Kristin Nelson

Sharon Kristin Harmon Nelson (née Harmon; June 25, 1945 – April 27, 2018) was a painter, actress, and author. Sister of actors Mark Harmon and Kelly Harmon, she was married to actor and musician Ricky Nelson for 19 years.

Early life Kristin was the daughter of American football star Tom Harmon and model and actress Elyse Knox. Her younger siblings are model and actress Kelly Harmon and actor Mark Harmon. Her father was of Irish descent, while her maternal grandparents were Austrian immigrants.

She attended Marymount High School, an all-girls Catholic school in Bel Air, Los Angeles, CA, along with other children of celebrities including Mia Farrow, who was one of her closest school friends. In 1963, at age 17, she married teen idol Ricky Nelson and gave birth to their first child six months later.

Career Acting Following her marriage to Rick in 1963, she joined him and his family on their television show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet as a regular cast member, first appearing in the episode "Rick's Wedding Ring". In 1965, she co-starred with Rick in the romantic comedy Love and Kisses, in which they demonstrated the troubles of a young couple of school age who get married—an "inspired casting", according to one critic.

She played police officer Jim Reed's wife Jean on Adam-12, guest-starred on other series and appeared in a few theatrical films, including The Resurrection of Broncho Billy, which won an Academy Award for best live-action short film. She retired from acting in 1982 following Liar's Moon.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1965 Love and Kisses Rosemary Cotts Feature film 1967 What Am I Bid? Beth Hubbard (credited as Kristin Nelson) Feature film 1970 The Resurrection of Broncho Billy The Girl (credited as Kristin Nelson) Short film 1975 Sonic Boom Audrey Maginni (credited as Kristin Nelson) Short film 1982 Liar's Moon Prostitute #1 (credited as Kristin Nelson) Feature film

Television Year Title Role Notes 1963-1966 The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Kris Nelson Regular cast member (31 episodes) 1969 The Over-the-Hill Gang Hannah Rose (credited as Kris Nelson) Television movie (ABC) 1970 Green Acres Carol Kenworthy (credited as Kris Nelson_ Episode: "Eb's Double Trouble" 1975 Adam-12 Jean Reed (credited as Kristin Nelson) Episode: "Lady's Night"Episode: "Something Worth Dying For: Part 1"Episode: "Something Worth Dying For: Part 2"

Art

Kristin had painted since the age of 17, and had her first one-woman art show in 1967. Her work was described as "widely acclaimed" and has been likened to that of Grandma Moses. Her oil paintings sold for up to $5,000 in the 1970s. Her art career received a boost when Kennedy purchased her painting When the Kennedys Were in the White House. Subjects include When the Kennedys Were in the White House (1964) and The Day He Died (1990), a memorial to her father painted on a window frame that depicts a country church and rain clouds. The paintings document her life story and are supplemented with diary entries and poems. In 1988, she met director-producer Mark Tinker, who asked her what she wanted to do with her life. She told him, "I want to paint."

Personal life Marriage to Rick Nelson Kristin first met Ricky Nelson when she was "just another 12-year-old fan" of his. A year later, the couple announced their engagement. Nelson was pregnant, and signed a pledge to have any children of the union baptized in the Catholic faith. Less than a month later, she found him there with two Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders. Rick later claimed that she had set him up to use the incident against him in court.

In October 1977, Kristin filed for divorce and asked for alimony, custody of their four children and a portion of community property, but the couple temporarily reconciled. Kristin wanted Rick to give up music, spend more time at home, and focus on acting, but Rick continued touring relentlessly. The dispute over Nelson's career created unpleasantness at home. In October 1980, Kristin again filed for divorce. Attempts to negotiate a preliminary settlement agreement were unsuccessful. Kristin claimed Rick was hiding assets, but in fact he was reportedly almost broke. Each accused the other of drug and alcohol abuse and of being a poor parent.

Speaking in a 1998 documentary about the Nelson family, Ozzie and Harriet: The Adventures of America's Favorite Family, Kristin said of her marriage to Rick: "I spent my whole life fighting the fairy tale. First trying to be it, then trying to tell the truth."

Children Kristin and Rick Nelson had four children. Their daughter, Tracy, was born six months after the wedding on October 25, 1963, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. She weighed four pounds, one ounce, and was slightly premature. In her teens, she attended the exclusive Westlake School for Girls. During her parents' marital difficulties, she stayed with her father at the Mulholland Drive house. Tracy went on to become a professional dancer as well as a successful film and television actress.

Twin sons, Gunnar Eric Nelson and Matthew Gray Nelson, were born on September 20, 1967. They moved in with their father as soon as they turned 18, three months before his death. Shortly after, they formed the band Nelson.

Their fourth child, Sam Hilliard Nelson, was born on August 29, 1974. At six years of age, he was placed in the care of his maternal grandparents

After Rick Nelson's death in a plane crash in 1985, his four children inherited what was left of his estate. Nelson retained custody, although Harmon was granted visitation rights. Nelson, her brother Mark and her son Sam also agreed to enter family therapy. writing that "her heaven would be her dogs, sushi, and a Santa Fe sky."