Barry Nelson

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Barry Nelson, born Robert Haakon Nielsen on April 16, 1917, in San Francisco, was an American actor whose work spanned stage, film, and television. The son of Norwegian immigrants, he studied at the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 1941. Early film roles included Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) and Johnny Eager (1942). He served in the US Army Air Forces during World War II, and after the war returned to the stage, making his Broadway debut in Winged Victory (1943) and appearing in Light Up the Sky (1948).

Nelson is best known for being the first actor to portray James Bond on screen, in a 1954 live television adaptation of Casino Royale on Climax!. He played an American agent called “Jimmy” in the story. The production was originally seen as a possible pilot for a Bond series, but Bond did not become widely known in the U.S. until years later. The 1954 performance was long thought lost until a kinescope resurfaced in the 1980s.

His career continued with notable film and stage work, including The Shining (1980) as manager Stuart Ullman and a Tony-nominated role in The Act (1977). He also appeared in Cactus Flower, The Fig Leaves Are Falling, and The Rat Race, and directed The Only Game in Town.

Nelson was married twice, first to Teresa Celli (divorced) and then to Nansilee Hoy. He died on April 7, 2007, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, at age 89, while traveling home from New York and France.