Portia Nelson (1920–2001) was a renaissance woman: author, singer, composer, lyricist, painter, photographer, and actress. She appeared in such films as The Sound of Music, Dr. Dolittle, The Trouble with Angels, and The Other, and she starred on the television soap opera All My Children as the nanny Mrs. Gurney for many years.

Nelson wrote, directed, and performed a musical based on There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk at the York Theatre in Manhattan. In addition, she wrote music and lyrics for revues, television specials, films, and songs, one of which was performed by Marilyn Horne at President Clinton’s inaugural ceremony.

As a singer, Nelson recorded several show albums for Columbia Records, and has five solo albums to her credit. She was included in the Smithsonian collections Cole Porter Songs and The American Popular Singer.