Monday, April 16, 2007

RIP Barry Nelson (1917-2007)


Barry Nelson, the first actor to play James Bond, has died while traveling in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He was 89. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Nelson was a big star for MGM studios in the early 1940s after he was spotted by a talent scout and signed to a series of films including Johnny Eager, Dr. Kildare's Victory and A Yank on the Burma Road.

He also became a military favorite during World War II by starring in the wartime play Winged Victory. He reprised his role later in a movie version of the play, alongside Red Buttons and George Reeves.

Nelson returned to his acting career after the war and starred in films like Time To Kill and Undercover Maisie, and played the first James Bond in a one-hour TV adaptation of Casino Royale in 1954. He played Jack Nicholson's boss in Stanley Kubrick's version of The Shining. Nelson appeared in a classic episode of the "The Twilight Zone" from 1964 called Stopover in a Quiet Town...

He became a prolific stage star throughout the 1960s and 1970s, appearing on Broadway in hits like Seascape and The Act, which earned him a Tony nomination.

Read more of the story from Fox News...

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