Barry Nelson

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]

For persons of the same name, see Barry Nelson (rugby league) and Barry Nelson (basketball).

Barry Nelson
Nelson in 1962
Born	Robert Haakon Nielsen (1917-04-16)April 16, 1917 San Francisco, California, US
Died	April 7, 2007(2007-04-07) (aged 89) Bucks County, Pennsylvania, US
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1941–1990
Spouse(s)	Teresa Celli ( div. 1951) Nansilee Hoy ( m. before 2007)

Early life

Nelson was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Norwegian immigrants, Betsy (née Christophersen) and Trygve Nielsen[4][5] His year of birth has been subject to some debate, but his 1943 Army enlistment record and his 1993 voter registration records list 1917 as the year of his birth.[6][7]

Career

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 in 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]

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 later years played 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. From 1963 to 1966, he hosted portions of the NBC Radio program Monitor. 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] 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

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.[13]

Nelson and his second wife divided their time between homes in New York and France.[14]

Barry Nelson died on April 7, 2007, while traveling in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, nine days before his 90th birthday.[2]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1938	Comet Over Broadway	Garage mechanic	Uncredited
1941	Shadow of the Thin Man	Paul Clark
	Johnny Eager	Lew Rankin
1942	A Yank on the Burma Road	Joe Tracey
	Dr. Kildare's Victory	Samuel Z. Cutter
	Rio Rita	Harry Gantley
	The Affairs of Martha	Danny O'Brien
	Eyes in the Night	Mr. Busch
1943	The Human Comedy	Norman Dana (aka "Fat")
	Bataan	F.X. Matowski
	A Guy Named Joe	Dick Rumney
1944	Winged Victory	Robert Edward "Bobby" Crills
1947	The Beginning or the End	Col. Paul Tibbetts Jr.
	Undercover Maisie	Lt. Paul Scott
1948	Tenth Avenue Angel	Al Parker
	Command Decision	Cumquat B-Baker crewman	(Voice) Uncredited
1951	The Man with My Face	Charles "Chick" Graham / Albert "Bert" Rand
1956	The First Traveling Saleslady	Charles Masters
1963	Mary, Mary	Bob McKellaway
1967	The Borgia Stick	Hal Carter	Made for TV
1969	Seven in Darkness	Alex Swain	Made for TV
1970	Airport	Capt. Anson Harris
1971	My Wives Jane	Nat Franklin	Made for TV
1972	Pete 'n' Tillie	Burt
	Climb an Angry Mountain	Lt. Frank Bryant	Made for TV
1974	Fools, Females and Fun	Dr. David Markham	Made for TV
1980	The Shining	Stuart Ullman
	Island Claws	Dr. McNeal
1982	Poltergeist	Actor on television	Uncredited

Television

• Suspense - Episodes: "The Guy from Nowhere", "A Pocketful of Murder", "The Gentleman from America", "My Old Man's Badge" (1950); "Dead Fall", "Tough Cop" (1951)
• The Hunter - Bart Adams - (1952)
• My Favorite Husband - George Cooper - (1953-1955)
• Climax! - James Bond - Episode: "Casino Royale" (1954); - Dick Milton - Episode: "The Push-Button Giant" - (1958)
• Hudson's Bay - Jonathan Banner - (1959)
• The Twilight Zone - Bob Frazier - Episode: "Stopover in a Quiet Town" (1964)
• The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - Dr. James Parkerson - Episode: "Anyone For Murder?" (1964)
• Thriller - Hugo Fane - Episode: "Ring Once for Death" (1974)

References

1. Haakon R Nielsen California Birth Index
2. Risling, Greg (April 13, 2007). "Actor Barry Nelson Dies at 89". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
3. Maçek III, J.C. (October 5, 2012). "The Non-Bonds: James Bond's Bitter, Decades-Long Battle... with James Bond". PopMatters.
4. "Barry Nelson Biography (1925-)". Filmreference.com.
5. Robert Neilsen United States Census, 1930
6. National Archives and Records Administration. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
7. Los Angeles County Voter Registration Record, Venice, California, 1993
8. 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.
9. "First James Bond star dies aged 89". Metro. London. April 14, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2007.
10. "Barry Nelson". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on April 18, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2007.
11. "Barry Nelson (1920-2007)". Mi6-HQ.com. April 13, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2007. Nelson 2004 quote from Cinema Retro interview cited here.
12. Sidey, Hugh (March 17, 1961). "The President's Voracious Reading Habits". Life. 50 (11). ISSN 0024-3019. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
13. "Barry Nelson, Broadway and Film Actor, Dies at 86". The New York Times. April 14, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
14. 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

• Barry Nelson on IMDb
• Barry Nelson at the Internet Broadway Database
• Barry Nelson at the Internet Broadway Database
• Barry Nelson obituary at MI6.co.uk