Haywood Nelson Biography

Haywood Nelson is an American actor who was born in New York City, New York, U.S. He is most famous for having portrayed Dwayne Nelson on the television series What’s Happening!! from 1976–1979, and it’s spin-off series What’s Happening Now!! 1985–1988.

Nelson performed on Broadway alongside Marlo Thomas in Thieves from 1973 to 1974.  He guest-starred on Sanford and Son as Grady’s grandson at the age of 14. At 15, Nelson was in the cast of a spin-off of Sanford and Son called Grady (1975). However, the show was short-lived.

Haywood Nelson Age

Nelson was born on March 25, 1960, in New York City, New York, USA. He grew up in Garden City Park, Long Island, New York. He started his career as a child actor, appearing in many national commercials and in a movie, Mixed Company. Nelson is 60 years of age in 2020.

Haywood Nelson Height and Weight

Nelson is relatively short in stature compared to the standard height of American actors as he stands at a height of 5 feet 6 inches (1.71 m). He weighs approximately 155 lbs (70 kg).

Diana Ramos Haywood Nelson

Nelson was married to Sheryl Piland (his first wife) in 1981. However, the marriage ended in divorce in 1984. He then got married to Diana Ramos from 1987 to 1998. From 2014 to date, Nelson has been married to his wife, Khnadya Skye, who is an Arabic Egyptian. Currently, Nelson is the main point advisor in his wife’s oil/petroleum technology corporation, Skyewood.

Khnadya Skye is also listed as Nelson’s attorney at SAG-AFTRA and IMDb. She is directly related to the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia and Dubai. Nelson is rarely seen in the public sector and is extremely private. He has gone on record to state that he hasn’t seen or spoken to his former What’s Happening!! castmates since 2014.

Haywood Nelson What’s Happening

At the age of 16, in 1976, Nelson landed the role of Dwayne on the first African-American teen sitcom, What’s Happening!!. It aired on ABC from August 5, 1976, to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. After the failure of several other shows on the network, and with good ratings and reviews, What’s Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly series. Actor Ernest Lee Thomas also played the role of Roger “Raj” Thomas on the show.

The sitcom remained a weekly series until 1979 albeit with modest ratings. What’s Happening!! was loosely based on the film Cooley High by Eric Monte-penned. A sequel series called What’s Happening Now!! aired in first-run syndication from 1985 to 1988 with most of the major cast members reprising their roles.

As a “teenage heartthrob” on a popular television series, Haywood Nelson was one of the first African-American teen idols.

Haywood Nelson Sanford and Son

Sanford and Son was an NBC television network’s American sitcom television series that ran from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. Nelson played Haywood Marshall Grady Wilson’s grandson, and the son of college track and field coach Hal Marshall, Grady’s son-in-law and Ellie Wilson Marshall, Grady’s daughter. He also played the role of Whitman Mayo’s “Grady” in the series’ spinoff Grady.

Haywood Nelson Net Worth

Nelson has been an actor for the majority of his life. He started out as a child actor in the movie, Mixed Company. Therefore, he has made some good fortune from his career to accumulate an estimated net worth of $500 thousand.

Frequently asked questions about Haywood Nelson

How old is Haywood Nelson?

Nelson is 60 years old as of 2020. He was born on March 25, 1960, in New York City, New York, USA.

Who is Haywood Nelson’s brother?

In 2016, a viral meme claimed that musician Prince Rogers Nelson and actor Haywood were half-brothers which is untrue.

Is Haywood Nelson Prince’s half brother?

On 21 April 2016, in the wake of Prince’s death, a variety of rumors regarding his life and career immediately sprang up and began floating around the internet. Among them was the claim that his half-brother was Haywood. However, that misinformation was based on a misunderstanding.

Where was what’s happening filmed?

The sitcom was filmed in several locations within Chicago and Los Angeles.

What is happening with Haywood Nelson?

Nothing that we know of, he just seems to be off the radar.

Who is Haywood Nelson married to?

He is married to his wife, Khnadya Skye, who is an Arabic Egyptian.

What is Haywood Nelson’s net worth?

He is estimated to have a net worth of $500 thousand.

Is Haywood Nelson Dead?

Nelson is still alive and well at the age of 60 as of 2020.

Haywood Nelson Quotes

Some might not know that ‘What’s Happening’ was the television version of ‘Cooly High.’ When I went on the audition, it was an audition for exactly that: the TV version of the movie. Hold on to that. You have an autograph. I’m going to be famous someday.

I love people who are fearless, and I’m a spiritual guy, so I connect with people spiritually.

I hope that when people see my body of work, they will say, ‘That brother dropped it for real on us, even at the expense of his own image.

I’m blessed, and people’s responses to me have never been negative.

My family was my guide to my reality.

I hope that when people see my body of work, they will say, ‘That brother dropped it for real on us, even at the expense of his own image.

I stayed close to my family. My family never changed.

Haywood Nelson Films

As the World Turns (1971–74)

Mixed Company (1974)

Sanford and Son (1975)

Grady (1975–76)

What’s Happening!! (1976–79)

Kojak (1977)

The Brady Bunch Hour (1977)

The White Shadow (1979)

Evil Speak (1981)

That Teen Show Haywood Nelson (1983-84)

What’s Happening Now!! (1985–88)

Dragnet Lyle Peters (1990)

Dickie Roberts (2003)