Born in Pasadena, California, Nader began his film career in 1950, after having earned his bachelor of arts in theatre 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 also was Esther Williams' leading man in her first straight dramatic film, The Unguarded Moment, released by Universal in 1956. He moved into television in the late 1950s, appearing in several short-lived series including The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen and The Man and the Challenge. In the 1961-1962 season, he appeared as insurance investigator Joe Shannon in the syndicated crime drama Shannon; his co-star was Regis Toomey. Nader also appeared frequently on The Loretta Young Show, a dramatic anthology series on NBC.

Personal life

In the mid-1950s, rumors about Nader's private life began to surface. Nader's companion was Mark Miller who would later become Hudson's personal secretary. 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 automobile accident. He suffered an eye injury which made him particularly sensitive to the bright lights of movie sets. According to an interview with the German fanzine 'Splatting Image' his eye injury was the result of an accident during the production of the never released movie 'Zigzag'. Nader got injured while using some blank pistol rounds (one of them exploded too early next to his eyes). Since filming took place on the Philippines no adequate treatment was taken in time, resulting in the partial loss of his eyesight and the aforementioned sensitivity.

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.

Nader and Miller eventually returned to the U.S. and settled in Palm Springs. 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.

His ashes were scattered at sea, but his cenotaph exists in Cathedral City's Forest Lawn Cemetery.