Nelson Gidding
Nelson Roosevelt Gidding (September 15, 1919 – May 1, 2004) was an American screenwriter specializing in adaptations. A longtime collaboration with director Robert Wise began with Gidding's screenplay for I Want to Live! (1958), which earned him an Oscar nomination. His long-running course on screenwriting adaptions at the University of Southern California inspired screenwriters of the present generation, including David S. Goyer.
Nelson Gidding | |
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| Born | Nelson Roosevelt Gidding September 15, 1919 New York |
| Died | May 2, 2004 (aged 84) Santa Monica, California |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
Gidding was born in New York and attended school at Phillips Exeter Academy; as a young man he was friends with Norman Mailer. After graduating from Harvard University, he entered the Army Air Forces in World War II as the navigator on a B-26. His plane was shot down over Italy, but he survived; he spent 18 months as a POW but effected an escape. Returning from the war, in 1946 he published his only novel, End Over End, begun while captive in a German prison camp.
In 1949, Gidding married Hildegarde Colligan; together they had a son, Joshua Gidding, who today is a Seattle writer and college professor.
In Hollywood, Gidding entered work in television, writing for such series as Suspense and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, and eventually moved into feature films like The Helen Morgan Story (1957), Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), The Haunting (1963), Lost Command (1966), The Andromeda Strain (1971), and The Hindenburg (1975).
After the death of his first wife on June 13, 1995, in 1998 Gidding married Chun-Ling Wang, a Chinese immigrant.
Gidding taught at USC until his death from congestive heart failure at a Santa Monica hospital in 2004.
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | The Triangle | Written By | Story segment "American Duel" |
| 1954 | President for a Day | Written By | TV movie produced as an episode of Hallmark Hall of Fame |
| 1957 | The Helen Morgan Story | Screenplay By | Co-Wrote Screenplay with "Stephen Longstreet", "Dean Riesner", and "Oscar Saul" |
| 1958 | Onionhead | Screenplay By | Based on the novel by "Weldon Hill" |
| I Want to Live! | Screenplay By | Co-Wrote Screenplay with "Don Mankiewicz" | |
| 1959 | Odds Against Tomorrow | Screenplay By | Co-Wrote Screenplay with "Abraham Polonsky", Based on the Novel by "William P. McGivern" |
| 1962 | Lisa | Screenplay By | Based on the Novel "The Inspector" By "Jan de Hartog" |
| 1963 | The Haunting | Screenplay By | Based on the Novel By "Shirley Jackson" |
| Nine Hours to Rama | Screenplay By | Based on the Novel By "Stanley Wolpert" | |
| 1966 | Lost Command | Screenplay By | Based on the Novel "The Centurions" By "Jean Lartéguy" |
| 1970 | Skullduggery | Screenplay By | Based on the Novel "Les Animaux dénaturés" By "Vercors" |
| 1971 | The Andromeda Strain | Screenplay By | Based on the Novel By "Michael Crichton" |
| 1975 | The Hindenburg | Screenplay By | Co-Wrote Screenplay with "Richard Levinson" and "William Link", Based on the Novel By "Michael M. Mooney" |
| 1979 | Beyond the Poseidon Adventure | Screenplay By | |
| 1983 | I Want to Live | Screenplay By | Television Movie |
| 1987 | The Misfit Brigade | Screenplay By | Based on the Novel "Wheels of Terror" By "Sven Hassel" |
| 1991 | Journey of Honor | Screenplay By, Story By | Co-Wrote Story with "Sho Kosugi" |
| 1993 | The Mummy lives | Screenplay By | |
Television
| Year | TV Series | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Writer | 1 Episode |
| Hollywood Opening Night | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| 1953 | Rheingold Theater | Writer | 1 Episode |
| The Web | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| 1954 | The Stranger | Writer | 2 Episodes |
| Inner Sanctum | Writer | 3 Episodes | |
| 1954-55 | The Man Behind the Badge | Writer | 12 Episodes |
| 1955 | Kraft Television Theatre | Writer | 1 Episode |
| Warner Bros. Presents | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| 1955-56 | Casablanca | Writer | 5 Episodes |
| 1955-57 | Sergeant Preston of the Yukon | Writer, Story Editor | 52 Episodes |
| 1956 | Playwrights '56 | Writer | 1 Episode |
| 1957 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Writer | 2 Episodes |
| 1960 | Bourbon Street Beat | Writer | 1 Episode |
| 1972 | Banyon | Writer | 1 Episode |
| 1983 | Casablanca | Writer | 1 Episode |
References
- McLellan, Dennis (May 7, 2004). "Nelson Gidding, 84; Oscar Nominee Wrote for Radio, TV, Movies". The Los Angeles Times.
- Saxon, Wolfgang (May 14, 2004). "Nelson Gidding, 84, Screenwriter of Hollywood Classics, Dies". The New York Times.
External links
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