James Bond dies at the aged of 89 · 2007-04-14 17:27
Barry Nelson, the first actor to play James Bond onscreen has died on April 7 while traveling in Pennsylvania at the age of 89.
Barry Nelson was an MGM contract player during the 1940s and later had a prolific television and theater career.
Nelson first played 007 in a one-hour TV adaptation of “Casino Royale” in 1954, eight years before Sean Connery played the British agent in the big screen adaptation of “Dr. No.”
“I was doing a series for CBS called ‘My Favorite Husband,’” Nelson told “Entertainment Tonight” in 1987. “And they seemed to get in a jam on casting. I was down in Jamaica at the time, and they gave me a hurried call, and I came up.”
“I had not read the book, and the Bond thing wasn’t all that well known, and I did the best I could. Very modestly, I just call myself ‘001 1/2.’”
“He was a very naturalistic, believable actor,” said his agent, Francis Delduca. “He was good at both comedy and the serious stuff.”
Nelson is survived by his wife. He did not have any children from either marriage.
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