Born in Keokuk, Iowa, into an upper middle-class family, he was the son of a musician father, Frank, and a mother, Frances (née Murphy), who was a locally praised singer. Nagel’s mother died early in his life, and he always attributed his artistic inclination to growing up in a family environment that encouraged self-expression. His father, Frank, became dean of the music conservatory at Highland Park College and when Nagel was three, the family moved to Des Moines.
After graduating from Highland Park College at Des Moines, Iowa, Nagel left for California to pursue a career in the relatively new medium of motion pictures where he garnered instant attention from the Hollywood studio executives. With his six foot tall frame, blue eyes, and wavy blond hair; the young, Midwestern Nagel was seen by studio executives as a potentially wholesome matinee idol whose unpretentious all-American charm would surely appeal to the nation's nascent film-goers.
Nagel was immediately cast in film roles that cemented his unspoiled lover image. His first film was the 1918 retelling of the Louisa May Alcott classic, Little Women, which quickly captured the public’s attention and set Nagel on a path to silent film stardom. His breakout role came in the 1920 film, The Fighting Chance, opposite Swedish starlet Anna Q. Nilsson.
On May 11, 1927, Nagel was among 35 other film industry insiders to found the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS); a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures. Fellow actors involved in the founding included: Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Richard Barthelmess, Jack Holt, Milton Sills, and Harold Lloyd. He served as president of the organization from 1932 to 1933. He was also a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).
In 1927, Nagel starred alongside Lon Chaney, Sr., Marceline Day, Henry B. Walthall and Polly Moran in the now lost Tod Browning directed horror classic, London After Midnight. The film is quite possibly the most famous and talked about lost film ever.
Unlike so many silent films stars of the Roaring Twenties, Conrad Nagel had little difficulty transitioning to talkies and spent the next several decades being very well received in high profile films as a character actor. He was also frequently heard on radio and made many notable appearances on television. From 1937 to 1947 he hosted and directed the radio program Silver Theater. Later on, from 1949 to 1952 he hosted the popular TV game show, Celebrity Time.
In 1940, Nagel was given an Honorary Academy Award for his work with the Motion Picture Relief Fund. He was the host of the 3rd Academy Awards ceremony held on November 5, 1930, the 5th Academy Awards on November 18, 1932, and a co-host with Bob Hope at the 25th Academy Awards ceremony on March 19, 1953. The 21-year gap between his appearances in 1932 and 1953 is a record for an Oscar ceremonies host. He was also host of the 1930 Emmy Awards.
Nagel married and divorced three times. His first wife, Ruth Helms, gave birth to a daughter, Ruth Margaret, in 1920. His second wife was Lynn Merrick. His third wife was Michael Coulson Smith, who gave birth to a son Michael in the late 1950s.
In 1970, Nagel died in New York City, aged 72, and was cremated at Garden State Crematory in North Bergen, New Jersey.
For his contributions to film, radio, and television, Conrad Nagel was given three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1719 Vine Street (Motion Pictures), 1752 Vine Street (Radio), and 1752 Vine Street (Television).
Conrad Nagel filmography
The Man Who Understood Women (1959)
A Stranger in My Arms (aka And Ride a Tiger) (1959)
Hidden Fear (1957)
All That Heaven Allows (1955)
Stage Struck (1948)
The Adventures of Rusty (1945)
Forever Yours (1945)
I Want a Divorce (1940)
One Million B.C. (1940) .... Narrator
The Mad Empress (1939)
Bank Alarm (1937)
The Gold Racket (1937)
Navy Spy (1937)
The Gold Racket {1937)
Wedding Present (1936)
The Girl From Mandalay (1936)
Ball at Savoy (1936)
One New York Night (1935)
Death Flies East (1935)
One Hour Late (1935)
Dangerous Corner (1934)
The Marines Are Coming (1934)
Ann Vickers (1933)
The Constant Woman (1933)
Fast Life (1932)
Kongo (1932)
Divorce in the Family (1932)
The Man Called Back (1932)
Hell Divers (1931) with Wallace Beery and Clark Gable
The Pagan Lady (1931)
The Reckless Hour (1931)
Son of India (1931)
Three Who Loved (1931)
The Bad Sister (1931)
The Right of Way (1931)
East Lynne (1931)
Free Love (1930)
Today (1930)
Du Barry, Woman of Passion (1930)
A Lady Surrenders (1930)
Numbered Men (1930)
One Romantic Night (1930)
The Divorcee (1930)
Redemption (1930)
Second Wife (1930)
The Ship from Shanghai (1930)
Dynamite (1929)
The Sacred Flame (1929)
The Kiss (1929)
The Thirteenth Chair (1929)
The Idle Rich (1929)
Kid Gloves (1929)
The Redeeming Sin (1929)
Red Wine (1928)
The Terror (1928) (uncredited)
Caught in the Fog (1928)
State Street Sadie (1928)
The Mysterious Lady (1928)
The Michigan Kid (1928)
Diamond Handcuffs (1928)
Glorious Betsy (1928)
The Crimson City (1928)
Tenderloin (1928)
If I Were Single (1927)
London After Midnight (1927)
The Girl from Chicago (1927)
Quality Street (1927)
Slightly Used (1927)
Heaven on Earth (1927)
There You Are! (1926)
Tin Hats (1926)
The Waning Sex (1926)
Exquisite Sinner (1926)
Memory Lane (1926)
Dance Madness (1926)
Lights of Old Broadway (1925)
The Only Thing (1925)
Sun-Up (1925)
Pretty Ladies (1925)
Cheaper to Marry (1925)
Excuse Me (1925)
So This Is Marriage? (1924)
The Snob (1924)
Married Flirts (1924)
Sinners in Silk (1924)
Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1924)
The Rejected Woman (1924)
Three Weeks (1924)
Name the Man (1924)
The Rendezvous (1923)
Lawful Larceny (1923)
Bella Donna (1923)
Grumpy (1923)
Singed Wings (1922)
The Impossible Mrs. Bellew (1922)
Nice People (1922)
The Ordeal (1922)
Hate (1922)
Saturday Night (1922)
Fool's Paradise (1921)
Sacred and Profane Love (1921)
The Lost Romance (1921)
What Every Woman Knows (1921)
Midsummer Madness (1920)
Unseen Forces (1920)
The Fighting Chance (1920)
Romeo's Dad (1919)
The Redhead (1919)
The Lion and the Mouse (1919)
Little Women (1918)
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