George Nader

George Nader (October 19, 1921 — February 4, 2002) was an American film and television actor. He appeared in a variety of films from 1950 through 1974, including Phone Call from a Stranger (1952), Congo Crossing (1956), and The Female Animal (1957). During this period, he also did episodic television and starred in several television series such as The Man and the Challenge (1959–60). However, his best-remembered role may be as "Roy", the hero who saves the world from the clutches of "Ro-man" in the low-budget 3-D sci-fi romp Robot Monster (1953).

Stage, film and television work

Born in Pasadena, California, Nader began his film career in 1950, after earning his B.A. in theater arts at Occidental College. Nader appeared in several productions at the Pasadena Playhouse. That work led to a number of bit parts in 1951 and '52. His big break was his first starring role, which came in Robot Monster (1953), a 3-D feature film directed by Phil Tucker. This role and his rugged good looks won him a Universal Studios contract in the 1950s, and he made a number of films for Universal. In 1955, he won a Golden Globe Award for "Most Promising Newcomer."

Despite this accolade, Nader often found himself struggling in the shadow of more famous leading men, such as Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, and Jeff Chandler. His films of that period included 1954's Carnival Story and Sins of Jezebel and 1956's Away All Boats. He moved into television in the late 1950s, appearing in several short-lived series including "The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen," "Man and the Challenge" and "Shannon." He also appeared frequently on The Loretta Young Show, a dramatic anthology series.

Personal life

In the mid-1950s, rumors about Nader's private life began to surface. The news reached the editors of a scandal sheet called Confidential magazine, which threatened to publish the details of Nader's supposed relationship with Rock Hudson. (In fact, Nader's companion was Mark Miller who would later become Hudson's personal secretary.) It was whispered at the time that the studio cut a deal and agreed to fire Nader if the information about Hudson was kept quiet. Whatever the truth, Nader's career in Hollywood was ended. He and Miller moved to Europe, where Nader found steady work in films. A notable role during this period was as U.S. government agent "Jerry Cotton" in a German film series where he became the number two most popular film star in Germany behind Lex Barker.

In the mid-1970s, Nader was involved in a serious auto accident. He suffered an eye injury which made him very sensitive to the bright lights of movie sets.

Writing career

After damage to his eye made it difficult to endure an acting career, Nader began a career as a writer of science fiction. His groundbreaking 1978 novel Chrome is probably the first science fiction novel to center on a homosexual love affair, and the first to have substantial homosexual erotic scenes.

According to Variety Magazine's Army Archerd, Nader had completed a book called The Perils of Paul, about the gay community in Hollywood, which he did not want published until after his death.

Later life

Nader and Miller eventually returned to the U.S. and settled in Palm Springs, California. Stricken by multiple medical problems, Nader entered the hospital in September, 2001. He died at Woodland Hills, California of cardiac-pulmonary failure, pneumonia, and multiple cerebral infarctions. Nader is survived by Miller, his cousins Sally Kubly and Roberta Cavell, and his nephew, actor Michael Nader.

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Other notes
1950	Rustlers on Horseback	Jack Reynolds	Credited as George Nadar
1950-1953	Fireside Theater	Web Martin/George	TV, 2 episodes
1951	''You're in the Navy Now	Crew member	Uncredited
	The Prowler	Photographer	Uncredited
	Take Care of My Little Girl	Jack Gruber	Uncredited
	The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel	Commando	Uncredited, alternative titles: Rommel, Desert Fox & The Desert Fox
	Two Tickets to Broadway	Crosby's Sound Technician	Uncredited
	Overland Telegraph	Paul Manning
1952	Phone Call from a Stranger	Pilot	Uncredited
	Gruen Guild Playhouse		TV, 1 episode
	Monsoon	Burton
	Big Town		TV, 1 episode
1953	Down Among the Sheltering Palms	Lt. Homer Briggs	Uncredited
	Your Jeweler's Showcase		TV, 1 episode
	Robot Monster	Roy	Alternative titles: Monster from Mars & Monsters from the Moon
	Schlitz Playhouse of Stars		TV, 1 episode
	Your Play Time		TV, 1 episode
	Sins of Jezebel	Jehu
	Hallmark Hall of Fame		TV, 1 episode
1953-1961	The Loretta Young Show	Various roles	TV, 8 episodes
1954	Miss Robin Crusoe	Jonathan
	The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse		TV, 2 episodes
	Carnival Story	Bill Vines
	Cavalcade of America	Eliphalet Remington II	TV, 2 episodes
	Four Guns to the Border	Bronco	Alternative title: Shadow Valley
1954-1957	Lux Video Theatre		TV, 3 episodes
1955	Six Bridges to Cross	Edward Gallagher
	The Second Greatest Sex	Matt Davis
	Lady Godiva of Coventry	Lord Leofric
1956	Congo Crossing	David Carr
	Away All Boats	Lieutenant Dave MacDougall
	The Unguarded Moment	Lieutenant Harry Graham	Alternative title: The Gentle Web
1957	Four Girls in Town	Mike Snowden
	Man Afraid	Rev. David Collins
	Joe Butterfly	Sgt. Ed Kennedy
	Climax!	Harry Parker	TV, 1 episode
1958	The Female Animal	Chris Farley
	Flood Tide	Steve Martin	Alternative title: Above All Things
	Nowhere to Go	Paul Gregory
1959	The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen	Ellery Queen	TV, 2 episodes
	The Man and the Challenge	Dr. Glenn Barton	TV, 1 episode
1960	Laramie	Wells Clark	TV, 1 episode
1961	The Andy Griffith Show	Dr. Robert Benson	TV, 1 episode
	Shannon	Joe Shannon	TV, unknown episodes
1963	Zigzag
1965	The Human Duplicators	Glenn Martin	Alternative titles: Space Agent K1 & Jaws of the Alien
	Burke's Law	Chris Maitland	TV, 1 episode
1967	The Million Eyes of Sumuru	Agent Nick West
1972	Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law		TV, 1 episode
	The F.B.I.		TV, 1 episode
1973	Beyond Atlantis	Beyond Atlantis	Alternative title: Sea Creatures
1974	Nakia	McMasters	Television movie

References

External links

• George Nader at Mystery Science Theatre 3000
• George Nader on glbtq.com
• A review of Nader's novel Chrome