Biography
Actress Tracy Nelson grew up in the entertainment industry; Ricky Nelson, her father, found fame as a child on the popular '50s TV series "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," and her brothers Gunnar and Matthew enjoyed success in the '90s as the rock duo Nelson. Though she made her film debut as a rambunctious child in 1968's family comedy "Yours, Mine and Ours," she didn't act again until 1982, when she was cast as popular high school student Jennifer DiNuccio on the teen drama series "Square Pegs." The show, which follows the lives of two awkward high-school girls (one of whom was played by Sarah Jessica Parker), received critical praise for its realistic depiction of teenage life and relationships, but failed to catch on with viewers and was canceled after one season. Nelson next appeared as a flirtatious secretary on producer Aaron Spelling's short-lived series "Glitter," about the inner workings of a tabloid entertainment magazine, and was cast as a spoiled Beverly Hills teenager in the surprise hit comedy "Down and Out in Beverly Hills." One of her biggest roles came in 1987, when she joined the cast of the primetime series "Father Dowling Mysteries" as Sister Stephanie, a streetwise nun who helps a kindly Catholic priest solve crimes in their tough Chicago neighborhood. Nelson later appeared as Courtney Thorne-Smith's sister on Spelling's popular "Melrose Place" and starred in several Lifetime TV movies.
