Haywood Nelson is better known for playing the role of Dwayne Nelson in the first African American teen sitcom that was produced for TV, “What’s Happening!!”
Nelson started his acting career in the industry making commercials as a child until eventually, he landed his first role in the soap opera “As The World Turns.” He later got a role in “Mixed Company,” which then led to him making an appearance on “Sandford & Son” as Haywood Marshall, Grady’s grandson.
At 15, he joined the main cast of the spin-off “Grady,” where he gave life to Marshall for ten episodes before the series was canceled. A year later, he was part of the cast of “What’s Happening!!” where he played the good-natured and shy Dwayne Clemens Nelson.
Haywood became a heartthrob among the fans of the series at the time, which made him one of the first teenage idols of his generation. He made his return as Dwayne in the sequel “What’s Happening Now!!” which focused on the lives of the original characters as adults.
He also appeared in the series “Kojak,” “The White Shadow,” “Evilspeak,” and “Dragnet,” which was his last appearance on TV before he started to work behind the scenes. Until 2014, he worked in the production of network talk shows, TV shows, and interview programs.
