Best known for his roles as Hayden Fox in the TV series Coach, and Deputy Ward Wilson in the 1980 film Stir Crazy, Craig Theodore Nelson is an actor and comedian from America. Having started his career as a comedian, he was one of the early members of the popular comedy troupe The Groundlings. He was one of the regular performers at The Comedy Store. In 1973, Nelson quit working as a comedian and he did several odd jobs such as carpenter, surveyor, and teacher for survival.

Nelson made his maiden appearance on the silver screen with Flesh Gordon (1974) where he worked as a voice artist but he was not credited for his role. He got his big break in the film industry in 1979 when he starred in ...And Justice for All. Over the years, he has starred in about 40 films. Some of his notable film credits include Silkwood (1983), Rachel River (1987), Red Riding Hood (1989), I'm Not Rappaport (1996), The Incredibles (2004), The Proposal (2009), Soul Surfer (2011), Get Hard (2015), Book Club (2018), an American romantic comedy directed by debutant director Bill Holderman and The Incredibles 2 (2018).