Nelson Olmsted

Nelson Olmsted was an actor and radio storyteller who worked in radio, television, recordings and films. Born in Minneapolis, he studied at the University of Texas and moved into radio as a WBAP announcer in Fort Worth in the late 1930s. He launched the late-night horror series Black Night in 1937, which drew attention beyond its local broadcast. The show led to New York, where he became NBC's resident storyteller for more than a decade. He was best known for the NBC series Sleep No More, in which he adapted and narrated terror and science-fantasy tales, and for spoken word recordings for Vanguard. On television he narrated and starred in the regional Ohio Story series and appeared in many live dramas and guest roles. His film work included Fitzwilly (1967) and Diary of a Madman (1963), along with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). He died in 1992.