Barry Nelson Remembered

Written by: Samuel K. Sloan (SoSF Managing News Director)

I have a trivia question for you. Who was the very first actor to ever have an on-screen portrayal of super-spy James Bond? If you said David Niven, who starred in the 1967 satiric Bond farce “Casino Royale,” or Sean Connery who first appeared as Bond in 1962’s “Dr No,” you would have been wrong.

Actor Barry Nelson, who has just passed away at the age of 89 was the first on-screen Bond ever. In 1954, during television’s very early days he played James Bond in an one-hour TV-play adaptation of Ian Fleming’s novel “Casino Royale.”

By the time Nelson took that role he was already a well established veteran of the big screen appearing in such classic films as “Johnny Eager,” “Dr. Kildare’s Victory” and the intense spy thriller “A Yank on the Burma Road.”

Nelson served in the United States Army during World War II and after the war starred in several ‘B movies” trying to re-establish himself. After struggling in Hollywood for 15 years trying to recapture the attention he garnered before the war, Nelson gained a thriving career and creative outlet on the Broadway stage appearing in Tony Award winning plays and musicals including, “Cactus Flower,” “Mary, Mary” and “The Act” with Liza Minnelli (which earned him a Tony nomination in 1978).

After his success on Broadway it wasn’t long before Hollywood filmmakers were back knocking on his door and he landed roles in the nailbiter and first real blockbuster disaster film “Airport,” and made numerous film and television appearances during the 1970’s through 1990’s across the whole spectrum of genres.

Scifi and horror fans will remember him most for his role as the hotel manager in the blockbuster Jack Nicholson film, “The Shining.” Nelson’s last major appearance was in the 1990’s anthology horror series “Monsters.”

Barry Nelson, dead at 89 is survived by his wife Nansi.