Actor Barry Nelson died at age 87. He was the first man to play James Bond on screen, in a one-hour live TV adaptation of Casino Royale which aired in 1954.
A veteran of both WWII and the Broadway stage, Nelson was nominated for a Tony award for the 1977 production of The Act, a musical starring Liza Minelli and directed by Martin Scorsese.
Sources differ on his age, some saying he died at age 89, some saying he was born in 1920, which would make him 87.
Whatever his age, I’ve always remembered his interpretation of James Bond, playing him as a casually self-confident American opposite Peter Lorre who, as usual, played the bad guy.
Click here to read Barry Nelson’s account of playing the famous character.
Click here to read the Theater Mania obituary.
