Bill Daily Dead: "I dream of Jeannie", "Newhart Show" Star Was 91



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He started as a bassist and stage director on live television before taking a break with Mike Douglas and Steve Allen.

Bill Daily, the comic known for his work supporting sitcoms I dream of Jeannie and Bob Newhart's show, is dead. He was 91 years old.

Daily, who hired Bob Newhart as his accountant in Chicago before both went to business fame, died Tuesday of natural causes in Santa Fe, New Mexico, said his son, J. Patrick Daily. The Hollywood Reporter.

A self-described "second banana tree", the Daily spent five seasons (and 131 episodes) on NBC I dream of Jeannie, broadcast from 1965 to 1970, then worked for six seasons (and 140 episodes) on CBS's # 39; Bob Newhart's show, which lasted from 1972 to 1978. During all this time, he struggled against dyslexia and had to memorize all his lines to continue.

After appearances in TV comedies Nice to meet you and The farmer's daughter, Daily has attracted the attention of I dream of Jeannie the creator Sidney Sheldon and landed the role of the crazy Roger Healey, the best friend of another NASA astronaut, Anthony Nelson (Larry Hagman), on the fantastic comedy that starred Barbara Eden as a rather attractive genius .

In 1972, the Daily-guest played the role of an incompetent city councilor during a second episode of the season. The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The episode was created by screenwriters-producers Lorenzo Music and David Davis to allow him to play in a pilot.

When that did not happen, the writers tapped Daily to play Howard Borden (named for the dairy company), a neighbor of Chicago psychologist Bob (Newhart) and Emily Hartley (Suzanne Pleshette). Divorced driver, Howard was suffering from a constant jet lag and had the habit of entering the Hartley's apartment without knocking.

"Bill was totally unaware of his fate," said screenwriter and producer Tom Patchett. THR in an oral history of the show. "I asked him once:" Where did you come with this silly ride? He said, "What are you talking about?" I said, "The way you're going in the room like a giraffe." He said, "C & # 39; is my walk. "

"I called our man," said Newhart in a statement released Friday night. "Every time we had trouble with a script on the show, Bill would have made an appearance, and in recent years we had hoped that Bill would be part of Bob Newhart's show tributes to the TV Academy, but at that time he was no longer traveling. He was one of the most positive people I have ever known and we will miss him very much. "

William Edward Daily was born on August 30, 1927 in Des Moines, Iowa. He once said that when he was a baby, his father went out "for a loaf" and never came back. An only child, Daily grew up in Chicago and discovered that people might not notice his dyslexia when he made them laugh.

Every day, he attended Lane Tech High School and played bass and sang in a jazz / comedy trio that toured the country. After serving in the Korean War, he returned to Windy City to study at the Goodman School of Theater.

He worked at WGN on Cubs Games and was later hired as Floor Manager at WMAQ-TV, a subsidiary of NBC in Chicago, where he eventually wrote and performed on a daily variety series called Club 60. He was also a stand-up and met Newhart, an accountant who was also starting comedy.

"I was helping to produce a rewards show [at WMAQ]and at that time, Bob was still my accountant, "he recalled in 2014." Just before the show, the engineers went on strike, which allowed me to fill more than minutes. I knew that Bob had his Abe Lincoln press agent to play local clubs[Ilcontinueraitàaffinerlaroutinepoursonalbumdecomédie[hewouldgoontorefinetheroutineforhisbreakoutcomedyalbum[Ilcontinueraitàaffinerlaroutinepoursonalbumdecomédie[hewouldgoontorefinetheroutineforhisbreakoutcomedyalbumThe spirit of Bob Newhart's button], so he went on the show, he did the little and just killed. After that, he was signed to make comedy albums, movies and the like. "

Daily and Newhart also worked together as pinsetters at a bowling alley, noted his son.

During his days off, Daily drove to Cleveland to write, direct and play on The Mike Douglas show. In 1963, Steve Allen appeared on this show, saw Daily make a comedy and offered him a job in Los Angeles as an advertiser, writer and performer on his syndicated show. And this exhibition allowed him to participate in a 1964 episode of Nice to meet you.

With regard to the actor's dyslexia, Newhart screenwriter-producer Jay Tarses noted that Daily "Would move his fingers when he did not know his lines .It was funny when that happened.Sometimes we could leave what he said in the show, and sometimes somebody." laughed and we had to stop. "

Daily also appeared in the 1971 Disney comedy film The barefoot executive; played on the short series ABC Aloha Paradise with Debbie Reynolds; reappeared on NBC ALF as psychologist Larry Dykstra; played a vet in front of Connie Stevens as his ex-wife in the syndicated show From zero; and makes regular appearances on Match Game.

He was married three times and very proud that his first two children, his daughter Kimberly (who died about eight years ago) and his son, a major Hollywood actor, were adopted. Another girl, Becky, has also passed.

After more than three decades in Albuquerque, Daily lived with his son and daughter-in-law Sharon at his death.

"Bill's philosophy in life was that happiness was a decision you made.That's how he lived," said his representative, Patterson Lundquist, in an email to THR. "Bill has enjoyed the best of his life, there will be no memorial service or funeral for family, friends and fans, but Bill's last wish is to have a party.

Lexy Perez contributed to this report.

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