David Oswald Nelson was born October 24, 1936 in New York City. Nelson was the elder son of entertainment couple Harriet Hilliard Nelson (born Peggy Lou Snyder; July 18, 1909 – October 2, 1994) and Ozzie Nelson (March 20, 1906 – June 3, 1975). He was the older brother of singer Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985). In late 1941, Nelson moved with his parents from Tenafly, New Jersey to Los Angeles, California. Infant brother Ricky stayed behind with his paternal grandmother until 1942 when the family was settled.
Nelson, along with his brother and their parents, appeared on the long-running sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in the 1950s and 1960s. During the run of the series, Nelson directed several episodes. After the series' end, he continued acting, directing and producing. His most memorable 'break-out' performance was in the 1959 thriller The Big Circus, wherein Nelson played a disturbed, apparently homicidal 'troubled youth', while his last film appearance was in the campier Cry-Baby (1990). For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Nelson was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1501 Vine Street, on May 9, 1996.
Nelson died on January 11, 2011, in Century City, California, from complications of colon cancer. He was survived by his wife Yvonne and five children.
Nelson had two sons—Daniel Blair and James Eric—from his first marriage with June Blair, which ended in divorce, and adopted two sons and a daughter—John, Eric, and Teri—from his second marriage, to Yvonne Huston.
