50 Years of Little House on the Prairie: Richard Bull (Nels Oleson)

 

Richard William Bull (June 26, 1924 – February 3, 2014) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He was best known for his performances as "Doc" on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and Nels Oleson on Little House on the Prairie.

Personal life

Bull was born on June 26, 1924, in Zion, Illinois. After living in Los Angeles for years, he moved back to Chicago in 1994 with his wife, Barbara Collentine. The couple moved to the Motion Picture & Television Fund House from Chicago in September 2012.

Bull fell into acting by accident. “I never gave serious consideration to becoming an actor. As a senior in high school, I decided to study music, but a friend suggested we attend the Goodman Theater School. In two weeks, the friend dropped out, but I was hooked.” There was a three-year interruption while he served as a radio operator for the Army Air Corps, but when he was discharged in 1946, he resumed his acting studies at Goodman.

Career

Bull began his stage career at the famous Goodman Theatre in Chicago. He said that a two-line part in The Greatest Story Ever Told "opened many doors." Director George Stevens was impressed with Bull's emoting, and that "led directly to the role of an FBI agent in The Satan Bug," Bull said

He made more than 100 film and TV appearances.

Death

Bull died on the morning of February 3, 2014, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Calabasas, California, of pneumonia. He was 89 years old.

Filmography

Film

Full of Life (1956) as Doctor (uncredited)

Fear Strikes Out (1957) as Reporter Slade (uncredited)

Operation Mad Ball (1957) as Military Police Sergeant (uncredited)

The True Story of Lynn Stuart (1958) as Customs Officer (uncredited)

But Not for Me (1959) as Ticket Seller (uncredited)

Then There Were Three (1961)

Della (1964) as Mark Nodella

The Satan Bug (1965) as Eric Cavanaugh

In Like Flint (1967) as Newscaster (uncredited)

Hour of the Gun (1967) as Thomas Fitch

How to Steal the World (1968) as Captain Gelser (archive footage)

The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) as Booth Guard

The Secret Life of an American Wife (1968) as Howard

The Stalking Moon (1968) as Doctor

Moonfire (1970) as Hawkins

Move (1970) as Keith

Lawman (1971) as Dusaine

The Andromeda Strain (1971) as an Air Force major

Man and Boy (1971) as Thornhill

Ulzana's Raid (1972) as Ginsford

High Plains Drifter (1973) as Asa Goodwin

The President's Plane is Missing (1973, TV Movie) as Flight Controller

Executive Action (1973) as a gunman on "Team A"

Breezy (1973) as Doctor

Newman's Law (1974) as Immigration Man

The Parallax View (1974) as Parallax Goon

Mr. Sycamore (1975) as Dr. Ferfield

A Different Story (1978) as Mr. Cooke

A Day in a Life (2000) as Will

The Secret (2001) as Grandpa

Let's Go to Prison (2006) as Board Member #2

Sugar (2008) as Earl Higgins

Witless Protection (2008) as Sheriff Smoot

Osso Bucco (2008) as Old Man Diner

Television

Perry Mason (1958 - 1st season episode 36) as Court Reporter in "The Case of the Prodigal Parent"

Men Into Space (1959) as Radio Operator in "Asteroid"

Highway Patrol (1959 - 4th season episode 25) as bank robber, Bert Nelson

Harrigan and Son (1961) as Lawson in "They Were All in Step But Jim"

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

(Season 1 Episode 14: "The Tender Poisoner") (1962) as Detective

(Season 1 Episode 27: "Death and the Joyful Woman") (1963) as Butler

(Season 3 Episode 28: "Night Fever") (1965) as Dr. Michaels

Gunsmoke

As Nort in "Collie's Free" (1962)

As Deems in "The Sodbusters" (1972)

My Three Sons (1962) as J. C. Dobbins

The Eleventh Hour (1964) as Phil Whitman in "Sunday Father"

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964-1968 TV Series) as The Doctor, various episodes

Kentucky Jones (1965) as Harold Erkel in episodes "The Victim" and "The Return of Wong Lee"

Blue Light (1966) in episode "Sacrifice!"

Mission: Impossible (1966) as an agent for the Impossible Missions Force

The Andy Griffith Show 2 episodes as Bill Lindsay and Mr.Jackson

Mannix - (1968-1974) 7 episodes as 4 different characters

Gomer Pyle, USMC (1966) as the psychologist in the episode "Gomer and the Little Space Men".

Hawaii Five-O (1969) as Dr. Shirmer in the episode "King of the Hill".

Bonanza (1969-1972) as Jess Hill/Mr. Goodman (2 episodes)

Columbo (1971) as 2nd Detective in episode "Lady in Waiting"

Nichols (1971-1972) 5 episodes as Thatcher

The Partridge Family (1972) 1 episode as Thompson

The Streets of San Francisco (1973-1974) as the coroner

Barnaby Jones (1973-1976) 4 episodes as J.I. Fletcher

Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983) as Nels Oleson

Wipeout (1976) as Sheriff Safian

Dead Man's Run as Mr. Moore

Blind Terror (1973) as Mr. Strather

Perchance to Kill (1973) as J.I. Fletcher

The Harvey Korman Show (1978) as the Judge

Hill Street Blues (1985) as Capt. Furillo's father

Highway to Heaven (1985) as the doctor (2 episodes)

It's Garry Shandling's Show as Stanley (1 episode)

Highway to Heaven (1988) as Judge Wagner (1 episode)

Designing Women (1988) as Everett

ER (1999) as a nice man on the train (1 episode)

Normal (2003, TV Movie) as Roy, Sr.

Boss (2011) as Elderly Farmer (final appearance)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bull_(actor)