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Haywood Nelson
Nelson in 2007
Born	Haywood Knowles Nelson Jr. (1960-03-25) March 25, 1960 (age 64) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1974–present
Spouse(s)	Sheryl Piland (1981–1984) Diana Ramos (1987–1998) Khnadya Skye (2014-2020)

Haywood Knowles Nelson Jr. (born March 25, 1960) is an American actor. He is best known for having portrayed Dwayne Nelson on the television series What's Happening!! from 1976–1979, and its spin-off series What's Happening Now!! 1985–1988.

Biography

Haywood Nelson has been a member of the entertainment community for over forty years. This New York born and raised actor began his career as a child at the age of six with numerous principle on-camera and voice-over national commercials completed including, Lavoris (“Pucker Power” campaign), Campbell’s Soup (Mmm Mmm Good…” campaign), Libby’s (Libby’s Libby’s Libby’s on the Label Label Label…” campaign), Polaroid, Hot Wheels, Rock’em Sock’em Robots, Johnny Lightening, Aurora AFX, Kodak, Dunkin Hines (3–year contract), Milk (“Make Your Car A Star”), Burger King (“BK Broiler” voice-over campaign) and Dean Witter (“Newlyweds” campaign).

Haywood appeared in several Feature Films with Also-Starring solo-card billing including, ‘’ If you Give A Dance You Gotta Pay The Band ‘’ opposite actors Moses Gunn and Lawrence Fishburne, ‘’ Mixed Company ‘’ opposite actors Joseph Bologna and Barbara Harris for Director Melville Shavelson, ‘’ This Property Is Condemed ‘’ opposite actor Ta-Ronce Allen for Director Cicely Tyson at American Film Institute, and a Featuring role in ‘’ Evilspeaks ‘’ opposite actor Clint Howard for Director Eric Weston. Haywood also spent a two-year run on Broadway in an Also Starring role opposite actors Valerie Harper, Marlo Thomas and Richard Mulligan in Herb Gardner’s Thieves for Directors Michael Bennett and ultimately Charles Grodin. Nelson guest starred on Kojak in the episode "The Godson" as Bobby Moore. At the age of 14, he went on to guest star in the television series Sanford and Son opposite actors Redd Foxx, Damond Wilson, and Whitman Mayo for Tandem Productions as the grandson of Whitman Mayo’s ‘’ Grady ‘’ then in a Starring role in the series of the same name, Grady (1975) opposite actors Mayo, Carole Cole, Joe Morton, and Rosanne Katon for TOY Productions. The show was short-lived. The next year, in 1976, at the age of 16, Haywood soon landed the role of “Dwayne” in the television series “Cooley High” becoming the ABC hit series “What’s Happening!” also for TOY Productions. As a "teenage heartthrob" on a popular television series, Nelson was one of the first Black teen idols. After a successful 3 seasons Haywood went on to a short run on the television series ‘’ The White Shadow ‘’ for MTM Enterprises. Haywood had his studies in Architectural Design and Electronics Engineering interrupted when the cast of ‘’ What’s Happening! ‘’ was re-united for three seasons of syndication in the series continuation ‘’ What’s Happening Now! ‘’ for Columbia Pictures Television where he also observed as Technical Director. Later Haywood appeared in an urban dramatic Broadway production at New York’s Lincoln Center Alice Tully Hall, appeared As Himself in the Paramount film ‘’ Dickie Roberts ‘’ starring David Spade for Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions and a Guest-Starring stint on ‘’ The Parkers ‘’ for Big Ticket Television.

Haywood Nelson is an active humanitarian dedicated to encouraging and supporting the idea of exemplary artistic expression and ethical behavior and to providing talent with usable truths, technologies and philosophies to achieve this goal.

Filmography

References

1. Byrd, Kenya N. (August 7, 2009). "Flashback Fridays: Haywood Nelson". Essence Magazine. Archived from the original on October 31, 2010.
2. Kennedy, James (October 23, 1998). "Haywood You Remember Garden City". Mineola American. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
3. Thomas, Marlo (2010). Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny. Hyperion. p. 223. ISBN 9781401323912. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
4. ^ "'What's Happening!!' Cast Reunion". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 29 December 2014. The former teen idols revealed what it was like to be a part of the first Black teen sitcom
5. "Haywood Nelson: Boy Crush". Essence. Retrieved 29 December 2014. New York native Haywood Nelson, who played Dwayne Nelson on the 70's sitcom favorite What's Happening!!, was the teenage heartthrob of the show.
6. Armstrong, Jenice (March 11, 2014). "On the go with Flo Anthony". Philly.com. Retrieved 19 April 2018. teen heartthrob Haywood Nelson

External links

• Haywood Nelson at IMDb
• Haywood Nelson on the cover of Right On! magazine, February 1977.
• Ebony, Vol. Vol. 33, No. 8 (June 1978), p. 82.
• Interview with Haywood "Dwayne" Nelson, 1998-11-01, In Black America; KUT Radio, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (WGBH and the Library of Congress)

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• Male actors from New York City
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