Who is Craig T. Nelson?
Nelson is an American comedian, actor and writer, perhaps best known to the world as Hayden Fox in the TV series “Coach” (1989-1997) and as Kelly Stone in the film “The Family Stone” (2004). He is also known as the voice of Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible, the patriarch of the beloved superhero family “The Incredibles” (2004, 2018).
Where is Craig T. Nelson Now?
From 2019 to the present, Craig has portrayed the recurring character Dale Ballard in the TV series “Young Sheldon”. He is now working on Bill Holderman’s romantic-comedy-drama film “Book Club 2: The Next Chapter”, which will co-star Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda and Mary Steenburgen, scheduled to premiere in 2023.
Moreover, he is set to star in the thriller action film “The Operative”, which is currently in pre-production, and is yet to receive its release date.
Craig T. Nelson: Wiki, Age, Childhood, and Education
Craig Theodore Nelson was born on 4 April 1944, in Spokane, Washington State, USA, the son of Armand Gilbert Nelson, a businessman, and Vera Margaret who was a dancer.
He grew up in Spokane with his sister Dayle, and went to Lewis and Clark High School. Following matriculation, Craig enrolled at Central Washington University; however, he didn’t stay there for too long, transferring to Yakima Valley College, and during his time there, he was inspired by his drama teacher to study acting.
His next stop was the University of Arizona, where he studied drama on a scholarship, but dropped out of college and moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. However, while auditioning for his acting debut, Craig had several odd jobs, including working as a security guard at a soap factory. Moreover, before his career really got going, he was a plumber, carpenter, and even a high school teacher in Burney, California.
Career Beginnings
Craig tried his hand at comedy first, joining the now famed The Groundlings Improv, becoming one of the early members of the popular comedy sketch troupe. He then joined Rudy De Luca and Barry Levinson to start their own comedy troupe. The trio would become regular performers at the Comedy Store, but also began performing in “The Tim Conway Comedy Hour”.
However, three years later, Craig left stand-up comedy, stating that it wasn’t his cup of tea. After this, he settled in Montgomery Creek, California, where he lived in a rural area without electricity or running water.
He returned to the screen in the late ’70s, with a minor role in the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated fantasy action-adventure series “Wonder Woman” (1978), while in 1979, he portrayed Frank Bowers, prosecuting attorney, in the Academy Award-nominated thriller crime-drama film “And Justice For All”, written by Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson, directed by Norman Jewison, and co-starring Al Pacino, John Forsythe and Jack Warden.
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He started the ’80s quite successfully, first appearing in the biopic about gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, entitled “Where Buffalo Roam”, with Peter Boyle, Bill Murray, and Bruno Kirby in the lead roles, then portraying Capt. William Wooldridge in the Academy Award-nominated war-comedy film “Private Benjamin”, starring Goldie Hawn, Eileen Brennan,and Armand Assante. He next appeared in the romantic drama movie “The Promise of Love”, then featured in the comedy crime film “Stir Crazy”, directed by Sidney Poitier, and starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.
Two years later, Craig took a huge step forward in his career with the co-lead role of Steve Freeling in the Academy Award-nominated horror-thriller film “Poltergeist”, written by Steven Spielberg, and co-starring JoBeth Williams and Heather O’Rourke. The film became a complete success, helping Craig in his early career. The same year, he featured in the TV series “Chicago Story”, and then in 1983, co-starred in the drama film “Man, Woman and Child”, alongside Martin Sheen and Blythe Danner. He next co-starred with Cher, Meryl Streep and Kurt Russell in the eponymous biopic entitled “Silkwood, written by Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen and directed by Mike Nichols, about a worker in a plutonium processing plant and the torture he was put through,.
Rise to Prominence
Nelson became a more recognized actor thanks to his success in the early ’80s. In 1984 he appeared in yet another successful film, “The Killing Fields”, about a journalist trapped in Cambodia during Pol Pot’s cleansing campaign. The film starred Sam Waterston, Haing S. Ngor and John Malkovich, and ultimately won three Oscars and a number of other notable awards, including a BAFTA.
He portrayed Colonel Raynor Sarnac in the TV series “Call to Glory” (1984-1985), and the following year reprised the role of Steve Freeling in the sequel “Poltergeist II: The Other Side”. Also in ’86, he played Senator Edward Kennedy in the TV movie “The Ted Kennedy Jr. Story”.
Three years later, Craig got the role of his career, when chosen for the part of Hayden Fox, the coach of a university football team in the TV sports-comedy series “Coach”. The series lasted until 1997 and became a huge success, launching Nelson to stardom, and earning Craig his only Primetime Emmy Award.
Craig T. Nelson from Coach and The Incredibles talks to Nintendo Power about his love for F-Zero on SNES, 1992. pic.twitter.com/zUMe9Nu5mc
— NBA Jam (the book) (@nbajambook) August 22, 2019
He worked on several other prominent projects between 1989 and 1996, including the comedy crime-drama film “Turner & Hooch” (1989), co-starring Tom Hanks and Mare Winningham, then in 1991 portrayed Walter Winchell in the Primetime Emmy Award-winning biopic movie about Josephine Baker, starring Lynn Whitfield and Ruben Blades, and the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated television drama movie “Take Me Home Tonight” (1994), co-starring Kirk Douglas and Bess Armstrong. Moreover, in 1996 he portrayed Ed Peters in the Academy Award-nominated historical drama film “Ghosts of Mississippi”, with Alec Baldwin, James Woods and Whoopi Goldberg in the lead roles.
After “Coach” ended, Craig portrayed Alexander Cullen in the mystery thriller-drama film “The Devil’s Advocate” (1997), which starred Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves, and Charlize Theron.
The 2000s and Further Success
Craig began the new millennium with another long-running role, as Chief Jack Mannion in the TV comedy crime-drama series “The District” through 2004, earning both a Prism Award and a Satellite Award nomination for his work on the show.
In 2004, Craig portrayed Kelly Stone in the award-winning romantic comedy-drama film “The Family Stone”, which starred Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Jessica Parker,and Claire Danes, and was written and directed by Thomas Bezucha.
Three years later, he joined the cast of the eponymous sitcom “My Name is Earl” as Warden Jerry Hazelwood, appearing in five episodes of this multiple Primetime Emmy Award-winning series.
In 2010, Craig secured another prominent role, as Zeek Braverman, the patriarch of the Braverman family, in the TV sitcom “Parenthood”, featuring in all 103 episodes of the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated series, which earned him a Prism Award in the category of Male Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline. His co-stars were Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Monica Potter and others; he’s spoken about the show’s ending and his character’s death, stating that he was displeased with the final episode of the popular series.
He was Dr. Rovinsky in the biopic “Soul Surfer” (2011), about Bethany Hamilton, a teenage surfer who lost her arm in a terrifying shark attack, and her fear of returning to the water after the unfortunate event. The film starred AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt.
After “Parenthood”, Craig appeared in the crime-comedy film “Get Hard”, starring Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart and Alison Brie, and the following year he portrayed Kenny Wells Sr., in the crime-drama film “Gold”, with Matthew McConaughey portraying Kenny Wells Jr., a prospector and the main protagonist of this award-winning film.
In 2017 he starred in the television comedy movie “Raised by Wolves”, while in 2018 he co-starred in Bill Holderman’s romantic comedy-drama film “Book Club”.
Net Worth
As of mid- 2022, Craig T. Nelson’s net worth has been estimated at $50 million, earned through his successful career as an actor, during which he’s appeared in more than 90 film and TV titles.
Personal Life, Married, Wife, Children
When it comes to his personal life, Nelson has one divorce behind him. He was married to a Robin McCarthy from 1965 until 1978, with whom he has three children, including Noah Nelson, who is now a writer and producer, and has worked on TV series’ “CSI: NY” (2007-2009), “Hawaii Five-0” (2012-2013), “Secrets and Lies” (2015-2016), and “The Oath” (2018-2019), in addition to other projects.
Craig has been married to actress and freelance writer Doria Cook since 1987.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
The prominent actor now has gray hair and brown eyes. He stands at a height of 6ft 4ins (1.92m), while he weighs approximately 195lbs (88kgs).
Hobbies, Interests, and Trivia
Craig’s main interests outside of acting are sports cars and races. He’s a sports car enthusiast and, as such, participated in several racing events. His debut was in the 1991 Toyota Celebrity Long Beach Grand Prix, in which he finished ninth. The following year he founded Screaming Eagles Racing with John Christie.
He participated in several International Motor Sports Association World Sports Car Championships, including 1994, in which he drove a Spice SE90 with a Toyota engine. In 1996 and 1997, he drove a Ford-engined Riley & Scott MKIII.
He’s also a martial artist with a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do, and a golf enthusiast, a member of the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, CA.
