Mervyn Nelson; Actor, Writer, Stage Director

Mervyn Nelson, 76, an actor, writer and stage director whose career began in vaudeville when he was 5. He was on Broadway as an actor for 20 years, beginning in 1940 in such productions as “ ‘Tis of Thee” and “The Snark Was a Boojum” and directed “Babes in Arms,” “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and “Tickets, Please!” He wrote “The Ivy Green” and wrote and produced “The Jazz Train.” More recently he taught and was a consultant to the Producer Circle Co. in New York City. He also was scenarist for the film “Some of My Best Friends Are . . .” In New York City on Saturday of cancer.