Barry Nelson, the affable and respected actor, was born Haakon Robert Nielsen on April 16, 1917, in San Francisco, California, to Norwegian immigrant parents Betsy (Christophersen) and Trygve "Ted" Nielsen.
Growing up in nearby Oakland, Barry graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1941, where he was discovered by a talent scout from MGM during a college production of "Macbeth".
Barry's early film roles included Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) and Dr. Kildare's Victory (1942),before being cast in the lead role of A Yank on the Burma Road (1942).
During World War II, Barry served in the military and appeared in the Moss Hart play "Winged Victory" on Broadway in 1943, and later in the 1944 film version.
After the war, Barry's film career slowed, but he continued to thrive on stage, appearing in a string of New York successes, including "The Rat Race" and "The Moon Is Blue".
On television, Barry became a trivia statistic by being the first to play James Bond in a one-hour production of "Casino Royale" in Climax! (1954). He also starred in the series The Hunter (1952),My Favorite Husband (1953),and The Twilight Zone (1959).
In the 1960s, Barry continued to demonstrate his acting muscle on stage and TV, and even landed a starring role in the Broadway hit Mary, Mary (1963).
Throughout his career, Barry remained a solid professional, particularly in TV-movies, such as The Borgia Stick (1967) and Seven in Darkness (1969).
In the 1970s, Barry's theater career flourished, with roles in "Seascape", "The Norman Conquests", and Liza Minnelli's "The Act", earning him a Tony nomination.
Despite co-starring roles in blockbuster hits like Airport (1970) and Pete 'n' Tillie (1972),the silver screen did not become Barry's strong suit in later years. He fully retired by the early 1990s.
A popular and down-to-earth actor, Barry was known for his charmingly sly side, and was often cast as the kind of guy you'd root for. He passed away quietly at age 89 in 2007, while traveling with his second wife Nansilee.
