Barry Nelson(1917-2007)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
A genial, well-respected, all-around "nice guy", the breezily handsome
Barry Nelson was born Haakon Robert Nielsen on April 16, 1917, in San
Francisco, California, to Betsy (Christophersen) and Trygve "Ted" Nielsen, both Norwegian immigrants. He was raised in
nearby Oakland and graduated from the University of California at
Berkeley in 1941. A talent scout from MGM caught Barry in a college
production of "Macbeth" and quickly sized up his potential. Cast in
earnest secondary roles including Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) and Dr. Kildare's Victory (1942), he was assigned
the lead in the war film A Yank on the Burma Road (1942). Serving in WWII, he appeared in the
Moss Hart play "Winged Victory", in what would become his Broadway debut,
in 1943 and a year later he appeared as "Corporal Barry Nelson" in the
1944 film version of the play. Barry lost major ground in films during
the post-war years, but certainly made up for it on the live stage by
appearing in a string of New York successes ranging from "The Rat Race"
to "The Moon Is Blue."
On TV, in addition to becoming a trivia statistic in the Hollywood
annals as being the first to give video life to Ian Fleming's "007" agent
James ("Jimmy") Bond in a one-hour production of "Casino Royale" in Climax! (1954), Barry lit up the small screen in such dramatic programs as
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) and, in particular, a memorable episode of The Twilight Zone (1959). He also
starred in the series The Hunter (1952), a Cold War adventure, and My Favorite Husband (1953), in
which he played the level-headed mate and "straight man" to daffy
blonde Joan Caulfield. In the 1960s he continued to demonstrate his acting
muscle on stage and TV, although he did manage to preserve on film his
starring role in Mary, Mary (1963), a huge Broadway hit with Debbie Reynolds co-starring
in place of stage partner Barbara Bel Geddes. The lightweight play "Cactus Flower"
with Lauren Bacall was another bright vehicle, but star Walter Matthau's clout cost
Barry the part when it went to film. Through it all Barry remained a
thoroughly solid professional, particularly in the realm of TV-movies.
Such standouts include his neighbor/undercover agent to
criminals-on-the-run Don Murray and Inger Stevens in The Borgia Stick (1967) and his blind plane
crash survivor in Seven in Darkness (1969).
The 1970s proved a very good decade indeed for Barry theater-wise with
"Seascape," "The Norman Conquests" and Liza Minnelli's "The Act" among his
pleasures, the last-mentioned earning him a Tony nomination. Despite
co-starring roles in the blockbuster hit Airport (1970) and comedy Pete 'n' Tillie (1972),
the silver screen would not become his strong suit in later years. By
the early 1990s he had fully retired.
A popular, clean-cut, down-to-earth "Average Joe" with a charmingly sly
side, you just couldn't help but like Barry Nelson. Although he
certainly could play the deceptive villain when called upon, he was
usually the kind of guy you'd root for having as a neighbor, pal or
business partner. Divorced from actress Teresa Celli for quite some time and
completely retired now, he and second wife Nansilee (they married in
1992) traveled extensively and enjoyed antique shopping in particular.
In 2007, during one of their many excursions, Barry passed away quietly
at age 89 at a hotel in Bucks County, Pennesylvania.
Barry Nelson was born Haakon Robert Nielsen on April 16, 1917, in San
Francisco, California, to Betsy (Christophersen) and Trygve "Ted" Nielsen, both Norwegian immigrants. He was raised in
nearby Oakland and graduated from the University of California at
Berkeley in 1941. A talent scout from MGM caught Barry in a college
production of "Macbeth" and quickly sized up his potential. Cast in
earnest secondary roles including Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) and Dr. Kildare's Victory (1942), he was assigned
the lead in the war film A Yank on the Burma Road (1942). Serving in WWII, he appeared in the
Moss Hart play "Winged Victory", in what would become his Broadway debut,
in 1943 and a year later he appeared as "Corporal Barry Nelson" in the
1944 film version of the play. Barry lost major ground in films during
the post-war years, but certainly made up for it on the live stage by
appearing in a string of New York successes ranging from "The Rat Race"
to "The Moon Is Blue."
On TV, in addition to becoming a trivia statistic in the Hollywood
annals as being the first to give video life to Ian Fleming's "007" agent
James ("Jimmy") Bond in a one-hour production of "Casino Royale" in Climax! (1954), Barry lit up the small screen in such dramatic programs as
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) and, in particular, a memorable episode of The Twilight Zone (1959). He also
starred in the series The Hunter (1952), a Cold War adventure, and My Favorite Husband (1953), in
which he played the level-headed mate and "straight man" to daffy
blonde Joan Caulfield. In the 1960s he continued to demonstrate his acting
muscle on stage and TV, although he did manage to preserve on film his
starring role in Mary, Mary (1963), a huge Broadway hit with Debbie Reynolds co-starring
in place of stage partner Barbara Bel Geddes. The lightweight play "Cactus Flower"
with Lauren Bacall was another bright vehicle, but star Walter Matthau's clout cost
Barry the part when it went to film. Through it all Barry remained a
thoroughly solid professional, particularly in the realm of TV-movies.
Such standouts include his neighbor/undercover agent to
criminals-on-the-run Don Murray and Inger Stevens in The Borgia Stick (1967) and his blind plane
crash survivor in Seven in Darkness (1969).
The 1970s proved a very good decade indeed for Barry theater-wise with
"Seascape," "The Norman Conquests" and Liza Minnelli's "The Act" among his
pleasures, the last-mentioned earning him a Tony nomination. Despite
co-starring roles in the blockbuster hit Airport (1970) and comedy Pete 'n' Tillie (1972),
the silver screen would not become his strong suit in later years. By
the early 1990s he had fully retired.
A popular, clean-cut, down-to-earth "Average Joe" with a charmingly sly
side, you just couldn't help but like Barry Nelson. Although he
certainly could play the deceptive villain when called upon, he was
usually the kind of guy you'd root for having as a neighbor, pal or
business partner. Divorced from actress Teresa Celli for quite some time and
completely retired now, he and second wife Nansilee (they married in
1992) traveled extensively and enjoyed antique shopping in particular.
In 2007, during one of their many excursions, Barry passed away quietly
at age 89 at a hotel in Bucks County, Pennesylvania.