fixed pandas-dev#54564

pandas/io/excel/_xlrd.py

@@ -120,9 +120,17 @@ def _parse_cell(cell_contents, cell_typ):
             elif cell_typ == XL_CELL_NUMBER:
                 # GH5394 - Excel 'numbers' are always floats
                 # it's a minimal perf hit and less surprising
-                val = int(cell_contents)
-                if val == cell_contents:
-                    cell_contents = val
+                try:
+                    val = int(cell_contents)
+                except Exception:
+                    # GH54564 - if the cell contents are NaN/Inf, we get an exception;
+                    # that is just another case where we don't want to convert.
+                    # The exception filter is quite general on purpose: whenever
+                    # the cell content cannot be converted to int - just don't.
+                    pass
+                else:
+                    if val == cell_contents:
+                        cell_contents = val
             return cell_contents
 
         data = []

pandas/tests/io/excel/test_xlrd.py

@@ -49,9 +49,9 @@ def test_nan_in_xls(datapath):
     # GH 54564
     path = datapath("io", "data", "excel", "test6.xls")
 
-    expected = pd.DataFrame(np.r_[:3, np.nan].reshape(2, 2))
+    expected = pd.DataFrame(np.r_[:3, np.nan].reshape(2, 2)).astype(float)
 
-    result = pd.read_excel(path)
+    result = pd.read_excel(path, header=None).astype(float)
 
     tm.assert_frame_equal(result, expected)