relatives	Gunnar Nelson (brother); Matthew Nelson (brother); Tom Harmon (maternal grandfather); Elyse Knox (maternal grandmother); Kelly Harmon (aunt); Mark Harmon (uncle); Pam Dawber (aunt); Harriet Hilliard Nelson (paternal grandmother); Ozzie Nelson (paternal grandfather); David Nelson (uncle);

Last updated February 26, 2025

Tracy Kristine Nelson (born October 25, 1963)^[2] is an American actress. From a long line of entertainers, she is the daughter of musician Ricky Nelson and actress and painter Kristin Nelson.

Early life

Nelson was born in Santa Monica, California. She is a fourth-generation performer. Her great-grandparents were vaudeville performers Hazel Dell (née McNutt) and Roy Hilliard Snyder.^[3] Their daughter was her paternal grandmother Harriet Nelson,^[4] the star of the ABC-TV sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet from 1952 to 1966. Her parents were musician and film actor Ricky Nelson and actress/artist Kristin Nelson (née Harmon).^[5] She has three younger siblings: Matthew Nelson and Gunnar Nelson of the 1990s rock group Nelson, and Sam Nelson. Her paternal grandparents were Ozzie and Harriet Hilliard Nelson. Nelson's maternal grandparents were football star Tom Harmon, a Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Michigan, and actress Elyse Knox. She is also the niece of actors David Nelson, and her mother's siblings Mark Harmon and Kelly Harmon.

She went to The Buckley School and graduated in 1981 from the Westlake School for Girls (now Harvard-Westlake School) in Los Angeles. She attended Bard College in upstate New York, studying Dance and European History.^{[ citation needed ]}

Career

At age four Nelson played one of Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball's daughters in Yours, Mine and Ours (1968). Her future co-star Tom Bosley also appeared in that film.^[6]

Nelson is a professional dancer, having studied ballet for 17 years with Tania Lachine and toured throughout California in a dance company while still in grammar school. Nelson studied theater with Kim Stanley and Nina Foch and briefly in the United Kingdom, performing in The Edinburgh Fringe Festival after graduation from high school. In 1982, she played "valley girl" Jennifer DeNuccio on the television series Square Pegs ,^[7]^: 1007 and in 1986 she landed the role of the anorexic daughter in Paul Mazursky's film Down and Out in Beverly Hills .

Nelson co-starred in the television series The Father Dowling Mysteries as "Sister Stephanie" for its three seasons.^[7] She was also a series regular on Aaron Spelling's Glitter , A League of Their Own ,^[7]^: 590 and the Australian television series The Man from Snowy River .^[7]^: 986 Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Nelson made guest appearances on television series including Family Ties , St. Elsewhere , Murphy Brown , The Nanny , 7th Heaven , Melrose Place , Will and Grace , Matlock , Diagnosis Murder and Seinfeld . She was in the touring company and on Broadway as "Rizzo" in Grease in 1995. Nelson has appeared in several theatrical releases and over 20 television movies, including The Perfect Nanny in 2000, The Perfect Husband, Kate's Secret, The Fight for Jesse and The Rival in 2006.

She has written a book about her personal experience and a movie script about her family, The Nelsons.^{[ citation needed ]}

Personal life

Nelson has survived three kinds of cancer. She was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma ^[8] a month after her 1987 marriage to Moses, and one year after her father was killed in an aircraft crash on New Year's Eve 1985 in a field in DeKalb, Texas. Nelson went into remission after surgery, chemotherapy (ABVD) and radiation at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.^{[ citation needed ]}

Having suffered trauma from radiation, Nelson was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2005 and breast cancer in 2010. She fully recovered from a bilateral mastectomy and complete reconstruction.^{[ citation needed ]}

Nelson is active in cancer research advocacy and was the spokesperson for The Lymphoma Research Foundation of America. She received the "Lifesaver Award" from that organization and the "Jill Ireland Award" from the Amie Karen Cancer Fund for Children.^{[ citation needed ]}

Filmography

Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1968	Yours, Mine and Ours	Germaine Beardsley	Directed by Melville Shavelson
1984	Maria's Lovers	Joanie	Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky
1986	Down and Out in Beverly Hills	Jenny Whiteman	Directed by Paul Mazursky
1998	The Night Caller	Beth Needham	Directed by Robert Malenfant
2000	The Perfect Tenant	Rachel	Directed by Doug Campbell
2000	The Perfect Nanny	Andrea McBride/Nikki Harcourt	Directed by Robert Malenfant
2000	Home – The Horror Story	Linda Parkinson	Directed by Temístocles López
2001	Dumb Luck	Kelly Jordan	Directed by Craig Clyde
2002	Fangs	Ally Parks	Directed by Kelly Sandefur
2005	Miracle at Sage Creek	Adrianne	Directed by James Intveld
2009	The Telemarketers: 36 Hrs	Taylor	Directed by Lonny Stevens • direct-to-video
2013	My Stepbrother is a Vampire!?!	Denise	Directed by David DeCoteau
2016	Emma's Chance	Principal Matheson	Directed by Anna Elizabeth James
2016	Arlo: The Burping Pig	Mrs. Pritchett	Directed by Tom DeNucci
2016	The Last Note	Sis	Directed by Robert Zameroski
2018	As Long as I'm Famous	Theda Bara	Directed by Bruce Reisman
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982–83	Square Pegs	Jennifer DiNuccio	Main role • Season 1 (20 episodes)
1983	Hotel	Isabel Darby	Guest role • Season 1, episode 1: "Blackout"
1984	St. Elsewhere	Jennifer Milbourne	Guest role • Season 2, episode 19: "The Woman"
1984–85	Family Ties	Deena Marx	Recurring role • Seasons 2, episode 15 "Ladies Man" / Season 3, episode 14: "Oh Donna"
1985	The Love Boat	Sandy	Guest role • Season 8, episode 17: "Ace Takes the Test / The Counterfeit Couple / The Odd Triple"
1984–85	Glitter	Angela Timini	Main role • Season 1 (14 episodes)
1986	Comedy Factory	Michelle	Guest role • Season 2, episode 2: "Hearts of Steel"
1986	CBS Schoolbreak Special	Lori	Guest role • Season 4, episode 1: "The Drug Knot
1989–91	Father Dowling Mysteries	Sister Stephanie "Steve" Oskowski	Main role • Season 1–3 (42 episodes)
1993	A League of Their Own	Evelyn Gardner	Main role • Season 1 (6 episodes)
1994	Matlock	Jessie Morgan	Guest role • Season 8, episode 19: "The P.I."
1994	Burke's Law	Eve Baker	Guest role • Season 1, episode 11: "Who Killed the Romance"
1994–95	Melrose Place	Meredith Parker	Recurring role • Season 2–3 (4 episodes)
1995	The Nanny	Mary Ruth	Guest role • Season 2, episode 25: "The Chatterbox"
1995	Snowy River: The McGregor Saga	Ruth Whitney	Recurring role • Season 2 (5 episodes)
1996	Touched by an Angel	Lisa Magdaleno	Guest role •Season 2, episode 12: "The One That Got Away"
1996	Diagnosis: Murder	Kristie Lofton	Guest role • Season 3, episode 15: "Mind Over Murder"
1998	Seinfeld	Janet	Guest role • Season 9, episode 13 "The Cartoon"
1998	Murphy Brown	Lisa	Recurring role • Season 10, episode 13: "Turpis Capillus Annus" / Season 10, episode 18: "Second Time Around"
2000	7th Heaven	Pauline	Guest role • Season 5, episode 8: "Gossip"
2002	Will & Grace	Alison	Guest role • Season 4, episode 22: "Wedding Balls"
2003	Still Standing	Elise Larkin	Guest role • Season 2, episode 3: "Still the Bad Parents"
Television film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1986	Pleasures	Annie Benton	ABC movie
1986	Kate's Secret	Patch Reed	NBC movie
1987	Home	Susan Costigan	CBS movie
1987	Tonight's the Night	Jamie Davies	ABC movie
1987	If It's Tuesday, It Still Must Be Belgium	Randi Wainwright	NBC movie
1987	Fatal Confession	Sister Stephanie "Steve" Oskowski	Pre-series movie to Father Dowling Mysteries
1992	Highway Heartbreaker	Annie	CBS movie
1992	Perry Mason: The Case of the Reckless Romeo	Charley Adams	NBC movie
1993	No Child of Mine	Tammy	CBS movie
1994	Ray Alexander: A Taste for Justice	Donna Colla	NBC movie
1995	Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder	Donna Colla	NBC Movie
1996	For Hope	Annie Altman	ABC movie
1997	Touched By Evil	Clara Devlin	ABC movie
1999	The Promise	Lisa Miles	NBC movie
2000	Perfect Game	Diane Crosby	Disney Channel movie
2002	Killer Bees!	Audrey Harris	Pax TV movie
2004	Her Perfect Spouse	Lisa Dorian
2005	A Killer Upstairs	Sandra Nowlin
2006	The Rival	Alice Miller
2007	A Grandpa for Christmas	Marie O'Riley	Hallmark Channel movie
2008	Polar Opposites	Jenna
2015	A Fatal Obsession	Christie Ryan	Lifetime Movie Network
2016	The Wrong Child	Joyce	Lifetime Movie Network
Short
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley: The Case of the Sea World Adventure		Video short
1995	The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley: The Case of the Mystery Cruise	Mary-Kate and Ashley's mom	Video short
2000	The Bus Stop
2016	The Eleventh	Cynthia	miniseries short (5 episodes)

References

↑ Erickson, Hal. "Tracy Nelson". allmovie.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
↑ "Tracy Nelson". biography.com. April 2, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
↑ "Second Generation". genealogy.com. 2010. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010.
↑ "Harriet Hilliard". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-05-08. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
↑ Hewitt, Michael (3 November 2015). "Giving birth to the family comedy". Orange County Register. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
↑ Thomlison, Adam. "TV Q&A". TV Media.
1 2 3 4 Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. p. 335. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
↑ "Busy Tracy Nelson ready for a normal pregnancy routine". The San Bernardino County Sun. California, San Bernardino. March 19, 1992. p. 67. Retrieved May 29, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

External links

Tracy Nelson at IMDb
Tracy Nelson Biography at Film Reference
Tracy Nelson at Biography Channel

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Erickson, Hal. "Tracy Nelson". allmovie.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.

[2] "Tracy Nelson". biography.com. April 2, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2022.

[3] "Second Generation". genealogy.com. 2010. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010.

[NY_Times-4] "Harriet Hilliard". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-05-08. Retrieved 2011-05-02.

[5] Hewitt, Michael (3 November 2015). "Giving birth to the family comedy". Orange County Register. Retrieved 4 April 2017.

[6] Thomlison, Adam. "TV Q&A". TV Media.

[etvs-7] 1 2 3 4 Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. p. 335. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.

[sbcs-8] "Busy Tracy Nelson ready for a normal pregnancy routine". The San Bernardino County Sun. California, San Bernardino. March 19, 1992. p. 67. Retrieved May 29, 2017– via Newspapers.com.

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v t e Ricky Nelson
James Burton Richie Frost Gene Garf James Kirkland The Jordanaires
Studio albums	Ricky Ricky Nelson Ricky Sings Again Songs by Ricky More Songs by Ricky Rick Is 21 Album Seven by Rick For Your Sweet Love Rick Nelson Sings for You The Very Thought of You Spotlight on Rick Best Always Love and Kisses Bright Lights and Country Music Country Fever Another Side of Rick Perspective Rick Sings Nelson Rudy the Fifth Garden Party Windfall Intakes Playing to Win All My Best The Memphis Sessions
Compilations	Best Sellers by Rick Nelson
Live albums	In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969
Soundtrack albums	On the Flip Side
EPs	Ricky Sings Spirituals
Singles	"I'm Walkin'" "A Teenager's Romance" "You're My One and Only Love" "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" "Be-Bop Baby" "Stood Up" "Waitin' in School" "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" "Believe What You Say" "Poor Little Fool" "Lonesome Town" "I Got a Feeling" "It's Late" "Never Be Anyone Else But You" "Just a Little Too Much" "Sweeter Than You" "I Wanna Be Loved" "Young Emotions" "Travelin' Man" "Hello Mary Lou" "A Wonder Like You" "Everlovin'" "Young World" "Summertime" "Teen Age Idol" "It's Up to You" "Fools Rush In" "For You" "The Very Thought of You" "There's Nothing I Can Say" "She Belongs to Me" "Life" "Garden Party" "Dream Lover"
Related articles	Discography Kristin Nelson Nelson

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People	Deutsche Synchronkartei
Other	SNAC

Tracy Nelson
Nelson in 1981
Born	Tracy Kristine Nelson (1963-10-25) October 25, 1963 (age 61)^[1] Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Bard College
Occupation(s)	Actress, dancer, writer
Years active	1968–present
Spouse	William R. Moses (m. 1987;div. 1997)
Partner	Chris Clark (2001–2002)
Children	2
Parents	Ricky Nelson (father) Kristin Nelson (mother)
Relatives	Gunnar Nelson (brother) Matthew Nelson (brother) Tom Harmon (maternal grandfather) Elyse Knox (maternal grandmother) Kelly Harmon (aunt) Mark Harmon (uncle) Pam Dawber (aunt) Harriet Hilliard Nelson (paternal grandmother) Ozzie Nelson (paternal grandfather) David Nelson (uncle)