The Original James Bond was portrayed by Barry Nelson in the 1954 television adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel, Casino Royale. He is credited with being the first actor to portray the secret agent on film. Nelson played Bond as "Jimmy" Bond (an American version of the secret agent), because the character was not well known. Nelson struggled with his own portrayal of the character, considering he had never heard of Bond and had never read Fleming's novels.

Nelson appeared on several television shows throughout the 1960s, including The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and, What's My Line?.

Nelson died on April 7th, 2007 while traveling in Pennsylvania at the age of 89.