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Barry Nelson

Barry Nelson

Actor · Died April 7, 2007, aged 89 · San Francisco, California, USA

From Wikipedia Barry Nelson (April 16, 1917 – April 7, 2007) was an American actor, noted as the first actor to portray Ian Fleming's secret agent James Bond.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 16, 1917
Died
April 7, 2007 (aged 89)
From
San Francisco, California, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
24 on MovieCove · 58 credits in all
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 26% in 30 days

What are Barry Nelson's films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 1 · Dark 3

A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1

Gentle 4 · Charged 4 · Intense 2

Steady 7 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 3

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0

Casual 6 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

6 analyzed roles
Trickster
1 of 6
Hero
1 of 6
Mentor
1 of 6
Shapeshifter
1 of 6
Ally
1 of 6
Herald
1 of 6

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Joyful
4
Hopeful
4
Dread
2
Romantic
3
Other
7

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet1
  • Tragic2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Barry Nelson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 24 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Barry Nelson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

58 credits, 24 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Monsters(1988)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Vernon Rathmore

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
  • Murder, She Wrote(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Eugene McClenden

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
  • Magnum, P.I.(1980)

    Show 1 episode · as William B. Knox

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows
  • The Shining(1980)

    as Ullman

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
  • Island Claws (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Dr. McNeal

  • Battlestar Galactica (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 1 episode · as Bogan

  • Taxi(1978)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Jeffries

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
  • Dallas(1978)

    Show 3 episodes · as Arthur Elrod

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows
  • The Love Boat(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as Mac O'Brian

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows
  • Washington: Behind Closed Doors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 6 episodes · as Bob Bailey

  • Mason (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Actor

  • Ring Once for Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Hugo Fane

  • Thriller(1973)

    Show 1 episode · as Hugo Fane

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
  • Climb an Angry Mountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Lt. Frank Bryant

  • Pete 'n' Tillie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Burt Wilson

  • Ghost Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · as Jim

  • Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · as John Andrews

  • Airport(1970)

    as Anson Harris

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
  • Love, American Style (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Shelby

  • Seven in Darkness(1969)

    as Alex Swain

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
  • The Name of the Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as Frank Sandler

  • The Borgia Stick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Hal Carter

  • CBS Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 1 episode · as Cary Lesco

  • Mary, Mary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Bob McKellaway

  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Don Emerson

  • The Greatest Show on Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Clay Keifer

  • The Alfred Hitchcock Hour(1962)

    Show 1 episode · as Colin · as Dr. James Parkerson

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
  • Special for Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 1 episode · as Matt Hunter

  • The Twilight Zone(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Bob Frazier

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
  • The First Traveling Saleslady(1956)

    as Charles Masters

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
  • Every Man Has Two Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Bill Morgan

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Raymond Houston

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
  • MGM Parade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Casino Royale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as James Bond

  • Climax! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · as Jimmy Bond

  • The Hunter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show 13 episodes · as Bart Adams

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Man with My Face (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Charles 'Chick' Graham / Albert 'Bert' Rand

  • Suspense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Show 1 episode · as Turk Wilson

  • Tenth Avenue Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Al Parker

  • Undercover Maisie(1947)

    as Lieutenant Paul Scott

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
  • The Luckiest Guy in the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Charles Vurn

  • Time to Kill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Harry O'Brien

  • Winged Victory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Bobby Crills

  • A Guy Named Joe(1943)

    as Dick Rumney

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
  • Bataan(1943)

    as F.X. Matowski

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
  • The Human Comedy(1943)

    as Fat

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
  • Eyes in the Night(1942)

    as Mr. Busch

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
  • The Affairs of Martha(1942)

    as Danny O'Brien

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
  • Rio Rita(1942)

    as Harry Gantley

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
  • Don't Talk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as FBI Agent Freed

  • Dr. Kildare's Victory(1942)

    as Samuel Z. Cutter

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
  • A Yank on the Burma Road(1942)

    as Joe Tracey

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
  • Johnny Eager (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Lew Rankin

  • Shadow of the Thin Man(1941)

    as Paul Clarke

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
  • Comet Over Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Garage mechanic (uncredited)

  • Hudson's Bay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 39 episodes · as Jonathan Banner

  • My Favorite Husband (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 92nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 58 titles, 56 of them dated from 1938 to 1988; peak year 1980.

Film career

19381988

Peak 1980 · their film career is on the way up. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1941Screen debut· Shadow of the Thin Man
  • 1954First top-billed film· Casino Royale
  • 1980Career best· The Shining

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting58 of 58: 58 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score68th

By decade

1930s1 · acting1940s17 · acting1950s10 · acting1960s10 · acting1970s13 · acting1980s5 · acting

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 10% of 10 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Barry Nelson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 24 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th11
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 24 titles divides audiences: 17 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Mixed4

Reviewers score the acting 63/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Barry Nelson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Barry Nelson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Henry O'Neill shares the most, 2.

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers