Barry Nelson

Barry Nelson, the effortlessly charming guy-next-door type, was actually born Haakon Robert Nielsen in San Francisco back in 1917. Both of his parents were Norwegian immigrants—so, you know, not exactly Hollywood royalty. He grew up in Oakland, went to Berkeley, and kind of stumbled into acting after a talent scout spotted him on stage during college. Early on, he landed a few supporting film gigs, but WWII yanked him out of the game for a bit. Nelson ended up making his Broadway debut in “Winged Victory,” then played himself in the movie version. Post-war, his film career lost some steam, but he bounced back big time on the New York stage with hits like “The Rat Race” and “The Moon Is Blue.” Most folks remember him for being the first guy to play James Bond on screen (yeah, before Connery!), in a TV version of “Casino Royale” back in ’54. He popped up everywhere—“Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” a classic “Twilight Zone” episode, and sitcoms like “My Favorite Husband.” The ’60s and ’70s were packed with stage work, including “Mary, Mary”—which made it to film—and “Cactus Flower,” though Hollywood politics kept him out of that movie. On TV, he nailed roles in movies like “The Borgia Stick” and “Seven in Darkness.” Even snagged a Tony nod for “The Act” with Liza Minnelli. By the ’90s, he’d hung it up, spending his days traveling with his second wife and antiquing. Nelson died in 2007, still the affable, likable guy everyone remembered.