Charles Nelson Reilly, a Tony Award winner who later became known for his ribald appearances on the Tonight Show and various game shows, has died.
He was 76.
Reilly died Friday in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia, his partner, Patrick Hughes, told the New York Times newspaper.
Reilly began his career in New York City, taking acting classes at a studio with Steve McQueen, Geraldine Page and Hal Holbrook. In 1962, he appeared on Broadway as Bud Frump in the original Broadway production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The role won Reilly a Tony Award.
He was nominated for a Tony again for playing Cornelius in Hello, Dolly! In 1997 he received another nomination for directing Julie Harris and Charles Durning in a revival of The Gin Game.
After moving to Hollywood in 1960s he appeared as the nervous Claymore Gregg on TV's The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and as a featured guest on The Dean Martin Show.
He gained fame by becoming what he described as a "game show fixture" in the 1970s and 80s. He was a regular on programs like Match Game and Hollywood Squares, often wearing giant glasses and colourful suits with ascots.
His larger-than-life persona and affinity for double-entendres also landed him on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson more than 95 times.
Reilly ruefully admitted his wild game show appearances adversely affected his acting career.
"You can't do anything else once you do game shows," he told the Advocate, a U.S. gay magazine, in 2001.
(keep reading)
He was 76.
Reilly died Friday in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia, his partner, Patrick Hughes, told the New York Times newspaper.
Reilly began his career in New York City, taking acting classes at a studio with Steve McQueen, Geraldine Page and Hal Holbrook. In 1962, he appeared on Broadway as Bud Frump in the original Broadway production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The role won Reilly a Tony Award.
He was nominated for a Tony again for playing Cornelius in Hello, Dolly! In 1997 he received another nomination for directing Julie Harris and Charles Durning in a revival of The Gin Game.
After moving to Hollywood in 1960s he appeared as the nervous Claymore Gregg on TV's The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and as a featured guest on The Dean Martin Show.
He gained fame by becoming what he described as a "game show fixture" in the 1970s and 80s. He was a regular on programs like Match Game and Hollywood Squares, often wearing giant glasses and colourful suits with ascots.
His larger-than-life persona and affinity for double-entendres also landed him on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson more than 95 times.
Reilly ruefully admitted his wild game show appearances adversely affected his acting career.
"You can't do anything else once you do game shows," he told the Advocate, a U.S. gay magazine, in 2001.
(keep reading)
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