Ricky Nelson

Eric Hilliard Nelson—known as Ricky or Rick—was an American actor and musician born on May 8, 1940, who died in a plane crash on December 31, 1985. He began appearing on the radio and television series *The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet* at age eight, performing alongside his family. His recording career took off in 1957, and he became a popular artist. That success, combined with his TV fame, earned him a role in Howard Hawks’ 1959 western *Rio Bravo*, where he acted alongside John Wayne, Dean Martin, Walter Brennan, and Angie Dickinson.

Between 1957 and 1973, Nelson placed 54 songs on the *Billboard* Hot 100 and its earlier charts. His 1958 single “Poor Little Fool” became the first number one on the newly created Hot 100. He scored 17 additional top-ten hits and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 21, 1987. In 1996, *TV Guide* ranked him No. 49 on its list of the 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

Nelson’s entertainment career started in 1949 when he played himself on the radio sitcom *The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet*. He made his film debut in 1952’s *Here Come the Nelsons*. In 1957, he released his first single (“I’m Walkin’” b/w “A Teenager’s Romance”), sang on the TV version of the sitcom for the first time, and put out the number-one album *Ricky*. The next year, his first number-one single, “Poor Little Fool,” came out. In 1959, he received a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Male Newcomer after *Rio Bravo*. A few more film roles followed. When the TV series ended in 1966, he made occasional guest appearances on other shows.

In his twenties, Nelson moved away from pop music and toward country rock, after releasing several straight country albums. He recorded multiple albums with session musicians, most of which failed. In 1969, he formed the Stone Canyon Band, which revived his career, helped by the live album *In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969*. He had a surprise hit in 1972 with “Garden Party,” which reached No. 6 on the Hot 100. The comeback didn’t last: his record label was bought and dissolved, and his new label poorly promoted his follow-up albums. He kept performing live and taking small TV roles through the 1970s, but his label dropped him by the decade’s end. He released two more albums with weak results before his death.

Nelson married Sharon Kristin Harmon in 1963; they divorced in 1982. They had four children: actress Tracy Nelson, twin sons and musicians Gunnar and Matthew, and actor Sam.

He was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, on May 8, 1940, the second son of entertainers Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. His father was of half-Swedish descent. His older brother was actor David Nelson. While Ozzie toured with his orchestra, Harriet stayed in Englewood, New Jersey, with her newborn and toddler. The family bought a two-story colonial house in Tenafly, New Jersey, but moved to Hollywood six months later for Ozzie and Harriet to appear on Red Skelton’s *The Raleigh Cigarette Hour* in the 1941–42 season; Ricky stayed in Tenafly with his paternal grandmother. In November 1941, the Nelsons bought a permanent home at 1822 Camino Palmero in Los Angeles, and Ricky joined them there in 1942.

Ricky was small, insecure, and had severe asthma, using a vaporizer with tincture of evergreen to sleep. Red Skelton’s producer John Guedel called him “an odd little kid,” likable, shy, introspective, mysterious, and inscrutable. When Skelton was drafted in 1944, Guedel created the radio sitcom *The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet* for Ricky’s parents. It debuted on October 8, 1944, to good reviews. Ozzie became the head writer, basing episodes on his sons’ exploits and rivalry. Professional child actors first played the Nelson boys on the radio; Dave joined at age twelve and Ricky at age eight on February 20, 1949, in the episode “Invitation to Dinner.”

In 1952, the Nelsons tested a TV series with the theatrical film *Here Come the Nelsons*, which was a hit. Ozzie then decided the family could move from radio to television. *The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet* debuted on TV on October 3, 1952, and ran in first run until September 3, 1966, becoming one of the longest-running sitcoms in TV history.

Nelson attended Gardner Street Public School, Bancroft Junior High, and Hollywood High School, graduating in 1958 with a B average. He played football and tennis for Hollywood High. Twenty-five years later, he told the *Los Angeles Weekly* he hated school because it “smelled of pencils” and he had to get up early. In January 1960, he and his brother performed a trapeze act on an episode of *The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet* titled “The Circus.” Ozzie, a Rutgers alumnus, wanted Ricky to go to college, but at eighteen Ricky was already in the 93 percent income-tax bracket and saw no reason to attend. At thirteen, he earned over $100,000 a year; at sixteen, he had a personal fortune of $500,000 (about $5.92 million in 2025). His parents managed his wealth, putting his earnings into trust funds.