Ozzie Nelson Biography

Fast Facts

• At age 13, became one of the youngest Boy Scouts ever to earn the rank of Eagle Scout
• Was member of the elite fraternity the Cap and Skull at Rutgers University
• Formed a dance band while at Rutgers and took it on tour after his graduation
• Played three years of varsity football at Rutgers
• Made feature-film debut, with his band, in 1940's The Letter, starring Bette Davis
• In 1941, he and wife, Harriet, began a three-year stint on Red Skelton's radio show
• In 1944, created and starred in the radio program The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, which made the successful transition in 1952 to television
• Wrote, produced and directed the 1965 feature Love and Kisses, starring his son Ricky and Ricky's wife, Kris Harmon
• Revealed in his autobiography Ozzie that he was a lifelong atheist
• Ranked No
• 21 in a June 2004 TV GUIDE list of the 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time
• The address of his high-school alma mater in New Jersey is 1 Ozzie Nelson Drive