1. William Edward Daily was an American actor and comedian known for his sitcom work as Major Roger Healey on I Dream of Jeannie and Howard Borden on The Bob Newhart Show.
18 Facts About Bill Daily
1. 2.
William Edward Bill Daily was born on August 30,1927, in Des Moines, Iowa, the son of Fern Ellis and Raymonde Bill Daily.
3.
Two weeks after his son was born, Bill Daily's father left his home to buy a loaf of bread and never returned.
4.
Bill Daily stated that preparing for a Chicago-area Emmy Award telecast, he asked a young Bob Newhart to come up with a routine about press agents that resulted in the routine "Abe Lincoln vs Madison Avenue".
5.
In 1963, Steve Allen appeared on The Mike Douglas Show, saw Bill Daily do a comedy bit and offered him a job in Los Angeles as an announcer, writer and performer on his syndicated show.
6.
Bill Daily appeared in guest spots on My Mother the Car, The Farmer's Daughter and Bewitched, before veteran sitcom writer Sidney Sheldon took notice of Bill Daily's work and hired him for the supporting role of Army Captain Roger Healey, on I Dream of Jeannie, in 1965.
7.
In 1972, two years after I Dream of Jeannie was canceled, Bill Daily was back on television in a non-military aviator's uniform, as Howard Borden in The Bob Newhart Show.
8.
Bill Daily frequently pops into the Hartleys' apartment to borrow things, mooch a meal, or have the Hartleys take care of his visiting son.
9.
Bill Daily appeared as an occasional panelist on the 1970s CBS game show Match Game.
10.
In 1980, after years of making a living as a second banana, Bill Daily was offered his own show.
11.
In 1987, Bill Daily was named director of the New Mexico Film Commission.
12.
In 1988, Bill Daily tried his hand again at starring roles, this time as another doctor on the sitcom Starting From Scratch.
13.
Bill Daily twice reprised his I Dream of Jeannie role of Roger Healey in two made-for-TV reunion movies: I Dream of Jeannie.
14.
In 1990, Bill Daily reunited with Bob Newhart as a new, overbearing neighbor in the Newhart episode "Good Neighbor Sam".
15.
Bill Daily married his first wife, Patricia Anderson, in 1949; in 1976, the couple divorced.
16.
Bill Daily had two adopted children: a son, Patrick, and a daughter, Kimberley, who is deceased.
17.
Bill Daily died of natural causes on September 4,2018, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, four days after his 91st birthday.
18.
Bill Daily's death was announced by his family three days later and his ashes were scattered nearby.