Rik Van Nutter Biography
Rik Van Nutter, born Frederick Allen Nutter, was an American actor who made a name for himself in the film industry with his roles in minor films and the James Bond picture Thunderball.
Born on May 1, 1929, in Pomona, California, Van Nutter began his career in the film industry as a location manager/assistant director while living in the Hawaiian Islands.
After working as a production manager in Africa, Van Nutter decided to stop in Rome on his way back home, and he decided to stay there. In 1959, while working as a location manager for a film company, he was asked to take a part in Guardatele ma non toccatele. From then on, he spent the rest of his life in front of the cameras.
Van Nutter is best known for playing the third version of Felix Leiter in the James Bond film Thunderball, which was released in 1965. He also had a role alongside Peter Ustinov in Romanoff and Juliet, which was released in 1961. Some of his later films included Foxbat, which was released in 1977 and starred Henry Silva and Vonetta McGee, and Pacific Inferno, a Jim Brown WW2 adventure film released in 1979.
In 1963, Rik Van Nutter married film actress Anita Ekberg. The couple remained married until 1975.
Rik Van Nutter passed away on October 15, 2005, at the age of 76. His filmography includes a wide range of roles, from his early uncredited role in Uncle Was a Vampire in 1959 to his final role in Pacific Inferno in 1979. He will be remembered for his contribution to the film industry and his memorable role as Felix Leiter in Thunderball.