Share

Harriet Nelson biography

1 photo

Quick Facts

  • PLACE OF DEATH: Laguna Beach, California
  • AKA: Harriet Hilliard
  • Originally: Peggy Lou Snyder
more about Harriet

Best Known For

As housewife and mother on the hit series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Harriet Nelson became one of television's best-loved characters during the 1950s.

Synopsis

Born in Iowa in 1909, Harriet Nelson became one of television's best-loved characters in the 1950s, playing a housewife and mom on the hit series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Her husband and sons on the show were her real-life husband and children.

Contents

Profile

Actress, singer. Born Peggy Lou Snyder on July 18, 1909, in Des Moines, Iowa. While she used the stage name Harriet Hilliard for a number of years, she is best known as Harriet Nelson, one of television??s most legendary mothers. Born into a theatrical family, she got her start at an early age. Nelson spent years on the road, touring on the vaudeville circuit. In the early 1930s, she performed at nightclubs in New York City and had a part in a short film entitled The Campus Mystery (1932). Around this time, she joined Ozzie Nelson as a singer in his band, and the two later became a couple off stage. They married in 1935.

In the late 1930s and 1940s, Harriet Nelson appeared in several films as Harriet Hilliard, including the musical comedies Follow the Fleet (1936) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers and Cocoanut Grove (1938) with Fred MacMurray. She found greater success, however, pairing up with her husband. They appeared together on comedian Red Skelton??s radio show in the early 1940s before launching their own hit radio show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, in 1944. The content for their program was drawn from their experiences as a couple raising two young sons, David and Eric??who was nicknamed Ricky.

The show made the move to television in the early 1950s, and Harriet Nelson emerged as the quintessial 1950s wife, mother, and homemaker. By the time it was on television, her real-life sons played themselves on the series, making the program a true family affair. On the air for 14 years, the show focused on the day-to-day issues of parenting and being a teenager. It also provided a platform for their son Ricky to launch his musical career; he emerged as a popular teen idol and singer. During the course of its run, the boys grew up, went to college, and got married.

The couple tried to recapture some of its earlier magic in 1973 with the short-lived series Ozzie??s Girls. The premise of the show??Ozzie and Harriet renting out their sons?? rooms to two young female college students??failed to attract an audience. Not long after, Harriet lost her great love when Ozzie died in 1975. She suffered another personal loss when her son Ricky died in a plane crash in 1985. Mostly withdrawn from public life, Nelson made a few guest appearances over the years. Her last was with her granddaughter Tracy Nelson??Ricky??s daughter??on the Father Downing Mysteries series in 1989.

Her later years were marked

ADVERTISEMENT
222415 222415
profile id: 222415
profile name: Harriet Nelson
profile occupation:
related profile id: 222415
related profile name: Harriet Nelson
related profile occupation:
related profile img: /imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/N/Harriet-Nelson-222415-1-402.jpg
related profile URL: /people/harriet-nelson-222415
profile
pop
Your Connections

Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.

specific profile connection
See More Bio Connections
Your Friends' Connections
specific friend connection
Profile Connections
    Show More Connections
    Included In These Groups
      2 others

      TV Moms: 1950s

      In the early days of television, actresses of the small screen often reflected the traditional roles of women in society. TV moms of the 1950s managed to keep a tidy home; serve as an attentive ear to family troubles; and have dinner waiting—all while keeping every hair in place. Jane Wyatt epitomized the archetypal housewife and mother on Father Knows Best, while Donna Reed made running a household look easy on The Donna Reed Show. These women, and many more like them, laid the groundwork for future female acting roles, and served as inspiration to the women watching at home.

      View group

      TV Moms: 1950s 5 people in this group

      232 others

      Name Changers

      In entertainment, where the line between fiction and reality is often blurry, names are a crucial part of a celebrity's image. Stage names are often chosen to make an actor or musician's name easier to pronounce or remember, or simply to make it sounds more attractive. Here are famous celebrities who have changed their names.

      View group

      Name Changers 235 people in this group

      467 others

      Famous Cancerians

      View group

      Famous Cancerians 470 people in this group

    See all related groups

    Celebrity Connections

    Show More Connections
    Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!