Barry Nelson (II)

This handsome, light-haired actor of Scandinavian heritage entered films in 1941 as a supporting player and second string lead. Nelson evolved into a dashing TV lead in the 50s and 60s and found his greatest success on the Broadway stage in a series of hit comedies and musicals. He proved adequate and good-humored in his often limited film roles, usually cast as the requisite male lead who provided support to his established leading ladies including Ginger Rogers in "The First Traveling Saleslady" (1956), Ann Sothern in "Undercover Maisie" (1947), Margaret O'Brien in "Tenth Avenue Angel" (1948) and Debbie Reynolds in "Mary, Mary" (1963).

TV afforded Nelson better star treatment in the 50s beginning with roles in several live dramatic anthologies of the period including "The Chevrolet Tele-Theater", "Pulitzer Prize Playhouse" and Starlight Theater. He is reputed to be the first actor to portray super secret agent James Bond--albeit as an American--in a TV adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel "Casino Royale" on the late 50s anthology series "Climax!". Nelson headlined his own series, playing US government agent Bart Adams, a suave master of disguises, on the Cold War-themed "The Hunter" (CBS, 1952; syndication, 1952-54). He proved even more adept as a sitcom lead on "My Favorite Husband" (1953-55). Nelson continued popping up on the small screen in dramatic anthologies, specials, TV-movies and guest shots, though with decreasing frequency since the mid-70s. He has been in only a few features since 1970, receiving his last significant exposure in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" (1980) as the hotel executive who hires Jack Nicholson as a caretaker.

In contrast, Nelson had been a theater staple since the late 40s, with Broadway credits including "Light Up the Sky", "The Rat Race", "The Moon is Blue" and "Cactus Flower". He was nominated for a 1978 Tony for his lead role in "The Act", a Broadway musical directed by Martin Scorsese and co-starring Liza Minnelli. The mid-80s found Nelson in the national and Broadway companies of "42nd Street".

• Also Credited As:
  Robert Haakon Nielson
• Born:
  April 16, 1917 in San Francisco, California
• Died:
  April 7, 2007.
• Job Titles:
  Actor

Family

• Father: Trygve Neilsen. Scandinavian
• Mother: Betsy Neilsen. Scandinavian

Education

• University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California, BA

Milestones

• 1941 Entered features directly after college; soon appeared in three films
• 1941 First significant supporting role "Shadow of the Thin Man"
• 1947 First feature lead, "Undercover Maisie" with Ann Sothern
• 1949 Broadway debut, "Light Up the Sky"
• 1950 Acted on Broadway in "The Rat Race"
• 1951 Appeared in the hit Broadway comedy "The Moon is Blue"
• 1956 Supported Ginger Rogers playing an eccentric inventor in the Western comedy, "The First Traveling Saleslady"
• 1963 Reprised his Broadway role in the film of "Mary-Mary" opposite Debbie Reynolds"
• 1967 Starred in the busted sitcom pilot "Heaven Help Us" on CBS's "Vacation Playhouse"
• 1967 TV-movie debut, "The Borgia Stick", a crime drama
• 1971 Co-starred wth Janet Leigh in the unsold CBS comedy pilot "My Wives Jane"
• 1977 Directed by Martin Scorsese in "The Act", a Broadway musical starring Liza Minelli; garnered a Tony nod for "Outstanding Performance By An Actor In A Broadway Musical"
• 1980 Acted opposite Jack Nicholson in a small role in "The Shining"
• 1981 Last film appearance, "Island Claws/Night of the Claw"
• 1987 Acted in a L.A. revival of "Light Up the Sky"
• 1990 Starred in the national company of the comedy "Lend Me a Tenor"
• Appeared on Broadway in the hit comedy "Cactus Flower" (date approximate)
• Appeared on the ABC anthology series "Pulitzer Prize Playhouse"
• Performed in the Broadway company of "42nd Street"
• Performed in the national company of "42nd Street"
• Played an American James Bond in a TV adaptation of Ian Fleming's "Casino Royale" on the dramatic anthology series "Climax!"
• Starred in the CBS sitcom "My Favorite Husband"
• Starred on Broadway in Jean Kerr's sex comedy "Mary-Mary"
• TV debut, a guest spot on the NBC live drama anthology series "The Chevrolet Tele-Theater"
• TV series debut, starred as undercover G-man Bart Adams on "The Hunter", a Cold Way spy series on CBS and in syndication