Editing Ed Nelson (section)

==Early life==
Nelson was raised in North Carolina after having been born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was educated at [[Southwood College|Edwards Military Institute]] and [[Lejeune High School|Camp Lejeune High School]], playing football and basketball at the latter school.<ref name="hsp" />

He began acting while attending Tulane University in New Orleans. He left college after two years to study at the [[New York School of Radio and Television]] Technique. He served in the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] as a [[radioman]] on the [[light cruiser]] [[USS Dayton (CL-105)|USS ''Dayton'']]. He took a position as a director at [[WDSU|WDSU-TV]] in New Orleans. By 1956, acting became his central focus, and he moved to the Los Angeles area.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/arts/television/ed-nelson-a-star-of-peyton-place-dies-at-85.html?_r=0| title=Ed Nelson, a Star of 'Peyton Place,' Dies at 85| first=William| last=McDonald| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=August 12, 2014| access-date=August 12, 2014| url-access=subscription}}</ref>