American actor
Barry Nelson
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Barry_Nelson_1962.jpg/220px-Barry_Nelson_1962.jpg) Nelson in 1962
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Born
| Robert Haakon Nielsen
(
1917-04-16
)
April 16, 1917
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Died
| April 7, 2007
(2007-04-07)
(aged 89)
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Occupation
| Actor
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Years active
| 1938?1990
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Spouses
|
Nansilee Hoy
(
m.
1951)
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Barry Nelson
(born
Robert Haakon Nielsen
;
[1]
April 16, 1917 ? April 7, 2007)
[2]
was an American actor, noted as the first actor to portray
Ian Fleming
's
secret agent
James Bond
.
[3]
Early life
[
edit
]
Nelson was born in
San Francisco
, the son of Norwegian immigrants, Betsy (nee Christophersen) and Trygve Nielsen.
[4]
His year of birth has been subject to some debate, but is listed as 1917 on both his 1943 Army Air Forces enlistment record and his 1993 voter registration records.
[5]
[6]
He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1941, where he performed as an actor in student theatre productions.
[7]
Career
[
edit
]
With MGM, Nelson made his screen debut in the role as Paul Clark in
Shadow of the Thin Man
(1941) starring
William Powell
and
Myrna Loy
, with
Donna Reed
.
[8]
He followed that with his role as Lew Rankin in the
film noir
Johnny Eager
(1942) starring
Robert Taylor
and
Lana Turner
.
[9]
During his service in the
United States Army Air Forces
during
World War II
, Nelson debuted on the Broadway stage in
Moss Hart
's play
Winged Victory
(1943) in the role of Bobby Grills. His next Broadway appearance was as Peter Sloan, playwright, in Hart's
Light Up the Sky
(1948).
[10]
He appeared on Broadway with
Barbara Bel Geddes
in the original Broadway production of
The Moon Is Blue
. During the play's run, he also starred in a CBS half-hour drama called
The Hunter
, premiering in July 1952. He played Bart Adams, a wealthy young American whose business activities involved him in a series of adventures. He also appeared with
Lauren Bacall
in the
Abe Burrows
comedy
Cactus Flower
in 1965
[2]
and with
Dorothy Loudon
in
The Fig Leaves Are Falling
in 1969. Nelson performed another Broadway role, that of Gus Hammer in
The Rat Race
(1949).
[10]
He was the first actor to play
James Bond
on screen in a
1954 adaptation
of
Ian Fleming
's novel
Casino Royale
on the television anthology series
Climax!
(preceding
Sean Connery
's interpretation in
Dr. No
by eight years).
[9]
Reportedly this was considered a pilot for a possible James Bond television series, though it is not known if Nelson intended to continue playing the character. Nelson played James Bond as an American agent whom some in the program call "Jimmy". In 2004, Nelson said, "At that time, no one had ever heard of James Bond...I was scratching my head wondering how to play it. I hadn't read the book or anything like that because it wasn't well-known."
[11]
Bond did not become well known in the U.S. until President
John F. Kennedy
listed
From Russia, with Love
among his 10 favorite books in a March 17, 1961,
Life
article.
[12]
The program also featured
Peter Lorre
as
Le Chiffre
, the primary villain. Nelson later noted the opportunity to work with Lorre was the reason he took the role.
[8]
Originally broadcast live, the production was believed
lost
until a
kinescope
emerged in the 1980s. It was released to home video and is currently available on DVD as a bonus feature with the
1967 film adaptation
of the novel.
[11]
During the 1959 television series, Nelson starred in 39 episodes of
Hudson's Bay
, playing Johnathon Banner.
[13]
Nelson appeared as Grant Decker in "Threat of Evil", a 1960 episode of
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
. His additional television credits include guest appearances on
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
,
Ben Casey
,
The Twilight Zone
(episode "
Stopover in a Quiet Town
"),
Dr. Kildare
, and in later years playing a hobo on an episode of
The Ropers
. He appeared regularly on television in the 1960s, having been one of the
What's My Line?
mystery guests and later serving as a guest panelist on that popular CBS quiz show. Nelson was also a semi-regular panelist on the daytime and nighttime versions of
To Tell the Truth
for three years of its run from 1962 to 1965, as well as a guest panelist a few times in 1967.
[14]
Nelson appeared second-most-frequently on the daytime show in the three years he was a semi-regular. He was one of the various hosts of the NBC Radio program
Monitor
during the mid-1960s.
[15]
Nelson appeared in both the stage and screen versions of
Mary, Mary
.
[8]
[10]
He directed the 1968 play
The Only Game in Town
, as well as starring as Joe. In 1978, he was nominated for a
Tony Award
for Best Actor in a Musical for his role as Dan Connors in the Broadway musical
The Act
(1977) with
Liza Minnelli
.
[8]
Nelson had a notable role as Stuart Ullman, the manager of the Overlook Hotel, in the
Stanley Kubrick
horror film
The Shining
(1980). His final appearance on Broadway was as Julian Marsh in
42nd Street
(1986).
[10]
"He was a very naturalistic, believable actor," said his agent, Francis Delduca. "He was good at both comedy and the serious stuff."
[2]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Nelson was married twice ? first to actress
Teresa Celli
, from whom he was divorced in 1951 (according to his
New York Times
obituary), and later to Nansilee ("Nansi") Hoy, to whom he was married until his death.
[16]
Nelson and his second wife divided their time between homes in New York and France.
[17]
Nelson died on April 7, 2007, while traveling in
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
, nine days before his 90th birthday.
[2]
Filmography
[
edit
]
Film
[
edit
]
Television
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Haakon R Nielsen California Birth Index
- ^
a
b
c
d
Risling, Greg (April 13, 2007).
"Actor Barry Nelson Dies at 89"
.
The Washington Post
.
Associated Press
. Retrieved
April 13,
2007
.
- ^
Macek III, J.C. (October 5, 2012).
"The Non-Bonds: James Bond's Bitter, Decades-Long Battle... with James Bond"
.
PopMatters
.
- ^
Robert Neilsen United States Census, 1930
- ^
National Archives and Records Administration. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
- ^
Los Angeles County Voter Registration Record, Venice, California, 1993
- ^
1937 UC Berkeley Yearbook
- ^
a
b
c
d
McLellan, Dennis (April 14, 2007).
"First Bond starred on Broadway with Bacall, Minnelli, Bel Geddes"
.
The News Tribune
.
Tacoma, Washington
.
Los Angeles Times
. Archived from
the original
on May 17, 2007
. Retrieved
April 14,
2007
.
- ^
a
b
"First James Bond star dies aged 89"
.
Metro
. London. April 14, 2007
. Retrieved
April 14,
2007
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Barry Nelson"
.
Internet Broadway Database
.
Archived
from the original on April 18, 2007
. Retrieved
April 14,
2007
.
- ^
a
b
"Barry Nelson (1920-2007)"
.
Mi6-HQ.com
. April 13, 2007
. Retrieved
April 14,
2007
.
Nelson 2004 quote from
Cinema Retro
interview cited here.
- ^
Sidey, Hugh (March 17, 1961).
"The President's Voracious Reading Habits"
.
Life
. Vol. 50, no. 11.
ISSN
0024-3019
. Retrieved
October 5,
2011
.
- ^
Wisconsin Center for Film
- ^
"To Tell the Truth: 1962-65 Daytime Panel Guide"
.
- ^
Sounds of NBC
Monitor
–1966 – The
Monitor
Tribute Pages.
Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- ^
"Barry Nelson, Broadway and Film Actor, Dies at 86"
.
The New York Times
. April 14, 2007
. Retrieved
January 1,
2019
.
- ^
Zydel, Devin (April 13, 2007).
"Barry Nelson (1920-2007)"
.
CommanderBond.net
. Archived from
the original
on May 18, 2007
. Retrieved
April 14,
2007
.
External links
[
edit
]
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International
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National
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People
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Other
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