Gary Nelson was born into a family involved with filmmaking; his father was a director and his mother a casting director. He graduated from high school and went directly to work as an assistant to John Ford in 1955 on The Searchers. Following a two year hitch in the Army, Nelson began directing for TV, including shows like Get Smart, Have Gun, Will Travel, Love American Style, Police Story and Kojak. The high point of his career came in 1978, when he was chosen as the director of the ABC-TV mini-series Washington: Behind Closed Doors, for which he received an Emmy nomination.
Nelson himself looks more like he belongs in front of the camera than behind it; his deep-tanned features suggest perfect leading man material. His manner is firm, decisive. Though his voice is extremely soft-spoken, one hand was wrapped in a cast which he said he'd hurt "training" a horse.
The Black Hole is Nelson's second film for Disney Productions (Freaky Friday was made in 1976), but the prestigious honor of being chosen to direct the studio's most ambitious project since Snow White is not lost on him. "The Black Hole was a challenge," he admits. "And, if it is successful, I will have met that challenge."
Steranko interviewed Gary Nelson at the Disney Studios on Aug ust 16, 1979.
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