Nelson Ackerman Eddy or Nelson Eddy, born in 1901, was an American actor and baritone singer who performed during the 1930s and 1940s. Nelson Eddy was trained baritone, best remembered for the eight films in which he costarred with soprano Jeanette MacDonald. He was one of the first “crossover” stars, a superstar appealing both to shrieking bobby soxers and opera purists.